'Copshop' - Movie Review

The Rotten Tomatoes summary says "It doesn't add many new ingredients to the genre, but action fans in the mood for an old-school thriller will be happy to buy what Copshop is selling." Some tense scenes, good action, some intelligence in the script, and good performances from Gerard Butler (I'd almost forgotten he could act) and Alexis Louder make this fairly enjoyable if you're looking for an action movie ... although the ending did put me off a bit.

Louder is Valerie Young, a rookie police officer. She's shown to be smart, honest, and good with a gun. But she ends up in the lockup with a con man (Frank Grillo), a hired killer (Butler), and a bullet wound, while the entire police building is under attack. Who does she trust, what does she do? Etc.

Since I watched the movie I've been trying to figure out what bothered me about it. I think it's Young's squeaky clean character. She's not just morally upright: she's perfect. The first comparison that came to mind is John McClane (Bruce Willis in the "Die Hard" movies ... yeah, you probably know that) - McClane is a reluctant hero, an asshole, and is a "vigilante" despite being a cop. He's a "good guy," on the side of law and order, but ... no one would accuse him of being a straight arrow. Valerie Young on the other hand - while she has a personality, she apparently has no failings. None. She's likeable without being interesting. Bob Viddick (Butler's character) is unquestionably "lawless" (how Young refers to him), but he has a conscience - even if it's weirdly distorted. It's bad when the bad guys are more interesting than your hero.