 Linda Rasmussen of "Allmovie" gave the film three out of five stars and described the film as a "grim, brutally violent, darkly humorous modern-day film noir," whilst noting the film's "violent and exciting conclusion".Rasmussen also noted "Cop is completely absorbing because of Woods' chillingly effective performance.Few actors can make an amoral, clever, sardonic, and vicious character as appealing as Hopkins.