US Kino Lorber DVD

James Woods as a slightly sleazy but determined LA crime cop in a fine thriller about a serial killer and
based on the James Ellroy novel "Blood on the Moon". Two Special one's in the same film project, well,
Woods as an actor and Ellroy providing the original story. I Love James Woods, always a bit off-kilter and
with that unique totally relaxed but still focused acting style of his, a genius actor. Woods, a bit creepy and
weird in some interviews i've seen and somewhat like the roles he so often get to play.

Videodrome .... i've lost count of how many times i've seen that film and the first time i had the pleasure to
watch this KING actor was in 1981-1982 when i saw him as an amoral and sleazy prison guard in James B.
Harris Fast-Walking (läs mer om denna på min Cult & Classics sida 2) where he, Frank "Fast-Walking"
Miniver acted as he walked out from a Jim Thompson novel. In Cop Harris uses Woods again in a crime
story. This time though Woods play an almost normal character, almost as he's slightly sleazy and disturbed.

The James Ellroy dedication

I had a period at the beginning of the 1990's when i discovered and read almost every book that Ellroy had
written from Brown's Requiem (1981) to White Jazz (1992) and the one that i missed was Blood on the
Moon (1984) on which this film was based. All these novels had great suspenseful intrigues and they're hard
to put away resulting into many sleepless nights with reading .... but finally i got tired of the sleaze, it was just
too much and not necessary really. But, for that period in my life they were good reads.

I remember meeting Ellroy at a bookstore signing here in Stockholm in the early 1990's, when his star was sky-
rocketing also outside of the US (due to The Black Dahlia maybe), and i asked him if there were any films made on
his novels (and he answered there were only this one ... Cop).
Ellroy was a character for sure and hysterically funny, he was screaming at everyone in the store ... come and buy
my books, stand in the line like sheep please .... sleaze and gore, just what you want huh .... hey, HEY, where do
you think you're going stupid woman .... oh, she works here, OK etc. etc. and then he dedicated my book with an
obscene/sweet picture of his dog with a giant penis. Like a force of nature had struck this peaceful bookstore.

Cop: James Woods play LA crime cop Sgt. Lloyd Hopkins and in the beginning of the film he gets an anonymous
tip about a murder scene where a woman is hanging upside down from the roof. He starts investigating the case
and sees similarities to a bunch of old unsolved murder cases. But, his boss Capt. Gaffey (Raymond J. Barry) don't
want no headlines about a serial killer on the loose causing panic in LA and bad publicity to the LAPD and won't
admit any resources/staff to help Lloyd in his investigation. Lloyd buddy Dutch (Charles Durning) does help him
though in secret.

James Woods is James Woods and do have a smooth way with the women in the film, and he tells unusual bedtime
stories to his 8 year old daughter about his crime cases ... "Tell me how you got the scumbag, Daddy", ha, ha,ha.
His wife Jen, soon to leave him, don't approve ... "Lloyd, i think you're a very sick man".
James Woods is GREAT as always and do raise this film a whole lot as the Harris screenplay is a bit cliché and,
even though i haven't read the novel, i'm pretty sure that Ellroy's novel had more edge to it in intensity and sleaze.
But, to be fair to director and screen writer James B. Harris, all films based on Ellroy novels has omitted the sleaze
and Cop does have slightly more edge to it than the other mainstream Hollywood blockbusters that followed.
Violence is Good - but NO Sex Please = the mantra of Hollywood

Anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1, english audio stereo with english subtitles. Extra: an audio commentary with
director/screen writer James B. Harris and a trailer