Copshop

Copshop tells the story of wily grifter Teddy Muretto (Rob Grillo), who allows himself to be arrested by rookie cop Valerie Young (Alexis Louder) to protect himself from assassination – a plan that backfires when hired killer Bob Viddick (Gerard Butler) tries the same trick. However, it transpires that Viddick is not the only person out for Teddy’s head, and Young’s entire precinct is caught in the crossfire.

It’s a fairly straightforward story, working with the claustrophobic space of a police station to elevate the tension and make for some intense (if slightly uninspiring) action sequences. On the scripting side, it sometimes feels like Copshop doesn’t know what it wants to be: there are a number of plot points that aren’t given the oxygen they need, and tonally the film can’t seem to decide if it’s a dark comedy or a tense thriller. Despite this, the writing squeaks by with a passing grade, hitting most of the beats it needs to and generally doing so with humour and style. 

At times, Copshop’s pacing can be frustrating – it definitely drags its feet establishing the plot and characters in the first half of the film, and there are a few fight scenes that overstay their welcome – but for the most part it’s uncomplicated gunfight action. 

One thing that definitely helps elevate Copshop is the performances of its cast. With limited narrative space and a simple plot, the story needs a lot of support from its actors, and they definitely deliver. Muretto and Grillo are great as the two criminal “protagonists” of the film. While their dynamic is a little shallow on the scripting side, they compensate with great emotive performances and fantastic chemistry. Louder is also very compelling as the main cop protagonist, her performance as the idealistic, law-abiding Young working well against the gruff criminals surrounding her. Toby Huss absolutely steals the show in the second half as rival assassin Anthony Lamb, delivering a delightfully unhinged performance as a very entertaining counterpart to Viddick’s cold professionalism.

Copshop is decent, not breaking any new ground or doing anything particularly mind-blowing but delivering a solid action flick with some great acting. For anyone simply looking for a movie where people shoot and are shot in exciting ways, this will be perfect, but it doesn’t offer much beyond that.

Umar Ali

Copshop is released nationwide on 10^th September 2021.

Watch the trailer for Copshop here: