Cop On The Edge

Frustration with what they see as the Liberal Justice System and a distaste for petty inter-agency rivalries are common preoccupations for most COTEs.

COTEs are more likely to be the protagonist than occupy supporting roles.

BROAD CHARACTERISTICS

Although usually acting as a force for good, some cops on the edge have crossed over to a life of crime where they ruthlessly exploit the benefits of carrying a badge.

DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS

Problems with authority

Reckless

War Veteran/ex-military

Competent with an array of firearms

Little life outside of the job

Tendency to get re-assigned to a different case

Tendency to get suspended

Compulsion to pursue enquiries on his own time after being taken off a case or suspension

Drinking problem (normally controlled)

Substance abuse problem

Originally a high-achieving, commended officer prior to disillusionment with justice system

Insecure or traumatic childhood

Strong sense of empathy

Control freak

Grappling with personal demons/suicidal

Rented, shabby, or otherwise modest accommodation.

Tendency to slam/throw badge down on desks (especially those of superior officers)

Constantly threatened with desk jobs or traffic duty

Ruining other departments operations through neglect

Has or needs a Psychologist

RELATIONSHIPS

Mostly transient - doesn't want to let anybody get too close

Series of ex-wives or ex-girlfriends

Inappropriately forthcoming with his jaded world view - can be a problem around children

Barely tolerated by his stressed-out police chief, who secretly respects the COTE's grit and determination

His partner is frequently his best friend - and usually serves as a restraining presence and counterpoint to the COTE

EXAMPLES

In film

'' 48 Hrs. '' duo Nick Nolte (Jack Cates) puts booze in his morning coffee

'' Bad Lieutenant '' ( Harvey Keitel as The Lieutenant) "the edge" is a long way behind the Bad Lieutenant

''Cop'' ( James Woods plays James Ellroy 's recurring character Lloyd Hopkins)

''Cop on the Edge IX: Prelude to Justice'' (Jake Cop)

'' Die Hard '' trio ( Bruce Willis as John McClane ) forced on the edge by circumstance

'' Dirty Harry '' series ( Clint Eastwood ) multiple dead partners and throwing away of the badge at the end

'' Fair Game '' ( William Baldwin as Det. Max Kirkpatrick. Poster tag line - ''He's a cop on the edge. She's a woman with a dangerous secret. And now they're both... Fair Game'')

'' The French Connection '' duo ( Gene Hackman as Det. Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle) violent and talks gibberish

'' L.A. Confidential '' ( Russell Crowe as Officer Wendell 'Bud' White) his thuggish nature is used by his superiors

'' Léon '' ( Gary Oldman as Stansfield) drug dealing pill popper

'' Lethal Weapon '' series ( Mel Gibson as Sergeant Martin Riggs ) on psychiatric evaluation

'' One Good Cop '' ( Michael Keaton ) as Artie Lewis stealing from drug dealers to support dead partner's orphans

'' Osmosis Jones '', voiced by Chris Rock

'' Q & A '' ( Nick Nolte ) as Det. Mike Brennan shooting unarmed drug dealer and planting weapon to appear as self-defense

'' Serpico '' ( Al Pacino as Officer Frank Serpico ) deep under cover

'' Sharky's Machine '' ( Burt Reynolds as Sharky)

Detective Scagnetti ('' Natural Born Killers '') author of Scagnetti on Scagnetti. A COTE who really crosses over when he strangles a hooker on the trail of Mickey and Mallory

Tom Jane as Stander in '' Stander ''; a cop tired of paying for his own ammo in racist S. African police force gets given a desk job and starts to do bank jobs in his lunch hour, dies in Florida where spring break was too much for him

'' Dark Blue '' ( Kurt Russell as Eldon Perry)

'' Donnie Brasco '' ( Johnny Depp as Joe Pistone, who begins to be driven to the edge by the strain of years spent deep undercover)

'' Insomnia '', and American remake of a Norwegian film (Al Pacino as Will Dormer)

'' Insomnia '', the original Norweigan film ( Stellan Skarsgård as Jonas Engström, a cop considerably further on the edge and/or over the edge compared to Al Pacino's character in the American version)

On TV

'' NYPD Blue '' ( Dennis Franz as Det. Andy Sipowicz )

'' Monk '' no longer a cop but definitely on the edge

'' 24 '' ( Kiefer Sutherland ) as Jack Bauer (over the edge many times)

'' Dark Justice '' ( Ramy Zada and later Bruce Abbott as Nicholas Marshall, a former cop, D.A., and judge who begins hunting down and executing criminals as a vigilante after his wife and daughter are murdered)

Spoofs of cops on the edge

'' Sledge Hammer! '' ( David Rasche as Sledge Hammer, an outrageous parody of the cop on the edge)

'' The Simpsons '' ( Harry Shearer as Rainier Wolfcastle as McBain , a cop on the edge within a fictional franchise of movies occasionally watched by characters in ''The Simpsons'')

In crime literature

Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch - a Michael Connelly recurring character

Detective Inspector John Rebus - a Ian Rankin recurring character

Lloyd Hopkins - a James Ellroy recurring character

Samuel Vimes - Terry Pratchett 's "Nightwatch" Series and other '' Discworld '' books

	APPAREL
	BABY
	BEAUTY
	BOOKS
	CAR TOYS
	CELL PHONES
	DVD'S
	ELECTRONICS
	GOURMET FOOD
	GROCERIES
	HEALTH & PERSONAL
	HOME & GARDEN
	JEWELRY
	MUSIC
	MUSIC INSTRUMENTS
	OFFICE PRODUCTS
	SOFTWARE
	SPORTING GOODS
	TOOLS & HARDWARE
	TOYS
	VIDEO GAMES
	SHOPPING HOME

	MORE SHOPPING...

Information About

Cop On The Edge