# Copshop
**Copshop** is a 2021 American action thriller directed by [Joe Carnahan](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-carnahan), in which a con artist on the run from a hitman gets himself arrested and locked in a small-town Nevada police station, only for the hitman to have himself jailed in the same building. The film stars [Gerard Butler](https://www.edgepedia.org/gerard-butler) as the hitman Bob Viddick, Frank Grillo as con artist Teddy Murretto, and Alexis Louder as rookie officer Valerie Young, with a screenplay by Kurt McLeod and Carnahan from a story by McLeod and Mark Williams.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5748448/fullcredits/) • [2](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/copshop)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writers | Joe Carnahan; screenplay by Kurt McLeod and Carnahan; story by McLeod and Mark Williams[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5748448/fullcredits/) |
| Lead cast | Gerard Butler (Bob Viddick), Frank Grillo (Teddy Murretto), Alexis Louder (Valerie Young), Toby Huss (Anthony Lamb)[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5748448/fullcredits/) |
| US release | September 17, 2021, wide, via Open Road Films; opening weekend $2,315,638 in 3,005 theaters[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2667676417/) |
| Worldwide gross | $6,807,158, of which $5,213,243 domestic and $1,593,915 international[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5748448/) |
| Critical scores | 83% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 112 reviews; Metascore 61 on Metacritic from 22 critic reviews[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/copshop) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/copshop/critic-reviews/) |
| Home video | Digital on November 23, 2021; Blu-ray and DVD on December 7, 2021, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment[7](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/press-release/copshop-press-release) |
| Rating and runtime | Rated R for strong/bloody violence and pervasive language; listed at 1h 48m by Rotten Tomatoes and 1 hr 47 min by Box Office Mojo[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/copshop) • [3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2667676417/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Teddy Murretto, a con artist fleeing the lethal hitman Bob Viddick, hatches a desperate plan to hide out: he sucker-punches rookie officer Valerie Young outside a small Nevada town and gets himself arrested, believing that a jail cell will keep him safe.[2](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/copshop) • [8](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-added-one-of-gerard-butlers-best-action-thriller-movies-and-its-perfect-for-fans-of-law-abiding-citizen) The scheme fails when Viddick engineers his own detention and waits in a nearby cell for the chance to finish the job.[2](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/copshop)
The two men trade threats from opposite cells while Young, caught between them, tries to work out who is telling the truth.[8](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-added-one-of-gerard-butlers-best-action-thriller-movies-and-its-perfect-for-fans-of-law-abiding-citizen) A second hitman, Anthony Lamb ([Toby Huss](https://www.edgepedia.org/toby-huss)), is thrown into the mix, and corrupt officers inside the precinct pursue their own agenda, so that the station becomes a battleground in which, as one summary puts it, the line between criminal and cop is extremely blurry.[8](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-added-one-of-gerard-butlers-best-action-thriller-movies-and-its-perfect-for-fans-of-law-abiding-citizen) The RogerEbert.com review notes a further thread: a corrupt cop trying to smuggle drugs out of the precinct house.[9](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/copshop-movie-review-2021)
## Cast
Gerard Butler plays Bob Viddick, the hitman; [Frank Grillo](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-grillo) plays Teddy Murretto, the con artist; and Alexis Louder plays Valerie Young, the rookie officer at the center of the conflict.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5748448/fullcredits/) Toby Huss plays the second hitman Anthony Lamb, a performance the film magazine FILMHOUNDS later called "one for the ages" for its psychotic comedic streak.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5748448/fullcredits/) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/copshop) The supporting cast includes [Chad L. Coleman](https://www.edgepedia.org/chad-l-coleman) as Sgt. Duane Mitchell, Ryan O'Nan as Officer Huber, and [Jose Pablo Cantillo](https://www.edgepedia.org/jose-pablo-cantillo) as Officer Peña.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5748448/fullcredits/)
## Production and release
The film was produced by Raven Capital Management, Zero Gravity Management, G-BASE, WarParty Films, Sculptor Media, and [Open Road Films](https://www.edgepedia.org/open-road-films), with producers including Carnahan, Grillo, Butler, Mark Williams, James Masciello, Tai Duncan, Eric Gold, Warren Goz, and Alan Siegel.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/copshop) Its earliest release was in the Netherlands on September 9, 2021, followed by the United Kingdom on September 10 and the wide United States release on September 17.[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5748448/) The opening weekend gross of $2,315,638 ranked fifth for the weekend, and the film finished with $5,213,243 domestically and $1,593,915 internationally, a worldwide total of $6,807,158.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2667676417/) • [4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5748448/)
[Universal Pictures Home Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-pictures-home-entertainment) released the film digitally on November 23, 2021, and on Blu-ray and DVD on December 7, 2021.[7](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/press-release/copshop-press-release) In February 2026 the film was added to the Netflix library, where it was branded as a Netflix Original.[8](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-added-one-of-gerard-butlers-best-action-thriller-movies-and-its-perfect-for-fans-of-law-abiding-citizen)
## Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an 83% Tomatometer from 112 reviews, with a critics consensus reading, "It doesn't add many new ingredients to the genre, but action fans in the mood for an old-school thriller will be happy to buy what *Copshop* is selling," and a 74% audience score from more than 250 verified ratings.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/copshop) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 61, labeled Generally Favorable, from 22 critic reviews: 10 positive, 10 mixed, and 2 negative.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/copshop/critic-reviews/)
**Critical response.** Reviewers repeatedly placed the film in a lineage of siege thrillers. The Sounds of Cinema review compared it to [John Carpenter](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-carpenter)'s *Assault on Precinct 13*, in which a police officer must join forces with criminals to survive the night, and a British trade notice cited *Rio Bravo* and *Assault on Precinct 13* as inspirations.[10](https://soundsofcinema.com/review-archive/review-copshop-2021/) • [11](https://parikiaki-cdn-1.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/20210916165803/16th-September-2021.pdf) The Los Angeles Times called it "an enjoyable, slow-burn action movie featuring a smart script, sharp direction, strong cast, and the emergence of a possible star," referring to Louder.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/copshop/critic-reviews/) The A.V. Club credited Carnahan's formal precision, while the Washington Post singled out Louder's performance as more than a match for the assembled machismo around her.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/copshop/critic-reviews/) James Berardinelli of ReelViews found the final 20 minutes sloppy, with one twist too many and an ending that hinted at a sequel, but judged everything else solid.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/copshop/critic-reviews/)
**Louder's breakthrough.** Several reviews treated the film as a showcase for Alexis Louder. Time Out wrote that she "steals the show from more established male co-stars" as the one straight arrow in a precinct full of pencil-pushers and corrupt officers, and the Parikiaki review called her role one of the most exciting female action roles in years.[12](https://www.timeout.com/movies/copshop-2021) • [11](https://parikiaki-cdn-1.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/20210916165803/16th-September-2021.pdf)
## References
1. [Copshop (2021) - Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5748448/fullcredits/)
2. [Copshop, Universal Pictures At Home](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/copshop)
3. [Copshop - Box Office Mojo (release)](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2667676417/)
4. [Copshop (2021) - Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5748448/)
5. [Copshop - Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/copshop)
6. [Copshop critic reviews - Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/copshop/critic-reviews/)
7. [Copshop Press Release, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/press-release/copshop-press-release)
8. [Netflix just added one of Gerard Butler's best action-thriller movies, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-added-one-of-gerard-butlers-best-action-thriller-movies-and-its-perfect-for-fans-of-law-abiding-citizen)
9. [Copshop movie review & film summary, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/copshop-movie-review-2021)
10. [Review: Copshop (2021), Sounds of Cinema](https://soundsofcinema.com/review-archive/review-copshop-2021/)
11. [COPSHOP, Parikiaki (16 September 2021)](https://parikiaki-cdn-1.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/20210916165803/16th-September-2021.pdf)
12. [Copshop review, Time Out](https://www.timeout.com/movies/copshop-2021)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action thrillers, 2020s › Crime, assassin, and vigilante thrillers › Titles symbols to L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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