Second Glance: The Scorsese-esque Melancholy of ‘Cop Land’
Originally published on Flavorwire, 8/14/17 Welcome to “Second Glance,” a bi-weekly column that spotlights an older film of note (thanks to an anniversary, a connection to a new release, or new disc or streaming availability) that was not as commercially or critically successful as it should’ve been. This week, on the anniversary of its release, we look back at James Mangold’s all-star police corruption tale, Cop Land. When James Mangold’s Cop Land was released to theaters twenty years ago this week, it came on a wave of expectation and hype that was all but impossible to meet. This was a big, prestige crime picture from Miramax, three years after Pulp Fiction , and the similarities couldn’t have been clearer: it was the second film from a rising young director – James Mangold, in this case – boasting a big ensemble cast (including Harvey Keitel) led by a giant star of the ‘70s and ‘80s who was sorely in need of a career renaissance. The Travolta of Cop Land was Sylvester Sta