Maniac Cop 2

Robert Z'Dar returns as the super cop, turned maniac cop; Matt Cordell in this surprisingly good sequel to the surprisingly good 1988 horror-thriller, Maniac Cop. This time, however, he's not alone in his fight against the police force as he's found an accomplice; the local serial killer. This movie is probably the quintessential late-night video rental in the late 80's to early 90's - not only is it pure B-grade schlock rubbish, but it's a sequel to pure B-grade schlock rubbish; and you don't get much more B-movie than that! (except maybe a second sequel, of course).

The directing and writing/producing team of William Lustig and Larry Cohen return to helm this movie, and do a good job as they did in the first. The acting in this film isn't good, in fact, certain scenes are downright embarrassing; but you don't go into a sequel to an 80's schlock fest expecting great acting, so it's forgivable. The majority of the cast from the first film met grisly ends, but the two survivors; B-movie god, Bruce Campbell, and Laurene Landon reprise their roles. Unfortunately, however, their roles in the movie are little more than cameo appearances; Bruce Campbell in particular is not at his charismatic best. In The Evil Dead films, and a lot of his small cameos in bigger films, Bruce approaches his roles with great heart and gusto and you can really tell that he's enjoying himself; but here, I was getting the impression that he couldn't be bothered. I got this impression somewhat with Bruce's performance the first film too. Of course, his role in the Maniac Cop films is nothing like the Ash that we all know and love, but B-movie fans have come to expect a certain kind of performance from Bruce and that wasn't what he gave in the first movie. Naturally, his mere presence is enough to make a film a must see, though. Laurene Landon enjoys herself a bit more, and gets to use the greatest melee weapon in the history of movies; the chainsaw. The chainsaw is such a brilliant weapon, it almost takes on a life of it's own. Any movie that utilises the chainsaw commands your respect, even if it only gets a brief appearance as it does in this movie. The only other thing that returns from the first is the incredible tagline; 'You have the right to remain silent...forever', which is quite simply; one of the best taglines ever written.

The rest of the cast is new to the series. Robert Davi, who is a very good actor, takes over Bruce Campbell as the new leading man. Davi portrays his character; a hard-bitten New York with a gruff voice and no messing persona brilliantly, and very much looks the part. Also new is Claudia Christian, who pretty much does what Laurene Landon did in the first film, and Leo Rossi enters the fold as Matt Cordell's newfound friend, who also happens to enjoy strangling strippers. Also; watch out for blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameos from Danny Trejo and Sam Raimi.

Just like in the first film, a foreboding New York atmosphere is created, which lends the film a creepy and distinct atmosphere, particularly in the nighttime scenes. Also like the first film, the sequel features several instances of lovely black humour, portrayed best by Maniac Cop saving a man from a parking ticket, and then taking the traffic officer away...literally, on the back of his crane truck. The film also doesn't let up for a second; it stays entertaining for the duration and the action comes thick and fast, which ensures that the film stays entertaining. There is also a theme of justice, and it's pitfalls, which is heavily referred to at several points in the movie. Of course, this point is lost somewhat under the violent gun battles; but the fact that the movie is actually trying to convey a point is admirable from a film that you wouldn't expect any kind of meaning from.

Overall, Maniac Cop 2 is a lovely piece of B-grade cinema. As a technical project, it's pretty worthless, but it's very entertaining and fans of this sort of film will find lots to like about it. As a fan of the original, this sequel satisfied me and therefore I recommend this to anyone that is also a fan of the original.

Slasher / horror films throughout the 1980s were a big thing in its time. Many popular icons arose from that decade of which many still resonate with fans today. Several moviegoers remember the mainstream villains but there are also groups of people that remember the lesser known ones too. Of those, William Lustig's Maniac Cop (1988) was one of them. Although the concept itself borrowed ideas from past films like Halloween (1978), the idea of having a killer cop on the streets causing hysteria among the citizens of the local police force was rather inventive. The premise of corrupt cops has long been used before in movies, but an undead cop was another story. The other component that made it captivating to watch was that it played out like a mystery thriller. The maniac cop wasn't actually figured out until much later in the movie, which helped build tension to the reveal. And like any other successful movie opening, a franchise was created. Let's see how it holds up.

Larry Cohen (the writer from the original) pens the continuation of the story. William Lustig also returns in the director's chair, yet there are noticeable problems, this time a little more than the first. As it was revealed at the ending of the first movie, Matt Cordell, the maniac cop (Robert Z'Dar) is alive and returns to exact his mission. The only people who still believe he's around are the cop from past events Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell) and Teresa Mallory (Laurene Landon). Unconvinced of what they say, their captain, Edward Doyle (Michael Lerner) sends them to cop psychiatrist Susan Riley (Claudia Christian). Instead, Forrest and Mallory work to persuade Riley that Cordell exists. The only other person to think their actually telling the truth once he starts to see the puzzle pieces align is Detective Sean McKinney (Robert Davi). This is fine for a premise, but as soon as this is set up Lustig and Cohen add extra unnecessary elements.

Cohen and Lustig's biggest mistake was mixing in an assistant to the maniac cop. Leo Rossi plays a serial killer named Turkell and he ends up teaming up with Cordell; to a point where he can communicate with him (via one-sided conversation). This would have been much more entertaining if Rossi wasn't so over the top in his performance. There's actually more focus put on Turkell than Cordell at certain points. This movie is called Maniac Cop 2 (1990) right? Also at one point, Turkell asks Cordell about his past and viewers are given the exact same flashback from the original Maniac Cop (1988) film. Even another jail mate named Blum (Clarence Williams III) joins Turkell and Cordell, but has very little significance. This is all just padding, it's not story telling. Lastly, there's a rushed subplot about some inside conspiracy dealing with Cordell and his death. The problem is that it comes from nowhere so abruptly; it's confusing as to why Cohen didn't mention it in the original movie script.

Among these problems, everything else is commendable. The cast can all act well together. Bruce Campbell and Laurene Landon are still believable in their roles, Robert Davi and Claudia Christian make nice additions and there are a number of other actors that have small roles. Charles Napier, Danny Trejo, Marco Rodriguez and even Sam Raimi make quick appearances and it's enjoyable to see that. Robert Z'Dar as the title character continues to intimidate with his stature and presence. It's still confusing as to why nobody ever thinks of shooting Cordell in the face though. Everyone aims for the abdomen; not the face, why? For violence, nothing is seriously gore heavy but there are still some good kills. There's even a scene with a chain saw that may catch people off guard due to what's expected. One thing's for sure, the maniac cop loves snapping necks. Cordell's face is much more hideous this time too. There was only one scene though where it looked like a cheap mask.

For cinematography, James Lemmo handled the camera-work. Lemmo was also the cinematographer to director Abel Ferrara's Ms. 45 (1981), Fear City (1984) and also to the original Maniac Cop (1988). Like the first movie however, there are very few (if any) daylight scenes. It's fine to show night time, but it gets a bit difficult to see things when everything is shrouded in the dark city. Nonetheless the camera is always steady and gets what it needs to show. Jay Chattaway returns as well to compose the film score. Much like his previous effort in the franchise, Chattaway thankfully maintains the main theme of the series with synth keyboard and drawn out ominous horns. There are added themes though, which may not have been crucial to include. This involves a church-like choir in the background for some tracks. Yeah, there's always that idea that putting in holy or childlike songs in a minor key sounds creepy but it makes the film feel like it was supposed to have a religious tone. Not sure.

Casting, music and violence all make this sequel watchable. It is disappointing however when majority of the original crew members return and shift the focus from the title character to some other forgettable over the top one. There's also a rushed subplot about Cordell's case and it gets wedged in way too quickly. Still decent though.

Maniac Cop 2 (1990) is available for free on Tubi and picks up where Maniac Cop left off with Cordell still being alive and he immediately reignites his killing spree. A "renegade" police officer who is a bit of a vigilant reluctantly pursues Cordell because he doesn't believe it's really him. This movie is directed by William Lustig (Maniac) and stars Robert Davi (The Goonies), Claudia Christian (Half Past Dead) and Robert Z'Dar (Tango & Cash). The storyline for this picture is very entertaining for a sequel and delivers a very similar feel to the first film. The action scenes are solid and the characters on both sides are fun to follow. This isn't quite as good as the first film, primarily because Bruce Campbell is awesome and at times Davi was annoying, but you still find yourself glued to the film. Overall this is far from perfect but a must watch film for horror enthusiasts. I'd score this a solid 6-6.5/10.

Hulking, undead officer Matt Cordell (Robert D'Zar) returns from his apparent watery grave to wreck yet more carnage in this entertaining sequel to the 1988 film.

Whilst in my opinion not quite on par with the original, this one nonetheless certainly ups the action sequences. Of special mention there is a truly superbly staged assault on a police station when Cordell crashes in (literally!) to liberate a deranged serial killer whom he has formed an acquaintanceship with. This scene easily surpasses the very similar sequence from The Terminator when big Arnie performs his own inimitable attack on the police station in that movie.

The spectacular finale here too set a new stunt record for the longest full body burning and it is truly a sight to behold!

William Lustig's "Maniac Cop 2" is a rare thing - a sequel that surpasses its original. Granted, the original "Maniac Cop" wasn't exactly Shakespeare (though it is a hell of fun trashy B-Movie) so that probably wasn't very hard to do. This direct-to-video follow up still holds up well as one of the better B-films of the early 90s.

We all know the story of how dedicated NYPD officer Matt Cordell became the Maniac Cop after being framed by his superiors and sent off to prison as part of a corruption cover-up. His vengeance against those who wronged him served as the plot of the first film, and as "2" opens, the horribly scarred, hulking Cordell still has a few loose ends to tie up. Bruce Campbell and Laurene Landon return briefly from the first film though neither of them survives very long, and new characters are brought in to deal with the psychotic officer: grizzled NYPD detective Robert D'avi (of the James Bond flick "License to Kill") and police psychologist Claudia Christian (who went on to "Babylon 5" as well as lots of other genre TV/film). The ante is upped this time because the Maniac Cop has hooked up with a partner for this second installment (Leo Rossi of "Halloween II" fame), a serial killer who's been stalking strippers and prostitutes on New York's seedy streets. Cordell shoots up NYPD Headquarters in a hilariously over the top shootout/massacre that simply has to be seen to be believed before he and Rossi (along with a few other criminals freed from police custody) head for the prison where Cordell first met his fate, to take care of the inmates there who were responsible for his beating/coma/"death" in part 1.

OK, so the plot is ridiculous and was probably written on a cocktail napkin. That doesn't take away from the fact that "Maniac Cop 2" works beautifully both as an action flick and a horror/slasher movie. Lustig puts the pedal to the medal virtually from the first scene and doesn't let up through one bloodbath after another. Car crashes, shootouts, throat impalings, explosions -- whatever your taste in carnage, "Maniac Cop 2" will have a scene that satisfies.

The (slightly) larger budget when compared to the first "MC" go-round allows for nastier makeup on the Cordell character (who by this time is basically a hulking, undead Jason Voorhees type in a cop uniform), better set pieces, and improved stunts and pyrotechnics. Say what you want about "Maniac Cop 2," but you can't say it's a boring movie.

Fans of the "MC" series have long acknowledged that this second film is the highlight of the series. Sadly, the only DVD available in the U.S. went out of print almost as quickly as it appeared (and it was in fullscreen besides -- arrrgh!) but if you can get hold of a copy, "Maniac Cop 2" is a worthy night's viewing for action freaks and fans of cop-related carnage.