Monday, October 22, 2018

TODAY'S NUGGET: Cop Land (1997) - A Bold Bitchy Move; 3-D; Subtext; Tension

[Quick Summary: A sheriff uncovers a dicey coverup in his small New Jersey town, where many NYC cops live.]

I know that this is a story about Freddy, a browbeaten NJ sheriff, who stands up against the citizens of his small town who are staging a big coverup. 

(These are not ordinary citizens, but also are corrupt NYC cops.)

But I'd like to focus on a minor character, Rose Donlan, and her bold bitchy move.

Why?

1 - Rose is a good example of a three dimensional character.*
2 - The scene shows us the mundane things that Freddy faces every day vs. the exciting life that Freddy imagines big city NYC cops have. This is a recurring theme.
3 - The subtext is great. ex. Even the trash silently says something to the recipient.
4 - There's tension. Freddy doesn't want to upset the ringleader's wife.

The scene below is a little complex, so let me clarify a few things:
- Freddy's high school crush, Liz, told him that someone has been dumping trash bags in her yard for weeks. He looked in the bags and found the Donlan address.
- Liz is married to Joey, a NYC cop.
- Rose is married to Ray Donlan, the ringleader cop who runs Freddy and the town.

ex. "EXT. DONLAN HOUSE - 31 DALLAS DRIVE - LATE AFTERNOON

The mailbox says: Donlan.

FREDDY STANDS AT THE DOOR OF THE SPLIT LEVEL HOUSE, the soiled phone bill in hand. before him, A BUSTY MIDDLE AGED WOMAN, ROSE DONLAN (46). Hand on hip, she sucks a cigarette.  [Questioning potential trash dumper is as exciting as it gets for Freddy.]

ROSE: What if I said I don't know where it came from?

FREDDY: I'd take your word for it, Rose. Um. Is Ray home? [Politics. Ugh.]

ROSE: Taking care of our little visitor. [3-D: She drops information that is important later. There are other things going on besides this trash issue.]

Freddy plays with the envelope in his fingers, letting this cryptic remark hang in the air. Rose stares at the envelope. [Tension & Subtext: She knows he knows.]

ROSE: I get my garbage picked up every Tuesday. [Subtext: I'm innocent.]

FREDDY: Alright. Thanks for your time. [He doesn't even fight it.]

He walks back to the car.

ROSE: You tell Joey to come here and talk to me about it if he thinks I've got no right.  [3-D: She can't help herself. She has to tell someone that she's mad at Joey.]

Freddy turns around.

FREDDY: Rose. I want to believe you when you tell me something.

ROSE: Oh you do, do you?

FREDDY: Did you dump these bags or not?

ROSE: This is not a law problem - if you catch my drift. You tell Joey Randone that if he doesn't like my garbage he should stop soiling my sheets. [Subtext: She essentially admits her guilt!]

Rose is miraculously nonchalant - her eyes riveted boldly on Freddy; relishing his discomfort.

FREDDY: Rose, you can't just dump garbage on other people's property. [This is the unglamorous side of the job.]

ROSE: But that glamour boy - he can throw away a woman just like she was garbage and that's okay - is that what you're saying? [Subtext: She admits to more of a relationship than we knew.]

A pause. The phone rings. They stand there.

ROSE: Are you gonna tell Ray about this? [Tension rises.]

Freddy shakes his head. Rose takes a drag of her cigarette. The phone still ringing. She spins around, slamming the door."  [Freddy got information, but no satisfaction.]

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: The use of Rose's trash bags was a super-creative way to send a "drop dead" message. Also, we got to see what Freddy is up against.

Cop Land (1997)(shooting script w/revisions, 8/30/96)
by James  Mangold

*Three dimensional = My definition is that the character seems to have a real life beyond what we see.  He/she is not just there to fill in gaps for the main character.

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