Le détraqué

The concept of a serial rapist being the only one who can identify a serial bomber is what drives this exploitation shocker towards B movie greatness. Neville Brand, despicable as he is, assaulting and killing to satisfy his twisted sexual fantasies, is easily eclipsed by Chuck Conners as the mad bomber, on a crusade to avenge his daughter's death. These two great evil performances are the core of this film. What prevents "The Police Connection" from being a flat out classic is head police investigator Vince Edwards, who sleep walks through the entire movie, providing zero charisma. He most definitely is no "Dirty Harry". If you can find an unedited version, get it. You will be amazed. - MERK

One of the more solid selections from the Bert I. Gordon roster, "The Mad Bomber" is the heartwarming tale of a man spiraling into insanity who decides that the sinful world needs to be punished through serial bombings. Chuck Connors plays this part well, but it's Neville Brand's show all the way as a pathetic scumbag rapist who holds the key to stopping the T.N.T maniac. Fairly terse low-budgeter is quite grueling at times, and deserves more substantial notoriety.

A flick likely to turn up on a local TV "Late, Late, Late Show", though possibly missing some of the more graphic moments. Still, worth a look and recommended.

5.5/10

William Dorn (Chuck Connors) is an angry and disturbed man. Frustrated over the drug overdose of his daughter, he decides to strike back at anyone whom he's imagined was responsible for her death. But what he really wants to do is punish society at large. He'll even leave bombs at feminist gatherings. Determined to nail this paranoid villain is grouchy, hard nosed detective Geronimo Minelli (!) (Vince Edwards), the kind of guy who does anything it takes to get his man. That includes working with the one man who can identify Dorn, and HE turns out to be a rapist! George Fromley (Neville Brand) is loathe to cooperate with Minelli until he realizes what the cop is capable of.

Producer / director / screenwriter / cinematographer Bert I. Gordon (a.k.a. Mr. B.I.G.) is better known for his "giant monster" flicks of the 1950s, but this endlessly amusing pile of garbage that he's created deserves to be just as well known. He brings the sleaze in a major way; his movie is slow at times and crude, but undeniably a real hoot. Fans of 1970s exploitation will be delighted to note the abundance of nudity (provided by Ilona Wilson as Fromley's wife) and the wonderfully graphic gore. Of course, it's the acting that really brings this one to life. Edwards is good as the unrelenting protagonist, and Brand is a very effective creep. Hank Brandt, Christina Hart, and Ted Gehring co-star, but it's Connors who will command most of your attention. With an array of truly priceless facial expressions, he's a hysterically nutty bad guy. The icing on the cake is a music score by Michel Mention that's sometimes entertaining but is also hilariously AWFUL at other times. The movie establishes Dorn in a great way right up front, as he chastises a stranger for littering on the sidewalk.

Well worth seeing if you like your cop thrillers to be on the trashy side.

Seven out of 10.

"The Mad Bomber" is a very adult suspense film....so adult I am surprised it didn't earn an X rating back when it debuted. After all, "Midnight Cowboy" was rated X and only had a tiny bit of nudity...and that came out only four years before this film. Yet, in "The Mad Bomber" you have some graphic rape scenes, tons of violence as well as full frontal nudity...all which shocked me as the film progressed. Even today I think you'd have a hard time getting an R for this one because of the rapes....something that did NOT need to be this graphic. So, please, please, please...be careful with this one. It's not for kids and perhaps you might wanna be sure you are looking at one of the edited versions (and they are apparently quite common).

The film is about a psychopath (Chuck Connors) who has a variety of gripes about the world. Tons of things tick him off and now he's going to show the world by planting a string of bombs as retribution. At the same time, a rapist is running amok...and the two might have seen each other. So, if you catch one, you might just be able to catch the other. Lt. Minneli (Vince Edwards) is the cop investigating these cases.

So is this any good? "The Detective" is a super-gritty X rated cop film...and I loved it...so there is a place for tough crime films. The film is very exciting and in some ways well made. However, one portion of the film made zero sense. The rapist (Neville Brand) is eventually caught in the act of raping a woman and later the Lieutenant's boss tells him to release the suspect...no charges...nothing!! On what planet would this make sense?! The Lieutenant later trumps up a traffic charge in order to bring him in for questioning. Shouldn't the fact that he gagged a woman and ripped her clothing off be enough to merit bringing him back in for questioning?!?! Another dopey moment was late in the film when the bomber was driving about on a motorcycle. He COULD he have possibly escaped?! Odd that the film was so sloppy here and there when it was otherwise exciting (though quite sleazy!).

By the way, I noticed that one reviewer seemed surprised that director Bert I. Gordon would make a 'sick' film like this. Considering he made the god-awful "Food of the Gods", "Empire of the Ants" and "How to Succeed With Sex", I certainly am not surprised by this movie! It seems pretty much in keeping with his output at that time, though the quality is a tad better than usual.

The Police Connection (1973)

*** (out of 4)

A Los Angeles cop (Vince Edwards) is trying to track down a mad bomber (Chuck Connors) but he hasn't any witness or evidence. This all changes when the bomber attacks a hospital at the same time a rapist (Neville Brand) attacks a woman. The cop figures if he can catch the rapist he can then find out who the bomber is.

Bert I. Gordon will always be remembered for his "big" movies like THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN, VILLAGE OF THE GIANTS and THE CYCLOPS but this film here is very far from them. In fact, I must say that this here is the best movie I've seen from Gordon and it's a real shame that he didn't continue making movies like this. If you know the director then you know he followed this up returning to his "big" roots with THE FOOD OF THE GODS and EMPIRE OF THE ANTS.

I was really shocked at how entertaining this film was and especially in its uncut form. Gordon made a career out of "safe" movies but that's certainly not the case here as it earns its R-rating. The violence is quite graphic at times but what really stands out is the sleaze factor. You've got all sorts of full frontal nudity as well as some kinky moments dealing with a subplot of the rapist. Not only do you have some great explosions that shows off the action but the rape scenes are also filmed quite well for this period.

The performances here are another major plus. Edwards is extremely good and believable as the cop who will stop at nothing to bring down the bomber. Brand gets the sleazy role as the rapist and he does an extremely effective job with it. His character is certainly lower than dirt and Brand's performance just makes you feel how dirty this guy is. I was also very impressed with Connors who was flawless in the role as the bomber. This guy has several mental issues and I thought the actor perfectly captured all of this.

The film, also known as THE MAD BOMBER, was apparently really cut down for its television and video release so you certainly want to make sure that you're watching the uncut version. The sleaze and action factor are quite high and that makes this Gordon's best picture.