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A demented serial killer is wrecking havoc on the streets of L.A. It's up to a rookie and a veteran cop to stop him.

Sound familiar? You bet. Yet this film seems to creep up above most other films of the similar genre, thanks in most parts to an unusually effective performance from Judd Nelson. Most of the times I don't particularly like him, but here he fits the bill perfectly.

The supporting performances are also quite good. Robert Loggia plays it straight as the veteran cop and Leo Rossi has never been as appealing as here. Director William Lustic creates a reasonable amount of suspense and keeps things moving at an adequate pace. But mostly, this film will be remembered (by me anyway) as the best Judd Nelson film, and his best performance. He plays a psychopath to a tee.

Judd Nelson rules in this flick. I'm surprised nobody seems to know about this one. If you see in the store, give it a try. I think you'll be entertained. Rossi is pretty good in this too. His banter with Loggia is straight out of a buddy-cop movie encyclopedia, but it works.

This crime story has some scary scenes, with an especially memorable one early on with a woman hiding in a clothes dryer. In fact, the first half of this is excellent but it peters out that point with two typical Hollywood clichés of crime movies of the period.

They are: 1 - the good cop (Leo Rossi as "Sam Dietz") going it alone despite the orders of his superior; 2 - the killer going to the good cop's house to kill his family. Too bad it stooped to these obvious story lines because this could have been an outstanding serial-killer movie. As it is, it would up being slightly better- than-average. By the way, what's with Meg Foster's eyes? It looks like they have no pupils. It's eerie to look at that woman's face.

This movie spawned several sequels and the sequels were better and better as they went along.

What at first seems like yet another bleak cop drama/vigilante thriller from William ("earth tones and unappealing locations ONLY, please!") Lustig gradually turns into a fine little sleeper. "Relentless" is robotically assembled in certain aspects (killer strikes; cops consult; quality time with wife and kid (repeat), but the sharp script (by Phil Alden Robinson under a pseudonym), excellent performances, and steady pace help redeem the more trite elements. Leo Rossi and Robert Loggia are two cops assigned to a rash of murders committed by Judd Nelson, the son of a deranged 'hero' cop (played in flashback by Beau Starr), who has just been rejected from the Police Academy on--you guessed it--psychological grounds. There is a definite snap to the banter shared between Rossi and Loggia (the rookie and the jaded veteran), and certain touches, like the high-strung police captain, lend much to the film's intentional humor; the scenes with Rossi and his wife and son are well-handled; and the killer's contrast is appropriately oppressive (Nelson's performance is more about body language and facial expressions than dialog). Lustig once again tries to ape William Friedkin's tough-guy, action-oriented style (Rossi even gets a chance to race against traffic in the third act), and the result is quite successful--"Relentless" is seriously worth a look.

Young Buck (character actor Judd Nelson) is depraved, demented, and mentally disturbed. Rejected from the Los Angeles Police Department on psychological grounds, this young lad has seemingly transformed from a once benign albeit afraid soul, to a psychotic serial killer. Now, Buck goes on an inevitable killing rampage as he picks his victims' names at random from a telephone directory. He calls and informs his victims ahead of time of their demises to-be before he enters their residencies and coerces the victims to participate in their own grisly deaths.

Enter Sam Dietz (Leo Rossi), a tough New York City police detective who's quickly being transferred to the L.A.P.D. Soon enough, Dietz has been assigned to track down this notorious serial killer. Dietz is to work with

his partner, Det. Bill Malloy (veteran actor Robert Loggia), who shows a lot less alacrity and more apathy than his younger counterpart, Det. Dietz. Eventually, as the body count rises, Buck has been dubbed the "Sunset Killer."

RELENTLESS is a tantalizing yet insipid thriller. There are tons of slow moving scenes in this movie, and the film doesn't offer any kind of novelty from the rest of the serial killer movies. Yes, there are profound moments in this movie. For example, the audiences plunge into the mind of Buck, seeing his past life in flashbacks as an abused child who had to partake in rigorous "boot camp" type activities, setup by his own strict father. In fact, Buck is so mentally insane that he often sees images of his late father in the mirror, telling him what to do. Judd Nelson deserves some approbation for tackling the difficult role of a mentally scarred serial mass murderer.

Another aspect of RELENTLESS that made the film slightly worthwhile to watch was the relationship between the two police detectives out to catch Buck, a.k.a. "The Sunset Killer." We see two different worlds conflict with each other as New York native Det. Dietz demonstrates a "let me at him" attitude, with plenty of intensity and anxiousness. On the other hand, Det. Malloy, who's a Los Angeles native feels that Det. Dietz is taking this case way too seriously. Malloy is more laid back, figuring that the press will blow over and the Sunset Killer will eventually disappear. The chemistry between the two police detectives is interesting, with the younger one, Dietz showing more enthusiasm and energy for catching this psycho. Meanwhile his older, more sardonic partner Det. Malloy doesn't want to pull any punches or put too much effort into solving this case. He also thought that many of what Dietz's statements were given were foolish. Malloy is admittedly lazy, letting other people do all the work for him.

RELENTLESS is not a one-of-a-kind thriller. It descends into cliche territory throughout most of this film, especially by the finale. This is not a very exciting movie with no true memorable moments. RELENTLESS is also relentlessly (no pun intended) boring at times, and it may not appeal to many moviegoers unless they have an interest in criminal psychology. Still, RELENTLESS was a satisfactory, though not a terrific effort from director William Lustig (MANIAC, MANIAC COP 2, UNCLE SAM). Although the performances throughout this film were well illustrated and persuasive, they were uninspired. Watching the two detectives argue with each other was fun, and Nelson did his best at portraying a serial killer.

RELENTLESS opened to brisk business at the box office, and it was understandable, due to this film's limited audience appeal. Next time, a thriller movie needs to offer a whole new horizon in order to grab viewers' attention.

RATING: ** out of ****.

RELENTLESS introduces us to Sam Dietz, a policeman whose been promoted to detective, his first case he's assigned is to track down a ruthless serial killer whose been targeting innocent people.

I'm not going to elaborate on the synopsis but what I will say is that this is a good film if you like a good crime thriller, Leo Rossi and Robert Loggia are both very likable in their roles, Judd Nelson was certainly a great choice for the role of the serial killer, you wouldn't say that today but yeah, the direction by William Lustig is definitely rock solid and as you may or may not know his other credits includes films like the MANIAC COP trilogy.

Certainly worth seeing for fans of the genre, it doesn't offer anything in terms of originality but in this case all that doesn't matter when its all nicely done.

Judd Nelson is brilliant as the unhinged killer in this but the movie is rendered almost unwatchable by the performance of Leo Rossi as the obsessive detective who is on his tail. Arguably the most wooden unwatchable performance I have ever seen in a movie

I've always noticed the straight-to-video sequels around, but never the original feature. With names like director William Lustig and actors Leo Rossi, Meg Foster and Judd Nelson playing a psycho it was only a matter of time I would eventually come around to it. "Relentless" is a formulaic hoary detective chasing serial killer presentation, which does manage to have its moments of growing unease (the first three murder scenes) and suspense (like the detectives unknowingly meeting their killer) amongst the genre clichés.

After failing to make his way into the police force, by receiving a letter in the mail explaining that he didn't pass the psychological exam. Arthur Taylor turns to serial killing to release out those frustrations, by randomly picking people out of the phone-book. On his first day working for the L.A police department, after transferring from New York; Sam Dietz is put onto the case. Where he clashes with his sardonically experienced partner in the way they go about the police investigation. The murders seem to pile up, but the evidence is lacking.

While it won't win any awards for originality, director Lustig slick handling provides competent flair, the story structure is tidy with occasional bite and the performances are capably brought across. Nelson is truly disquieting as the psychotic Taylor, bringing a wearily unstable feeling with his character's troubled past used as the film's motivation. Strangely in certain sequences his haunting appearance reminded of the killer out of the 1920's silent horror film; "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari". Rossi is good as the brash, if cocky newcomer Sam Dietz and Robert Loggia nails it as his weathered partner. The usual shtick is there between the detectives, as they start off bumpy to eventually find mutual respect. A glowing Meg Foster is rather mesmerizing and well-meaning in her role as Mrs Dietz. The moody music score by Jay Chattaway can be overpowering, but there's a certain saucy, eeriness created that only builds upon the anxiety and tension.

A crisp looking and reasonably appealing late 80s crime thriller.

"I say this guy is seriously f****d up".

I thought Relentless is a good film! It has some faces in it such as Robert Loggia, Judd Nelson, Leo Rossi, Meg Foster, Ken Lerner, Edward Bunker, and George 'Buck' Flower! The actors in the film are good especially Loggia and Nelson! Nelson makes a good killer in the film! You never know what this guy it up to! I also like how the movie really focused on him! It allowed decent development on this character and by it doing that it made it really interesting! Leo Rossi played the good guy well. The music especially the main title is very good by underrated composer Jay Chattaway! The action in the film is good and the killings are played out well. There are three sequels to this film. If you like the cast mentioned above and like to see a cool 80s killer movie then watch Relentless!

This film seemed to be put together in a very half-hearted fashion. The visuals were TV style and the script, from 'Field of Dreams's writer, was okay. There was one great bit between the detective and an old man eating prunes, if the rest of the film has matched this it would have been a classic. The cast gamely tried to make the film memorable,with Judd Nelson putting in a quality performance, but the story was too hackneyed. The worst part came with the obligatory T&A insert: Nelson suffocates a topless blonde.

(1989) Relentless THRILLER

The first of 4 movies about demented serial killers, Judd Nelson is psychopath Arthur 'Buck' Taylor, a man who is still scarred as a result of his abusive relationship with his father. The killings begin to start as soon as he gets a rejection letter from a certified shrink where he only goes after the people who have the same name as him which is Arthur Taylor. And leaves his mark by first trying to make it seem like they killed themselves and then planting a phonebook page on top of them with some words scribbled on it. Sam Dietz (Leo Rossi)is the homicide cop assigned to the case who was transferred from station to a new station where police don't work with each other as a result of a lack certified law enforcement officers. And he partners himself up with Homicide cop Bill Malloy (Robert Loggia) who often disputes with Dietz's assumptions and findings. This is the perfect example where much of the police protocols are incompetent, and that the victims don't appear to have any other close relatives or friends. The cops are too thick since their must already been cuckoo evidence around that the Judd Nelson character is not all there as well as his name- never mind the tape recorder. This is incompetent police work at it's best. The other thing I had a problem with is that although Nelson's performance is exceptional, I can't get over the fact that the so-called serial killer would know the victim's place of residence more than the people who live there in such a short time.

I am a really big fan of Judd Nelson and he ruled in this movie. He's so good at being the bad guy. Judd plays Buck Taylor, a demented serial killer who picks his victims from a phone book and calls them before he enters their house and kills them. And the victims' names resemble his. And he tears the pages out with the victims' names underlined in red with messages like "catch me if you can" that he leaves on the dead bodies for the police. Buck does these horrid things because his father was abusive and he kills to show his dad that he's good at something. I really enjoyed this movie and it showed how good of an actor Judd is. Great film!

Judd Nelson stars as Buck Taylor, a psychopath who picks his victims out of the telephone book. New LA detective Sam Dietz (Leo Rossi) and grizzled veteran Sam Malloy (Robert Loggia) are tasked with bringing him down in this thriller from Director William Lustig (Maniac, Vigilante) and writer Phil Robinson (All of Me, Field of Dreams)

With the kind of pedigree and talent of those involved, I was expecting more of this film then what I got. I was hoping for a film that stood out from the vast myriad of serial killer films out there. What I got was more of the same and this film was as interchangeable with all the other average films of it's ilk. The only thing notable whatsoever about this movie was the fine performance that Judd Nelson gave, but it was totally unremarkable otherwise. Not really a bad film, merely one you'll feel like you've seen before.

Eye Candy: Elizabeth Lambert gets topless

My Grade: C+

DVD Extras: Trailers for "Trapped", "Panic Room", & "Secret Window"

I remember seeing the very effective box for 'Relentless' on shelves back in the day and now wonder why I didn't give it a shot. You get a good director helming the first title & a cast of known names in a pretty straight laced tale of catching a serial killer that scores style points but unfortunately runs out it's semi predictable nature.

Sam Dietz (Leo Rossi) is an ex-NYC cop in LA who's just been promoted to Detective. He's teamed up with older, more experienced Sgt. Malloy (Robert Loggia) and they butt heads. A mentally unwell son of an ex-cop Buck (Judd Nelson) starts his rampage killing random victims from the phonebook with a taunting handwritten note. Meanwhile Sam has his wife Carol (Meg Foster) to vent to and a young son Corey (Brendan Ryan) eager to hear his dad's job exploits.

Director William Lustig is able to deliver some nice shots that elevate the mood, create tension. Rossi makes for a decent flawed hero, but Loggia kinda just goes thru the paces as he's saddled with a cliche role. Nelson is really effective as the killer who's acting out childhood trauma and physically looks damaged in a scary way. Only issue is the format. Predictable to the max. Loudmouth police superiors, partners who don't get along, a murder you can see coming a mile away.

'Relentless' never veers into camp or boring - a tight 90 min runtime helps - but much of what happens is serial killer 101. Ultimately Rossi, Nelson keep it watchable and unique killer / victim elements remain interesting. Curious to see how the dtv sequels build from here and if they get better or worse.

... It doesn't feel like a William Lustig movie! The lack of sleaziness is apparent, it's as though he was told to rein it in, and make a Hollywood friendly version of one of his movies!

With a bit more oomph added, this could have been a higher budget 'Maniac' type film. It's easy to watch and the time passes quickly, but for me it all just seemed so tame. Good production values though.

And for me there's one really bad actor in it, who just doesn't seem believable in their role, but I won't name them, I'm sure anyone who watches will come to the same conclusion.. The partnership between the two main cops is good though, and the odd bit of humour here and there lifts the film.

Worth a watch if you can find the DVD for a reasonable price. Once seen though, I don't think it's a film many will revisit.

There have been a million wackos on the loose with two determined cops on his trial type of movies, but this one at least tries something new with the murders. They are your standard knifed or strangled variety but the killer doesn't just do it. He makes the victim help out somewhat, by putting the knife, piano wire, etc. into their hands and then forcing them to effectively off themselves.

Judd Nelson rules in this flick. I'm surprised nobody seems to know about this one. If you see in the store, give it a try. I think you'll be entertained. Rossi is pretty good in this too. His banter with Loggia is straight out of a buddy-cop movie encyclopedia, but it works.

The first entry in this series is mediocre. Although it's okay to watch if you have nothing else to do or watch, it really isn't more than that. Resembles a made-for-tv movie.

Give this movie a go, its a pretty good one.

8/10

This film feels like a dark spin-off of THE BREAKFAST CLUB with Judd Nelson's highly disturbed rebel teenager now a depressed loser haunted by memories of his father, turning to serial killing to add meaning to his life. He crosses over universes into DTV cop movie territory though by running afoul of detective Leo Rossi, who himself is struggling to cope with a transfer from NYC with his wife (an against-typecast supportive and trustworthy Meg Foster), his partner (the always fatherly and reliable Robert Loggia), and his textbook pre-Frank McRae angry yelling stupid chief (played by Bleeding Gums Murphy & ICE PIRATES pimp robot voice, Rod Taylor).

While those expecting the sleaziness of Lustig's earlier MANIAC or the nonstop gritty excitement of his MANIAC COP and VIGILANTE movies will be disappointed, he shockingly turns this cliché'd cop thriller premise into something very watchable. While 80's LA isn't quite as seedy as 80's NYC, Lustig takes the transition in stride and makes excellent use of the environment.

As someone who has lived in Los Angeles for a few years and spent a lot of time along the Sunset Strip, I was delighted to recognize just about every location in the film. Some parts of town have changed a lot in 27 years, while others have not changed at all. So this film works effectively as a time capsule for Los Angelinos.

Lustig keeps the plot zipping along at a brisk pace and gives it just enough of his warped and demented style (coupled with characteristic Jay Chattaway music) to keep even jaded modern audiences interested. However the real selling point here are the performances. Nelson's creepy portrayal of the killer may well be his career highlight and the B-movie veterans like Rossi, Foster, and Frank Pesce all get good scenes in that I hope they put on their show-reels.

The main weakness I feel is some plot confusion regarding Rossi's relationship with his old precinct. At first it feels like he's leaving a job in NYC but then we see him go back there a few times later in the movie, making me wonder if he jumped into a THE FLY-style teleportation chamber off-screen or the writer/director/editor just didn't communicate too well where his old precinct was. It feels like something was lost in the editing, perhaps owing to being cut for time, but the ending could certainly have been more satisfying too had they shown what the fallout was both in the news and at Rossi's workplace after all his loose cannonry.

Although certainly not perfect and an unfortunately forgotten film, RELENTLESS is a wonderful example of how to make a very watchable film out of unoriginal subject matter.

Two Los Angeles detectives (one a veteran, the other a rookie) work the case of a psychopath who is killing people in the Sunset Blvd. area of L.A. The film is not a whodunit. The script's POV alternates between the Sunset killer (played by Judd Nelson), and the two cops (played by Robert Loggia and Leo Rossi).

The only mystery is at the beginning, with the killer's motivation. But that clears up as the plot moves along. The film offers a fair amount of suspense, as the killer pops into scenes unexpectedly to assault his victim. Some of the drama involves feisty banter between the two detectives, with the rookie showing insight and unorthodox determination, while the veteran seems slightly bored and wants to follow conventional police procedures.

Though fictional, the overall story is believable enough that something like this could happen in real life, if the dreadfully clichéd ending had been excised and replaced with an unexpected and more potent climax.

Visuals are dark, consistent with the thriller genre. Cinematography is conventional but competent. I really liked the opening credits' sequence with that overhead perspective that traverses a stretch of Sunset Blvd. Acting is competent.

"Relentless" manages to present a more believable villain than what we typically see in fictional serial killer scripts. And the plot steers clear of silly absurdities that plague similar films. I just wish the ending had been stronger and more original.

Best line of the film is an ansaphone message ...

" I called to see if you are home .... I have to kill you .... Tonight.