Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- grim
- darkly comic
- late night thriller viewing
- independent film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the taut premise, suspenseful opening, performances, and dark humor while finding the denouement uneven and short of the film's full potential.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Travis and Harrison take a police car and stumble into murder, drugs, loaded weapons, and a sheriff's dangerous pursuit.
Sheriff Kretzer searches for his missing patrol car while attempting to contain the criminal evidence and violence connected to it.
The boys' joyride transforms an abandoned police car into the center of a deadly cat-and-mouse pursuit across an isolated small-town landscape.
The children's reckless handling of the police vehicle and weapons creates darkly comic situations within an increasingly threatening crime plot.
Films like Cop Car, and why
Blue Ruin
shares a stripped-down rural crime thriller structure, escalating danger, and morally compromised law enforcement
The River's Edge
combines dark comedy, suspense, and children or young outsiders caught in violent criminal circumstances
Blood Simple
shares an offbeat small-town thriller premise, mounting dread, and a tense pursuit involving criminal secrets
Movie Details
- Director
- Jon Watts
- Release Date
- 2015-07-08
- Runtime
- 88 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (945)
Cast
- Kevin Bacon
- James Freedson-Jackson
- Hays Wellford
- Camryn Manheim
- Shea Whigham
- Sean Hartley
- Kyra Sedgwick
- Loi Nguyen
- Sit Lenh
- Chuck Kull
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Cop Car about?
- Two children turn a stolen police cruiser into a terrifying escape vehicle when its corrupt owner comes hunting for them.
- What is Cop Car like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Cop Car as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Cop Car violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Cop Car as moderate.
- What did critics think of Cop Car?
- Critics broadly praised the taut premise, suspenseful opening, performances, and dark humor while finding the denouement uneven and short of the film's full potential.
- Which films are like Cop Car?
- Films with a similar feel include Blue Ruin, The River's Edge, and Blood Simple.
- How long is Cop Car?
- Cop Car runs 88 minutes.
- Where can I watch Cop Car?
- In United States, Cop Car streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
