Cop Land (released in 1997) - Starring Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro

The film is based on the town of Garrison, New Jersey. It is known for most of its local population being that of auxiliary transit cops - this gives the town the nickname of ‘Cop Land.’ The Sherriff of Garrison is Freddy Heflin (Sylvester Stallone); he was also a police force aspirant, but his chances of joining were ruined as he is hearing impaired due to an injury from his childhood. Sometime in the past, he had saved Liz Randone (Annabella Sciorra) from the car which she was trapped inside. However, life has moved on, many of his friends and peers serve on the force, including Liz’s husband, Joey Randone (Peter Berg). Freddy has secretly loved Liz since they were kids, but now she is trapped in an abusive and violent marriage to Joey.
Freddy leads a lonely life, few friends, one loyal - the bottle. One night as he returns from the local pub, his car crashes into a clump of trees as he avoids running over a deer. Elsewhere a young cop Murray Babitch (Michael Rapaport) is driving back home after a night out, as he drives through to the George Washington Bridge, his car is side scraped by another car. He attempts to get the car to pull over, flashing his badge. The man in the co driver’s seat pulls out a weapon, Murray ducks to avoid getting shot, just then he hears a shot fired – the red car speeds ahead of him, the cop has had enough! Murray fires shots at the car, which spins to a halt on the bridge, his own car screeches to a halt as it rams into the other vehicle.




Under the bridge, sits Freddy, oblivious of the chaos that has ensued. Cops line the Bridge, as Lt. Ray Donlan, incidentally Babitch’s uncle, comes to his rescue. The young officer is inconsolable, as he tells Ray that he was only doing his duty and that he shot in self defense. Officer Jack Rucker (Robert Patrick) tells Ray that the men in the car had no weapon, they’d only been pointing a steering wheel lock at Murray.
The detective present Leo Crasky (John Spencer) tells Murray that his foolhardiness is going to cost Lt. Ray Donlan his reputation and career; he convinces the man that if he doesn’t let Leo help, Murray will land up in prison. Babitch is convinced that they don’t have to do this, and it is wrong. Meanwhile, Jack plants a weapon in the dead men’s car. However, a paramedic on police duty tells him that he saw him do that - and a scuffle takes place. Ray, meanwhile goes over to where Murray was standing - he isn’t there anymore. The man has jumped off the bridge. But was this really the end ?
The film was about the corruption in the police force, as cops try and save themselves from being blamed for fraudulent practices; Heflin is shown as the man who is up against the corrupt biggies, he is the underdog, who is treated with disdain and met with rancor. Directed by James Mangold, Cop Land was released in 1997. Stallone’s performance is unlike any of his past acts; he displays the quieter, sensitive side of a man most people reject and mock due to his physical shortcomings, he even donned a ‘non glam’ look, putting on pounds to look the part. His performance won him praise from both critics and audiences alike.

Film - Con Air - Action thriller starring Nicholas Cage and John Malkovich (released in 1997)

The movie marks the 1997 directorial debut of Simon West, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (The Rock). Con Air, the name borrows inspiration from the JPATS (Justice Alien and Prison Transportation System), the largest prison transport network. Nicholas Cage (Face Off, The Rock) plays Gulf War veteran Cameron Poe, who returns home to his wife, pregnant with their first child, and who ends up killing a drunken man who assaults her- this lands him in a maximum security prison.

Eight years down the line, he is being let off for good conduct. He nervously looks forward to meeting his daughter - the child he’s never seen before. Flying on a C-123, the Jailbird will take him home to Alabama. His co-passengers include Mike "Baby-O" O'Dell, the vicious Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom, along with his   right-hand man, Nathan "Diamond Dog" Jones - they are being transported to another penitentiary. 

Also on the plane is the Drug Enforcement Agent Duncan Malloy, who gets another agent Willie Sims on board, in guise of a prisoner; unbeknownst to the others, Malloy arms Sims with a gun. Their aim is to get the transported drug lord Francisco Cindino to divulge more information about his operations; the US Marshal Larkin (John Cusack, America’s Sweethearts) on board agrees, unaware that there is a weapon on the person of the agent.
Cyrus (John Malkovich, In the Line of Fire) provokes his fellow passengers to riot; they end up hijacking the Jailbird. Pretending to befriend him, Poe plants a recording device on one of the guards, who would be off loaded in Carson City, dressed as a prisoner. The aircraft is now manned by “Swamp Thing”, with Cindino, the master mind close at heel. Cyrus commands Joe "Pinball" Parker, to get rid of the transponder telling plant it on another plane. But just as the Jailbird is airborne, the guards discover the device Poe had planted, and they alert Malloy and Larkin.

Joe Parker meets a gory end as his body is lodged in the landing gear when the plane takes off - but not before Poe sends in a note to Larkin telling him about what’s going to take place. The Marshal alerts the National Guard to go to Lerner Airfield, an abandoned airbase. Meanwhile, Poe’s identity and intentions are discovered by Billy Bedlam, who had found the parole letter, thus revealing the fact that Poe was the traitor amongst them - he ends up dying at the hands of Poe.
The  plane lands at the airfield but goes off the runway - skidding to halt in sand, next to a tank of propane.
Cindino had planned for his jet to already be there - but seeing that it isn’t, the Virus commands everyone to start digging into the sand to free the plane. Marshal Larkin makes it to the scene, preventing Cindino and his minions from escaping, when the Virus gets to know how Cindino duped him - he kills the drug lord.
An ambush is evaded as Larkin helps the Guardsmen - all the other prisoners return to the Jailbird, including Cyrus – who discovers the true intent of Poe, he tries to get even by shooting Poe’s friend Mike Baby’O.
The transponder helps Malloy track the aircraft, ordering it to land in Las Vegas, but lack of fuel causes it to crash land at The Strip. Cyrus is killed by a pounder at a construction site, as are his pals Swamp and Jones.
Poe is reunited with Casey and his wife, all’s well that ends well, or like Baby ‘O said –‘God’s got my back’.
Almost ten different aircrafts were used while filming the movie. It has a wonderful soundtrack, especially the song “How Do I Live Without You” (which was nominated for an Oscar in 1997) is hauntingly lovely!
The audiences worldwide received the film well- its current approval rating is 55% on Rotten Tomatoes- it is an action-packed entertaining thriller, worth a second watch!

Film - Face Off (starring John Travolta and Nicholas Cage) - Action thriller - Released in 1997

“There is no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.”
Face /Off is an out and out thriller, throw in sentiment for good measure, a few teary eyed moments and voila - a full thriller where you don’t have to think too much. The cops and robbers routine is taken to the next level when FBI Special Agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) loses his son to Castor Troy’s (Nicholas Cage) bullet - one which was meant for him.
Castor’s Achilles’ Heel is his brother Pollux Troy (Alessandro Nivola); they are both planning a bomb blast in LA -  whilst Castor is severely wounded in the gun battle that ensues, Pollux, the only guy who knows the location of the bomb, is taken captive.
Meanwhile, the vegetated state of Castor ensures there’s no way he’s disclosing the whereabouts of the bomb, so it’s now left to Archer to step up to the moment.
In a bizarre proposal, doctors tell Archer he can take on Castor’s identity – by way of a ‘Face/Off’. He has so much at stake but mainly the memory of Michael, his son, needs to be laid to rest. And so agrees to get a new face, a new identity. After the operation, Archer (as Troy) is incarcerated in the same prison as Pollux, and manages to get the location of where the bomb is planted. The tricky part now is getting out unscathed from Erewhon prison.
Castor Troy, now faceless, arises like phoenix from the ashes, and manages to get a face for himself - that of his rival Archer. And along with the new identity he has certain perks – a lovely wife, a beautiful home and a whole lot of ways to make sure that he uses the FBI to get rid of Archer once and for all. In order to earn the trust and praise of the department, Castor defuses the bomb - and becomes a hero. He takes to his new role like a fish to water, while the actual Archer faces near death in a prison riot, but manages to escape; once out, his aim is to get in touch with all of Castor’s network - his buddies and girlfriend, included.
Déjà vu when Castor (actually Archer) sees Adam, Sasha’s son (Castor’s ex) - and memories of Michael come flooding back. On the other hand Archer (actually Troy) is making inroads with Jamie - the daughter, who says she can never bring herself to forgive her father for what happened to her brother Michael. Having climbed the upper echelons of the Department ladder, Archer now takes matters into his own hands after he kills an FBI big gun and is himself promoted to Assistant Director In charge - virtually untouchable AND hopping mad because Cage killed his brother Pollux.



Meanwhile the actual Archer (in guise of Troy, played by Cage) approaches Eve, his wife and convinces her that the man in her home is the impostor Castor Troy; she tells him that Troy will be attending the funeral of the official he’d killed. But Castor, a veteran to cat and mouse games, is a step ahead, and he takes Eve hostage. In the gun fu that ensues Castor manages to escape in a speed boat, only to be brought down by Archer, who wins back his family and self respect, with a second chance at caring for the child Adam, whose mother Sasha was killed in the crossfire.
John Woo is known for bringing the Asian character to his films - they may be a little over the top, however, audiences love them. Both Travolta and Cage were two actors he had worked with earlier in Broken Arrow and Windtalkers. An excellent play is conducted by Woo on the words and names in the Film. For instance, Castor and Troy, according to ancient Greek Mythology - are brothers who make up the constellation Gemini, the prison Erewhon is the word “nowhere” written backwards.
With a rousing musical score by Hans Zimmer, the Movie was well received by audiences and critics alike - it was nominated for the Academy Award for Sound Editing (70th Academy Awards, 1998), losing to the Titanic. It won the Best Action Scene in the MTV Movie Awards and the Best Directing and Writing in the Saturn Awards.

Spanish prisoner (released in 1997) - A suspense film, starring Campbell Scott, Steve Martin, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ben Gazzara and Ricky Jay

Directed by David Mamet, Spanish Prosoner is a suspense movie which tells the story about a confidence game to undertake a corporate heist. The film stars Steve martin, Campbell Scott and Rebeca Pidgeon.
A the plot goes, Joe Ross is a geeky engineer who develops a highly efficient industrial process which would revolutionize the manufacturing world. As he scouts for probable buyers he meets the wealthy Jimmy Bell and his secretary Susan at an island resort. Jimmy befriends Joe and asks him out to his house to introduce him to his sister. Simple Joe feels this kind of attention to be very flattering. Susan and Jimmy also keep insinuating that Joe's boss was trying to embezzle the plans and processes all for himself and in the end Joe believes them.
Jimmy convinces him to take his legal counsel and meet him with the plans. But soon Joe understands Jimmy to be a fraud and enlists the support of the FBI agent Pat McCune. But Pat turns out to be hand in glove with the con men and poor Joe is thoroughly robed of his plans. And to add salt to his wounds it appears as though he has sold his plans to Japanese industrialists.



This alienates his boss and other members of his family. Joe is also framed for the murder of his co-developer George Lang. While running from the law Joe meets up with Susan who appears to believe him and keeps professing her love for him. A desperate Joe believes her and the duo formulate a plan to prove his innocence. Joe remembers the cross circuit television camera's in the island retreat where the meeting was held. He plans to take the tapes which would prove his innocence and Jimmy's presence. But Susan too is proved to be the fraud and Jimmy arrives at the island to kill him. In the ferry Jimmy and Susan are surrounded by a gaggle of Japanese tourists who shoot at Joe. Joe is hit by a dart and falls unconscious. The Japanese tourists turn out to be American marines who were tailing Jimmy. All ends well as Joe gets his plans and is proved innocent. Jimmy and Susan are taken to jail.
This movie is a well paced comedy and really involves the audience. Steve Martin as the evil Jimmy Dell is one of the suave and finest villain act of the time. His menacing act evokes laughter and curiosity. Apart from the typical Martin mannerisms this movie offers the audience more insight to the talents of this fine actor. Campbell Scott as the simple Joe is apt and Rebeca Pidgeon as the wily Susan is a class apart.
This movie was a critics favorite and the top grosser of 1997. The film was nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for the Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. A perfect cup of coffee on a lazy Sunday evening is the best back drop to see this movie. It is worth your time and money.

The Devil's Own (released in 1997) - starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt

This movie directed by Alan Pakula was released in 1988, starring Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Julia stiles, Natascha McElhone and Treat Williams.
Frank McGuire, as an eight year old Irish boy witnesses the murder of his father by English sympathizers. This incident hardens him and makes him a IRA operative. After a tense gun battle with the British Troops, Frank escapes to a safe house hotly pursued by Harry Sloan, a British Agent. Frank and Martin Macduff, another IRA operative plan to acquire surface to air missiles and Frank travels to New York to get them. Here he meets a Irish sympathizer judge Peter Fitzsimmons who puts him in touch with Tom O'Meara. Tom is a police officer and welcomes Frank with out knowing his antecedents. Frank, working under his alias Rory contacts the arms smuggler Burke who agrees to supply him with the missiles.
Frankie meets Peter Fitzsimmons who provide him with millions of dollars which he hides in Tom's house. He also meets Megan, Fitzsimmon's nanny who is attracted to him. Mega agrees to help him in his endeavors. Tom and his partner Eddie have problems of their own regarding their work. Slowly a friendship develops between Frank and Tom. It deepens when Frank helps to beat back masked intruders who threaten Tom and his wife Sheila. Frank checks up on his money and feels guilty of his treachery.



Meanwhile the crafty Burke kidnaps Sean, Frank's fellow operative and holds him for ransom. Frank promises to pay him. Meanwhile Tom has found the money and questions Frank about the presence of such large amount of cash. Frank tells him about the kidnapping, but avoids mentioning the terrorism angle. Still Tom arrest Frank with the help of Eddie. When they are on the way to the Police station, Frank escapes, by knocking out Tom and kills Eddie during flight. He reaches Burke who has already killed Sean and tries to rob him off the cash. But Frank kills him and plans to escape with the missiles in the boat.
Meanwhile Tom questioned by his superiors and Harry Sloan comes to the starling realization that Frank is a wanted IRA terrorist. He plans to capture him to avenge Eddie's death. He traces Frank to Megan and forces her to reveal his where abouts. As Frank is planning to leave with the boat Tom reaches him and a fierce gun battle ensures. Tom is injured and Frank emerges holding him at gun point. But Tom fatally shoots him and makes his way home.
This movie was a moderate commercial success and has nothing new in the plot. Harrison Ford delivers his time and tested police cop routine and Brad Pitt is excellent as young Frank. The premise of the story is very sympathetic to the cause of the terrorist and I feel it betrays the day to day realities. It is fine for an action film buff who is intent on filling up his day. But better films have been made on the same subject. See it if you must, pass it if you can.

Kundun (1997) - Directed by Martin Scorsese, a film about the Dalai Lama

Martin Scorsese is persona non grata in China, and will never be allowed there. But I guess he would have expected that if he made a movie about the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama, the 14th in line, is the spiritual leader of the people of Tibet and the administrator before the Chinese invaded the region and took complete control of Tibet (declaring that Tibet was always a part of China and another province); the Dalai Lama now has a base in the northern Indian town of McLeodganj and no longer supports the concept of Tibetan and independence, instead asking for more autonomy for Tibet inside China. However, China, mindful of the position of the Dalai Lama in the minds of the people of Tibet, considers the Dalai Lama as a separatist leader and refuses to try and let him get any legitimacy. Any film maker who makes a movie on the Dalai Lama that does not position China's viewpoint will be viewed with hostility by the Government of China; and that is what Martin Scorsese has faced (in fact, the first studio that was to make the movie, Universal backed down once it became clear that China will be openly hostile; the second one, Disney refused to back down).
The movie is called Kundun (another title for the Dalai Lama, which means 'The Presence') is made very beautifully, but for a movie with drama and wonderful scenes, the movie did pretty badly at the box-office, earning only around $6 million. The movie was written by Melissa Mathison, and is based on the life and stories of the Dalai Lama.



The Dalai Lama is typically selected by a test where a young child (often as old as 2-4 years) must satisfy a group of experts that the child is the incarnation of the previous Dalai Lama,and so it was with the 14th Dalai Lama; the regent Reting Rinpoche had a vision, and based on that, senior lamas go to the location of the vision, finding a young child who is able to identify objects that belong to the previous Dalai Lama. On completion, he along with family come to the Potala Palace in Lhasa (the traditional headquarters of the Dalai Lamas); once he comes of age, then he will be enthroned.
The Dalai Lama is a young child after all, and passes through some emotional trauma including becoming homesick, but is comforted by the regent (regent Reting however loses a power struggle and is imprisoned), with the Dalai Lama becoming more active. However, this is the same time in which the Communists have taken over China and claim Tibet to be a part of China. They soon invade, and after some initial reconciliation, the Communists are recognized as oppressors. The Dalai Lama even meets Mao in Beijing, but the Dalai Lama will not fit in the overall plans of the Communists and is seen as a powerful influence against the interests of China. When he is threatened, the Dalai Lama makes his escape to India through a difficult journey ahead of the pursuing Communists.