Rent Copshop (2021)

Average Violent Action Thriller - Copshop review by GI

From the use of the score of Magnum Force (1973) you can tell right from the outset this violent action thriller is homaging the shoot em up films of the 70s. Apart from Dirty Harry there's some John Carpenter on show here too. It's all hyper gunplay and extreme characters that battle it out in a small town police station. An 'on the run from the Mob' conman, Teddy (Frank Grillo) gets himself arrested by exuberant young police officer Valerie (Alexis Louder) thinking jail is the safest place. But he hasn't banked on contract killer Bob (Gerard Butler) doing the same thing in order to kill him. The trouble starts when a rival bad guy shows up and one of the cops is on his payroll. This cues lots of shooting and violence inside the police station. No one can be trusted of course and you're never fully sure who the real baddies are. If you like this sort of thing it'll help pass a couple of hours but it's hardly very original and Butler needs to find something far more interesting than just these violent actioners.  

Dynamic shoot-em-up - Copshop review by Alphaville

If you’re in the mood for a good old-fashioned shoot-em-up, this is one of the best of recent years. Turncoat fixer Frank Grillo gets himself locked up in a desert jail for safety and hitman Gerard Butler gets himself locked up in the same jail in order to kill him. Despite over-ripe initial dialogue and a preposterous denouement, the bulk of the movie has twists and action too spare, with standout turns from resilient cop Alexis Louder and psychopathic hitman Chad Coleman.

Most of the action takes place in the restricted space of the jail but never seems claustrophobic. Director Joe Carnahan, making his best film since The Grey, fills his characters with so much punch and shoots scenes with so much energy that it fairly rattles along.

Average - Copshop review by AER

Considering that this was directed by Joe Carnahan who made The Grey, Smoking Aces, and Narc, this should've been something special. Instead, it's a fairly workmanlike actioner that sags in the middle. Some quirky elements like Toby Huss' hitman are memorable, and Alexis Louder is great as the heroine, yet Gerald Butler and Frank Grillo seem unimpressed by the material and just go through the numbers. It's rare to see a film where the supporting players leave the lead actors standing. It's competently made but largely forgettable. Half marks from me :)