10 Greatest Ray Liotta Movies - Ranked

Liotta’s resume is littered with men of varying moral complicity; indeed the actor perhaps never played a wholly decent character in his long career. In Cop Land he’s dealt a character somewhere closer to the good side of the spectrum, and creates a compelling anti-hero of sorts in this ‘90s minor classic.

Cop Land stars Sylvester Stallone in what may be the action star’s finest ever turn. Stallone is Freddy Heflin, a small town sheriff with dreams of joining the NYPD. In his periphery is a team of corrupt officers of varying villainy, with Liotta’s Gary Figgis the best of a tricky bunch.

Liotta is given the moral growth in the film. He’s done plenty of dirt while entrusted to protect and serve, but he wants to be better, and works towards a redemptive arc that’s delivered with genuine grace by the actor and writer/director James Mangold.

It’s one of the meatier roles in the career of an actor who was often underutilised; in Cop Land he ably illustrates how relatable and human a hero he could be.