Lloyd Hopkins is an L.A. police detective that loves to take chances in his pursuit of an assassin who he believes is responsible for a crime wave in which women are murdered in a horrible manner. Right at the start, we follow Hopkins into an apartment where the last victim has been killed. He discovers a lead in the local newspaper personal ads and in a book of poetry.<br /><br />Hopkins family life suffers from his long hours and a wife that doesn't want him to talk to his eight year old daughter about some of the cases he has covered. When she leaves him, Hopkins stays put because he is married to a job that consumes him. In the course of his investigation, Lloyd will encounter his share of crazies. At the same time, it's clear the perpetrator knows a thing, or two, about him.<br /><br />When he meets Kathleen McCarthy, the woman who owns a small book shop, he suddenly realizes how she ties up with what he is investigating. Kathleen is a strange bird, with secrets she is not willing to share with Hopkins.<br /><br />What comes out during the film is the corruption in the police department, something that is not new to the city of angels, and something we have seen again and again. The last scenes reveal who the real serial killer has been and his motives, but frankly, we have had no clue about this person, throughout the movie. That is a bit hard to take, although in the context of the investigation, it makes sense, since Lloyd has been following an invisible enemy.<br /><br />The best reason for watching "Cop" is James Woods. His take on Lloyd Hopkins is right on the money. Mr. Woods captured the soul of this man and knows what he is up to. Charles Durning makes a good impression as Dutch, the man in charge of Hopkins, and his friend. Leslie Ann Warren's Kathleen is not as successful. She relies on mannerisms to convey the troubled soul of this damaged woman.<br /><br />The direction of James B. Harris is right because he gives the viewer a good story. Mr. Harris co-wrote with James Ellroy, a notable crime author, whose book, "Blood on the Moon", serves as the basis for the movie.