Maniac Cop

In New York someone is committing brutal murders on unexpected and innocent victims, but to make matters worst for the police force, witnesses claimed it was a cop doing the horrific acts. Now terror fills the people of New York of anyone in a blue uniform. Not too long officer Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell) gets accused of these murders, but Cordell a supposedly dead cop who was wrongfully jailed by the higher authorities of the city frames Forrest, so he could get closer to those screwed him. Lt. McCrae (Peter Atkins) who is in charge of the case doesn't believe that the accused officer is apart of it and he goes out of his way to prove that a demented policeman is the one they should be after.

Damn! I wished I watched them in order, as certainly this is by far the best of the three. It's just I couldn't get my hands on it, until after seeing the two sequels and they were just there. But that's always the case when you do something like that. Oh well, I did leave the best for last, which I guess leaves me with more than a satisfied feeling towards the trilogy after the somewhat fair, but disappointing number three.

'Maniac Cop' isn't going to win any awards nor is it not trying to. What we have by Director William Lustig and writer Larry Cohen is nothing but good trashy b-grade action-horror hokum… and it achieves it in a rather sprightly manner. Watching this you'll be thinking your trash heaven! It borders on ridiculous, but hey that makes it even more enjoyable and you could say its one of the better horror flicks that filled the late 80's. It has the slasher touch to it, but with a twist with a killer being someone who we think will protect us. Larry Cohan's screenplay makes great use of this premise, by executing ideas about the hysteria it would cause when playing on society fears of political correctness and people abusing their authority figure and power. These sort of social commentaries you just come to like and grow use to when watching a film that has him credited as writer. Other than the satire part, Cohan adds to the mystery of Cordell in a very compelling structure by providing enough mayhem and more than enough surprises along the way. That's not to say it doesn't have its plot holes and some things just come together a bit to easy, but again it knows its limitations by playing it for fun than going for a serious outlook were every little thing is wrapped up in nice little bow. For me it was more original than most in its field.

The vividly seedy New York backdrop was a superb fitting with its scummy macabre that fills every crevice during the night sequences, but still enough through daylight that you are pulled into panic and uneasy vibe that fills the city. A chilling aurora is felt with rustling sounds that added even more to the grinding tension and increasing dread. Something that the two sequels just couldn't replicate, well not in the same vein. The time pretty much passes by like a breeze, as it's relentlessly at a high-octane pace. That's all because of William Lustig no bars approach to the direction, by adding a pinch of all types of ingredients. Like the usual high speed car chase, interesting interactions between the characters, explosive shootout, exploitative violence that has a tad of gore and the basic flashback on the bad guy and how he become this monster. You'll be on the edge for last 15 minutes.

Although, the performances also make it one hell of a ride with the likes of some favourite powerhouse b-films stars that just have a knack of making any sort of character interesting. You have probably guess who I'm going to praise and I see from other reviewers I'm hardly alone on this one, but Bruce Campbell and Peter Atkins can make anything incredibly lively when they are involved. Both get their fair share of screen time and make the most of it and it's the first time that I've seen Campbell in a tone down role and he still nails it. But again the characters get their witty lines curtsy to Cohen's profound script. Laurene Landon also is quite good as Forrest's mistress and cop buddy. She adds another feisty element to the picture. Also in the support you got the likes of Richard Roundtree as Commissioner Pike and William Smith as Capt. Ripley. Robert Z'Dar plays the hidden figure Matt Cordell that has some supernatural vibe with brute and energy, but even with some passion too. The actual makeup for Cordell's scarred face wasn't too bad either.

Overall, this low-budget feature is immensely messy fun with an above-average script and remarkably agreeable performances by all involved. Definitely check out the sequels if you enjoy this flick as they kind of follow the same path, but also adding their own distinguishable trait to the central idea.

I saw the two sequels before I saw this and I am glad to finally see the one that started it all.

Robert Z'Dar is the Maniac Cop in all three, and he really has a creepy presence that will strike fear into anyone coming up against him.

Bruce Campbell and Laurene Landon play lovers that try to find out what was going on and catch the killer while being blamed for all the deaths themselves.

Richard Roundtree and Tom Atkins added to the excitement, but seeing Sheree North, who has been in so many TV shows and movies, was a treat.

It's mindless entertainment and just a lot of fun.

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.

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.

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.