MovieChat Forums > Frozen River (2008) Discussion > My Thoughts On the Cop (Contains Spoiler...

My Thoughts On the Cop (Contains Spoiler)

posted 14 years ago by DanaShelbyChancey
4 replies | jump to latest

I thought the cop felt sorry for Ray, felt she was in over her head (she was) didn't know what she was doing (she didn't).

I think he came after her and caught her so easily, to protect her. He got her early, to spend a few months in jail, so that something worse didn't happen to her.

He liked her, not in a romantic way but recognized she was not the type of person who could handle this kind of thing in the long run. So he made sure she got caught, and got out of it.

What does anyone else think?

[–] AltaireIII 14 years ago

He was a wise man who knew the difference between someone who is a criminal and someone who is not. Just about anyone can commit a criminal act but not all people who do that are criminals. If Ray were a criminal, then all of his assistance would have gone for zero. Ray would get out and do it again and get caught. That's what criminals do.

[–] johntex9 13 years ago

Dana,

Your comments are right on. Good cops understand the plight of the poor working class and the trooper in the movie got it. I didn't even recognize O'Keefe in the roll-he was the main caddy in "Caddyshack".

[–] Mandy21 13 years ago

I thought that the trooper could, on some level, relate to Ray's loneliness. It seemed to me that at their first meeting, when he's purchasing something from the store where she is the cashier, that there was a hint of a romantic spark. Maybe it's just the way it was filmed, going back and forth repeatedly between their two faces, looking at each other in the eye. How often do we truly look strangers in the eye, and hold that look, if we're not interested in them? Or maybe it's just a cop thing that he's trained to do. I don't know. Thoughts?

You can also see his compassion for her when he gives her a cigarette when she's handcuffed. He has the patience to sit there and hold it in her mouth for her. That was sweet. Maybe in Frozen River Part II, they end up getting married and living happily-ever-after, ha-ha:)

Mandy

If aliens should land today,
who would be more afraid?

[–] gobears87 11 years ago

"I think he came after her and caught her so easily, to protect her. He got her early, to spend a few months in jail, so that something worse didn't happen to her."

Well, don't forget that Ray and Lila were caught because the Canadian police alerted the U.S. police that smugglers were coming across the frozen river. The state trooper was not following Ray around to catch her "early", he just happened to be the one to take her into custody after the pooch had already been screwed.

Nevertheless, I agree with your main point that the U.S. trooper was concerned about Ray, and tried to help her. It's pretty clear in retrospect that he suspected Ray was involved in some kind of smuggling. And he tried to warn her off by coming to her house on Christmas morning to inform her that Lila is a convicted smuggler.