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Overall Rating : 6.5/10
Directed By : William Lustig
Robert Z'Dar (Maniac Cop 2)
Tom Atkins (Halloween III : Season of the Witch)
Bruce Campbell (Bubba Ho-Tep)
Laurene Landon (Hundra)
Supplied By : Arrow Films
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : January. 24, 2012
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| PLOT New York City is terrorised by a series of brutal bloody murders of innocent victims. The police boil in a pressure cooker of public outcry when it is discovered that the killer is a cop. The prime suspect is Jack Forrest, a young policeman who, through a series of unfortunate coincidences, is pinned as the maniac killer. Desperate for a suspect the police arrest him. Jack escapes and, aided by his lover Teresa, an undercover policewoman, is out to prove his innocence. The killings continue, and the city is alive with a frantic manhunt for Jack. Citizens arm themselves, innocent policemen are killed by the nervous populace. The city is coming apart at the seams... |
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| THE REVIEW In MANIAC COP the city of New York, as well as its Police force is on edge once a string of violent murders occur. Eventually, the subject is described as being dressed as one of the department's own. With the word out, the citizens of New York are scared and are unable to trust the long arm of the law. Unable to pinpoint a suspect, the police believe that they have finally caught a break when the wife of a fellow cop is found slain. There is evidence that a young cop named Jack Forrest, who was having marital problems was caught by his wife shortly after her death, which leads to the force to name him as the suspect. However, while Jack is in lock up, the murders continue, which proves Forrest's innocence, A Police detective who is on the case, by the name of Frank McCrae uncovers the truth behind the real killer. The man is Matt Cordell, a once celebrated cop, who was later imprisoned and subsequently killed by "the system". Thought to be deceased, it appears that somehow Cordell is alive and well, but not only that, he is on a quest for vengeance. With everyone around them falling victim, McCrae, Forrest, as well as his mistress, undercover Policewoman, Theresa Mallory. band together in an effort to bring down the "Maniac Cop". But the question that remains is, can they? In 1988, MANIAC Director William Lustig and Writer/Producer Larry Cohen brought us this cop drama, slasher mash-up, which plays out the reality of thoughts that a lot of people share when it comes to actual police brutality. Police brutality does exist, which is why that I think that the plot behind MANIC COP was/is not only cleverly brilliant, but at the time it was made, it was also timely. There have been various incidents involving Police misconduct over the years, but I would venture to guess that near the end of the 80s, the subject was fresh in peoples' minds. So to take the subject, and to create a scary villain out of it was a great idea. The structure to MANIAC COP, is the typical route for 80s slasher fare, "there's a hulking unstoppable killer on the lose, slashing through a number of innocent people", but of course there is always the back story, that is laid out in hopes of explaining a motive. The motive given for the film's killer, Matt Cordell, is a really thin one, in fact, i'm not quite sure that I understand some of it still, even after seeing it a couple of times prior to this viewing, and rewinding it several times here. To sum it up, lets just say that Matt Cordell was once a promising tough-nosed cop. Some saw his actions as being honorable, while some despised him. Cordell soon found himself locked away is prison, and later, on the wrong end of a knife attack in the shower. The film plays out as most slashers do, in that Cordell, supposedly dead, actually isn't and he's back on the scene to settle the score. The plot is nothing truly original, however the film still works well due to it's level of enjoyable campiness and over-the-top violence, not to mention that the film is well cast with actors who seem to be dedicated to their roles. Tom Atkins, as he has done so may times, portrays the role of jaded cop in Frank McCrae. In this film, Atkins is great once again as he is actually believable as McCrae, and seems to get lost in the role> I don't know what it is about him, but in just about all of the films that he has done(and that I have seen), Atkins seems to make even the average film that much better. In the interview that is included her as a special feature, Atkins says that he doesn't think of himself as a "Horror Icon", well I am sure that quite a few fans out there would kindly disagree. Bruce Campbell as the young Policeman accused of murder, serves as just a small example of just how great Bruce Campbell would later become. Here in MANIAC COP, he was still relatively new, sans THE EVIL DEAD, and he is very good in his performance. Jack Forrest is one of those characters that is supposed to be somewhat likeable and sympathetic to the audience, and via Campbell's everyman performance, he is just that. The other lead performance comes from Laurene Landon, as she portrays Jack's mistress/undercover Policewoman, Theresa Mallory. While I wouldn't say that Landon's performance is one that the film hinges itself upon, I will say that although her performance isn't always on par, the character simply adds the the fun that the film is as a whole. The strong jawed Robert Z'Dar portrays the titular character with raw presence. Z'Dar, has no dialogue her, and so he must represent with his size and presence alone. With this said, I felt that he does just ok, although I so agree with Larry Cohen, that a stuntman should've been hired, to make is seem as though the villain is more agile in some select scenes- And of course if you are already familiar with MANIAC COP(as I assume most of you readers are), then you know that the film also features performances from the likes of Richard Roundtree and William Smith. As far as Blu-Ray is concerned, MANIAC COP has now been released on the format, both in the US(by SYNAPSE FILMS) and the UK(ARROW VIDEO). While I have not seen the US release, I have read that the image on the release suffers from DNR(Digital Noise Reduction), making for an overall smooth picture, eliminating most of the film's film look. For me, this would be a big negative, as it is the film's natural look that makes it the gritty low budget film that it's supposed to be. Luckily for those that get this release, the UK release, you will find that the image quality is much more raw, showing no signs of having been tampered with> With that said, the gritty film look is retained, giving it a look that it was intended to have> The overall look isn't a spectacular one, however this film was never meant to look perfect. But in terms of it being an improvement over other previous releases, I can say that it does look very good, and is likely the best it will ever look here, aside from all the blurring and other enhancements that could be applied(thus giving that artificial look. As for the disc's special features, the disc includes three interviews and trailers and TV spots. The interviews included are: Doomed Detective: Tom Atkins on Maniac Cop - Here, Tom Atkins is interviewed in regards to his involvement in MANIAC COP. How did he get involved, what did he like about the script, his memories on the making of the film, etc. He also talks about other roles that he has had over his career, and he is also asked what his favorite role has been. This is a great interview with the wonderful actor, who seems to have enjoyed his career every step of the way. Truly insightful. Lady of the Night: Laurene Landon remembers Maniac Cop - Laurene Landon is also interviewed about her career and MANIAC COP. This interview is fun, yet we really learn no more than what was covered in the Atkins video, aside from the reason as to why Landon's character did not return for the third entry in the MANIAC COP series. But it was cool to see Landon talk about some of her other films like ...ALL THE MARBLES, a film co-starring Peter Faulk that I personally happen to like. Scripting a new Slasher Super-Villain: Larry Cohen on Matt Cordell - This is a great interview with Writer/Producer/Director Larry Cohen. Here he talks about how MANIAC COP came about, the writing of it's script among other things. He also talks about his other films such as IT'S ALIVE, THE STUFF, Q, BLACK CAESAR and HELL UP IN HARLEM. I have listed the other features of this release below. Overall, this is a great release of this cult favorite. Although I have not seen the US version as stated, I would be likely to purchase this one based on its incentives alone. |
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| GORE
METER 5/10 A broken neck, a severely slit throat, a gunshot to the head, a bloody slashing, as well as multiple stabbings (some off-screen, mind you). |
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MUSICAL
SCORE 6.5/10 This film features a great score, which seems to be a mix of synthesizer and general orchestration. While I am unsure, all that I can say is that it sounds great. | ||||
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM In the end, MANIAC COP is a fun and enjoyable little slasher film, one that has a pretty big following. While it really is nothing that is original in plot, it still has the right amount of things that people tend to enjoy in a Slasher film. Personally, I do enjoy it for what it is, it's not spectacular, but then again it's fun, and this release makes it all the more so. Special Features include : - Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork - Double-sided fold-out artwork poster - Collector s booklet featuring brand new writing on the film by author Troy Howarth and The Original Maniac: An interview with William Lustig, adapted from Calum Waddell's book Taboo Breakers - Brand new High Definition transfer of film - Exclusive UK introduction to the film from star Tom Atkins - Doomed Detective: Tom Atkins on Maniac Cop - Lady of the Night: Laurene Landon remembers Maniac Cop - Scripting a new Slasher Super-Villain: Larry Cohen on Matt Cordell - Trailer |
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