A 1997 Sylvester Stallone Crime Thriller Is Finally Finding An Audience On Paramount+

If anyone else but Sylvester Stallone starred in "Rocky V," then in the critically-maligned "Oscar," and then got tricked into starring in "Stop! Or my Mom will Shoot," their career would be over. But just like Rocky Balboa himself, Sly has always risen from the ashes and the early '90s was a prime example of his ability to stay the course. In 1993, a year after "Stop! Or my Mom will Shoot," Stallone fronted "Cliffhanger" and "Demolition Man," which helped put things back on track. 1995's "Judge Dredd" — the stupidest sci-fi movie to predict our terrifying present — didn't exactly help, but the ever-determined Stallone kept working, and in 1997 led a crime drama that turned out to be a modest hit and a critical success.

"Cop Land" was written and directed by "A Complete Unknown" filmmaker James Mangold, and starred Stallone as Freddy Heflin, the sheriff of a small New Jersey town just across the Hudson from New York City. The town offers the perfect escape for corrupt NYPD cops looking to avoid the jurisdiction of their department's internal affairs. But Heflin, who always harbored dreams of joining the NYPD, isn't about to turn a blind eye to corruption, and when he discovers a conspiracy spearheaded by senior officers, he and Robert De Niro's Internal Affairs officer Moe Tilden do all they can to bring the dirty cops to justice.

Alongside its two biggest stars, "Cop Land" also benefitted from supporting performances by Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Peter Berg, Janeane Garofalo, Robert Patrick, and Michael Rapaport, all of which added up to box office success and a solid critical response. In the years since, "Cop Land" hasn't exactly gone down as a classic, but in the streaming age, there's always the chance for a brief renaissance — which is exactly what Mangold's crime drama is experiencing over on Paramount+.

James Mangold built up a lot of good will with 2017's extraordinary X-Men film "Logan," but much of that was squandered when his 2023 Indy movie "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" flopped at the box office. Much like Sylvester Stallone, however, Mangold wasn't going to let a misstep dictate the rest of his career, and returned in 2024 with the Oscar-nominated Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown." Now set to direct a Star Wars features called "Dawn of the Jedi," Mangold appears to be back on track.

"Cop Land" climbing the Paramount+ charts will likely be of little significance to the director, but however small a development it may be, it's a positive one. The movie hit the platform on April 1, 2025 in the United States, but looks to have been given a staggered release internationally — at least according to streaming viewership tracker FlixPatrol. The site shows that Mangold's crime drama is currently the number four most-watched movie on the service globally. Interestingly enough, "Cop Land" isn't currently charting in the U.S., but it has risen up the rankings in 18 countries worldwide, propelling it to its current global chart position.

According to FlixPatrol, "Cop Land" debuted on the charts in 17 countries as of April 24, suggesting it was added to the international servers the day prior. On May 15, it was charting in 18 countries and has remained on the charts in those markets ever since — though it's yet to hit number 1 in any of them. Still, there's plenty of time for that to happen.

Paramount+ is home to the vast Taylor Sheridan empire of TV shows, including what /Film listed as the best of the Sheridan offerings: "Tulsa King." That comedy-tinged crime drama series stars Sylvester Stallone as disgraced mobster Dwight "The General" Manfredi, who, after being released from prison, is sent to Tulsa to try to take over the city for the mafia. The show has proven popular so far and it seems that Paramount+ subscribers might have been influenced by their apparent love for Sly's small screen drama when deciding to stream "Cop Land."

Whatever the reason for the film's success, it's nice to see a decent movie working its way up any streaming charts, which don't always showcase the highest quality offerings. Not only did "Cop Land" make $63.7 million on a $15 million budget, it managed to impress enough critics to garner a 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes — though even the positive reviews weren't exactly glowing. David Edelstein of Slate was begrudging in his praise, noting how the movie "shares its leading man's slow-wittedness but also his likability." Todd McCarthy of Variety was similarly muted in his review, writing, "Although too simplistic in its good-guys/bad-guys approach to morally and emotionally ambiguous material, Cop Land emerges as an absorbing and dramatic yarn about exposing the evil doings of some of New York's finest."

In his Chicago Sun-Times review, however, Roger Ebert was less than impressed, writing, "A movie with such a promising concept, so poorly executed, that it begs to be remade." Still, on the whole, "Cop Land" is well-remembered and definitely worth a watch if you've yet to experience this solid entry in Stallone's dodgy '90s filmography.