Hollywood Cop

There is no doubt that Amir watched Lethal Weapon and it spawned genius. Hollywood Cop has it's great moments. The scene where the "Arab Man" somehow SLITS the dude's head off made me choke with delight. Especially the comment he makes about "His Laws". There are some decent TnA shots, which is always a plus. The speech that the dead beat dad gives his son is pretty good too. Sadly the gang members are not that ruthless, the kid talks too much, and lets face it: The acting is just TOO GOOD. If you really want a great laugh, watch Samurai Cop (The funniest of Amir's Holy Trinity). It has just about everything better than Hollywood Cop.

Also, the car chase scene at the end is almost worthy of being in a good B movie. Almost.

I expected a movie as funny as Samurai Cop, but this one just isn't that good. Most of the time it's just boring, like watching people walk or talk. There are undoubtedly some funny moments but these are rare compared to Samurai Cop. I was hoping to see something funnier. If you have the patience to sit through 90% of it bored just to laugh at some points, then I would recommend it.

Satisfying as a generic low budget actionsploitation flick from the time. Amir's direction is as stilted as always, most scenes consist of long shots with the actors a few feet away from the camera, bits of awkward acting, odd dubbing, somewhat disjointed editing and some rather silly writing. However, there are some fun action sequences, enjoyable performances and a rather amusing plot to keep you entertained. Its also kind of a sleazy film.

Not as off-beat or cheap as Samurai Cop but it has its weird moments. Not awful but very flawed and too long for its own good.

My review was written in January 1988 after watching the film on Celebrity video cassette.

"Hollywood Cop" is an enjoyable B-picture, crudely made but suitable for the home video action market. Its roster of familiar character actors will generate some interest.

David Goss plays the title role, a handsome young cop assigned to undercover work. Susan Schoenhofer appeals to him for help when her son is kidnapped by the mob to put pressure on since her husband (Larry Lawrence) stiffed them for $6,000,000. With the aid of his partner Lincon Kilpatrick, Goss goes up against the baddies and blows them away.

Loaded with extraneous t&a footage, picture substitutes energy for sense in many scenes but is fun to watch. As fellow cops, Cameron Mitchell and Troy Donahue take a tongue-in-cheek approach to the proceeding, while lead Jim Mitchum is cast against type in a smallish role as a Mafia boss.

As far as schlocky low budget action thrillers go this one isn't all that bad. The acting and dialogue is what makes it so goofy, I mean you got Cameron Mitchell complaining about tums in one scene for christ sake. The other problem is the pacing, there's scenes where our hero and his partner are just screwing around that seem to go on forever, but, as a first time effort for Amir Shervan this isn't ineptly made like you would figure it to be, goofy and schlocky yes, bad no.