In an interesting turn of events,Copshopstar Frank Grillo has thrown shade at the film’s producers for interfering with the editing. Directed by Joe Carnahan and starring Frank Grillo and Gerard Butler in the lead,Copshopreleased last week in theaters to favorable reviews. Most critics praised the film for its escapist qualities, thrilling action, and Carnahan’s direction.Copshopis currently sitting at an 81% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the theatrical version isn’t what Joe Carnahan intended to release. That could also be the reason why he has refrained from promoting the film.
Another talking point aboutCopshophas been Grillo’s performance as conmanTeddy Murretto, which hasn’t been well received by critics. Grillo recently took to Instagram to address the criticism, revealing that theCopshopversion playing in theaters right now was made without his or Joe Carnahan’s permission. Frank Grillo and Joe Carnahan are good friends and producedCopshopthrough their WarParty films. Grillo didn’t reveal why the studio didn’t like the original cut, but he made it clear that he won’t take criticism for something that isn’t his fault.
“Although I support all films me and my partner [Joe Carnahan] make, I’m not very pleased [with] how my performance was cut. Without detail, I’ll say I gave a much more 3-dimensional take that was very colorful and very well planned out. Needless to say, that’s not what ended up in the film. As a result, I’m getting a bit beat up by critics. That makes me f*****g mad. But there’s not a thing I can do except smile and wave. I will say this…The cut my boy, brother, and partner [Joe Carnahan] made had my performance intact. Unfortunately, our cut was passed over for this cut. That’s fine. It happens, ‘Copshop’ is a good movie and I’m very proud of what we did. But the day I take the brunt for someone else’s bullshit will be the day I quit acting. I love what I do and put my soul into every role. So, when I read critics go at me for a character that was castrated by someone other than my director I take great offense.”
It looks likeFrank Grillostill supports the film and is quite satisfied with how it turned out. But he is angry about the unfair flak he’s getting for a role that was altered significantly during editing. Making multiple edits of a film is a common process, and the theatrical cuts substantially differ from the first or rough cuts. Why Carnahan’s cut ofCopshopwas rejected still remains a mystery. Carnahan has also stayed away from promoting the movie. The only time he’s mentionedCopshopin the past few weeks was in an Instagram video in which he thanked the cast and crew for making a film during a pandemic.
AlthoughCopshopis a fast-paced 107-minute long movie, a few more minutes to flesh out a lead character wouldn’t have made a big difference. That being said,Copshopis still aviolent, Tarantinoesque joyridefrom start to finish. The plot synopsis forCopshopreads as follows, “On the run from a lethal assassin, a wily con artist devises a scheme to hide out inside a small-town police station-but when the hitman turns up at the precinct, an unsuspecting rookie cop finds herself caught in the crosshairs.”
Hopefully, Carnahan gets to release his director’s cut some time.Copshopwas released in the U.S. on 03 June 2025.
