By virtue of each man’s reputation and back catalogue that’s firmly established them as two of mid budget genre cinema’s undisputed top talents, you’ve probably already decided if Copshop is on your watch-list based entirely on the presence of Gerard Butler and Frank Grillo in the two lead roles.
Throw in Smokin’ Aces, The A-Team and The Grey director Joe Carnahan, who also recently helmed Grillo’s inventive and massively entertaining time loop actioner Boss Level with Mel Gibson, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for what should be a gritty, grizzled and fun time at the movies.
Grillo dons a wig and a man bun as an infamous con artist who goes on the run and finds no other options left on the table besides turning himself in. However, Butler’s hitman is hot on his trail, and he too gets himself arrested to move as close to the target as possible. Throwing another spanner in the works, he’s not the only criminal baying for blood, with a small town police station acting as the battleground for all-out war.
The trailer promises pretty much exactly what you’d want and expect from the meeting of middle-aged badasses Grillo and Butler, who look be be trading just as many barbs as punches, but it’s veteran character actor Toby Huss who seems poised to steal the show with a scenery-chewing turn as a psychopathic killer.
Copshop is coming to theaters on September 17th, the spot recently vacated by Clifford the Red Dog when Paramount decided to pull the family film from the schedule, but it’s safe to say there wasn’t much danger of the two projects cannibalizing each other’s audience.