Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Joe Carnahan, ‘Copshop‘ follows the strange happenings of a small town named Gun Creek, in Nevada, where two seemingly unrelated but equally eccentric figures are detained in the same police station. Teddy Muretto is a con-artist on the run, one who believes that there is, ironically enough, no place safer than a police station. To his horror, the hitman sent after him, Bob Viddick, has the same idea. As both characters wind up within inches of each other, but still separated by bars, a pressure-cooker environment begins to develop, with Officer Valerie Young landing in the middle of the fiasco.
With every minute spent in the same location, desperation and paranoia grow side by side, and with nothing to lose, Teddy and Bob gear up for a grand showdown, one destined to swallow everything and everyone around them. While the neo-noir action movie is almost entirely set in a police station, its approach to cop narratives is intentionally flipped upside down, allowing the spotlight to fall on criminal minds in their downtime. At the same time, a larger investigation slowly bubbles in the background, exposing topics as pertinent as systemic corruption and the perpetual dilemmas of good and evil.
Copshop is a Fictional Story Possibly Designed in the Image of 70s Classics
‘Copshop’ is a fictional story penned by Joe Carnahan, Kurt McLeod, and Mark Williams, and doesn’t seem to have any direct real-world parallels. While that may be the case, it is apparent that the movie is intentionally designed to evoke the feel and aesthetics of 70s action thrillers. To that end, some of the classics from that era might have partially served as the creative impetus for the movie. Specifically, ‘Copshop’ draws the most comparisons to John Carpenter’s ‘Assault on Precinct 13,’ which is also a story about characters trapped inside a police station. However, the 1976 film features street gang members as its antagonist group, which is quite different from the direction Carnahan’s movie takes.
Some other movies that might have partially informed the creation of ‘Copshop’ include ‘Rio Bravo’ and ‘Dog Day Afternoon,’ but, like ‘Assault on Precinct 13,’ none of these movies is directly reconstructed and isn’t likely to be a main source of inspiration. Instead, Carnahan and his creative team were likely influenced by their shared love of the neo-noir genre, and many of the genre’s signature elements were incorporated into the movie. Carnahan’s familiarity with this type of storytelling is apparent in his similar, cop-centric projects like ‘Boss Level’ and ‘The Rip,’ and the latter movie is notably based on a real experience of his friend, Officer Chris Casiano. While Casiano worked as a technical advisor on ‘Copshop,’ there has been no indication that the plot is inspired by any real-life incident surrounding him.
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Alexis Louder Learnt Gunslinging to Ace the Realism in Copshop
For actor Gerard Butler, who stars as Bob Viddick, the premise of ‘Copshop’ vaguely resembles the COVID-19 lockdown experience, even if that wasn’t intentional on the creators’ part. In an interview with Screen Rant, he expanded on this statement, explaining that “it felt appropriate to be making a movie where we’re all locked down basically in a police station in the middle of lockdown.” Keeping that in mind, Butler derived extra creative joy from his chemistry with the cast members, particularly during the filming of some of the more explosive sequences. While speaking with Bleeding Cool, he also reiterated the movie’s loose connection to 70s cinema, stating that its kaleidoscopic visual palette is meant to complement its slick, cool aesthetic.
For actor Alexis Louder, who portrays Valerie Young, filming for the movie was as enjoyable as it was challenging. Continuing the conversation with Bleeding Cool News, she added that “I was reading the material and learning that I would have to pick up some skills that I never even thought about, like gunslinging.” Noting her lack of law-enforcement experience, Louder went the extra mile when it came to physical training, learning gunslinging from experts in real life. Reportedly, she even trained with a real lieutenant, and based on the available information, it is possible that the person mentioned may be none other than Chris Casiano. Careful efforts from the entire cast and crew are what give ‘Copshop’ its distinct fictional identity, one that finely balances high-octane action with realism.
