Maniac Cop

Maniac Cop is a great exploitation film. It has some truly inspired moments. Bruce Campbell is great and the Maniac Cop himself is a worthy creation in the horror genre. Most people will avoid this and they shouldn't, because for the budget and limitations it's a great flick. Fix a nice big bowl of popcorn and enjoy a great horror cheapie.

When I saw this movie on the market I thought 'what the hell' and bought it. I was so surprised by this movie that now i'm on the search for the sequels. The storyline is good and the action with the horror is great. Watch out for 'Tango and Cash' big jawed baddie Robert Z'Dar and surprise cameos from Sam Raimi and Boxing champ JAKE LaMOTTA. There are loads of killings, plenty of low-budget action and another SURPRISE moment involving Tom Atkins. Don't miss this before you die or go blind. 9 out of 10.

Although hampered by a very low budget, by the looks of things, this is still a passable thriller which is along the lines of THE TERMINATOR and THE HITCHER in that it charts the murders of an unstoppable killer. There's even a police station massacre which bears direct resemblance to the former film. Probably the best thing about this film is the talent involved, from William Lustig (big-time horror fan and director of gritty urban horror MANIAC) as director to the all-star, cult cast of familiar faces: not only do you get Bruce Campbell in the leading role, the underrated Tom Atkins appears in a supporting role while blaxploitation star Richard Roundtree also cameos!

The most disappointing thing about this film is the lack of action; the low budget means that there's only really one notable action sequence in it, and that occurs at the very end with the van chase. Other moments which could have been spectacular are only hinted at, for instance : the police station massacre sees a number of officers being strangled and hanged, but we only get to see the aftermath of this event. A spooky moment, yes, but one which could have been phenomenal with the right money to spend. The plot is adequate and quite complex to begin with, and at least the script writer figures out a psychology and motive behind the crimes. I also liked the fact that the maniac cop is a zombie (how else could he survive all those bullets?) is never explained, just left to the imagination.

The film is pretty grisly in places but the death scenes are kept brief. There are a lot of them to compensate for this, with about 95% of the cast being slaughtered through and through. Bruce Campbell looks too young to be a cop but, as per usual, he's charismatic and likable in his leading role. Tom Atkins, a familiar face in '80s films, is also fine as the older policeman investigating the crimes. One person I didn't like was Laurene Landon, who plays Campbell's mistress. As much as I hate to be rude, this actress's acting was a definite down side to the film! Richard Roundtree is good and gruff as usual but underused, while William Smith's croaky-voiced commander is another plus point for the film.

This is one of those films which keeps the face of the killer hidden for the entire running time and then ruins the shock at the end with some extremely poor makeup. The cop - played badly by Robert D'Zar - just has a few scars on his cheeks, that's all, which doesn't explain why everybody screams when they see his face. What this film does succeed in doing is painting a dark and gritty picture of life in New York - realism is at a high here. Plus the scenes of people being chased by the cop are successfully tense and suspenseful. Although not a brilliant film and slightly disappointing for most people, I did fully enjoy this movie and look forward to watching the sequels some day.

'Maniac Cop' is the most enjoyable of William Lustig's movies for me. If I was being objective I'd have to admit that it's stupid trash, but I love it just the same, and never tire of watching it. The team of Lustig ('Maniac', 'Vigilante') as director and the legendary Larry Cohen ('Q', 'The Stuff') as writer really worked well here. Each sequel is slightly worse than the one before - though still entertaining enough - and their latter day attempt to start a similar franchise with the overlooked 'Uncle Sam' wasn't as successful, though that movie was a lot of fun for me. Facially challenged b-grade regular Robert Z'Dar ('Cherry 2000', 'Tango And Cash') "stars" as Matt Cordell the Maniac Cop, but the real drawing card here are cult favourites Tom Atkins ('The Fog', 'Escape From New York') and Bruce Campbell ('Evil Dead', 'Crimewave'), who are both always cool to watch. The supporting cast includes the legendary William Smith ('Run, Angel, Run', 'The Ultimate Warrior'), original Shaft Richard Roundtree, and Laurene Landon and Frank Pesce, both regulars of Lustig and/or Cohen. Lustig himself pops up in a cameo, as does his Uncle 'Raging Bull' Jake LaMotta, director pal Sam Raimi, and the ubiquitous 'Buck' Flower. I love 'Maniac Cop', an 80s trash classic that I enjoy every time I watch it. Highly recommended fun!

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised with 'Maniac cop'. Having seen the posters and video years and years ago and heard it mentioned numerous time, I finally got around to, ahem, 'acquiring' it for myself. First off the setting and pace of the film are spot on and fit perfectly into the horror genre so prevalent in the late 80s. This film is really a blend of cop and horror genres and scores well on both counts. There is ample gore and some genuinely chilling scenes which are well backed up by sturdy performances from genre favourites Bruce Campbell, Tom Atkins and even 'Shaft' himself - Richard Roundtree. I recognised many of the other actors from other 80s films like the sleazy mayor, crippled policewoman and others and this all helps the film along. Make no mistake about it, this film still packs a punch, despite the somewhat jokey killings and the air of invulnerability of the eponymous 'Maniac' is reminiscent of 'Manhunter' and especially 'The Hitcher'. If you love 80s trash films then this is a real treat.

7 out of 10 - very enjoyable.