Karate Cop

In the future the world has been depleted to an incredibly cheap movie set, where bionic meat-heads live to beat each other up, whether it be in gladiator combat or priceless crystals which look like something you could buy at a garage sale. Oh and are our hero in question (Played not so well by Richard Marchini) must compete in a tournament that the winner gets to have a woman for whatever purposes they wish to fulfill with her. Karate Cop is a title that makes little sense, since while Richard Marchini knows martial arts and is a futuristic law enforcer, being that there is obviously no law in this phony futuristic scenario, can one still be considered a police officer, if you no longer have a public to serve? Such philosophical questions are wasted on useless movies such as this. The main reason we watch this is for the involvement of one said David Carradine, too bad he is barely in it, which of course is a gigantic letdown. Also why do bad Mad Max rip off have to be this putrid? The fight sequences themselves aren't very good but the worst thing about this is just how deadly dull this thing is to watch. Still there is no denying the unintentional laughs that come from the unconvincing sets and special effects which look as if they were filmed on a budget lower than most pornos.

* out of 4-(Bad)

If you enjoy films like "Good Guys Wear Black" or watched "The A-Team" then you might enjoy this little film. It's well worth the $1 you'll likely pay for it at Wal-Mart. It is a cheaply made genre film with no-name actors. The acting and special effects are not great. BUT...it is still an entertaining film.

Karate Cop is definitely a "B movie" but if you enjoy low-budget films, this one is actually quite entertaining. The story is extremely derivative of Mad Max --but who cares? The actors really seem to be having a good time and although the acting quality is all over the map. Filmed on a very moderate (or low) budget, the filmmakers do their best to to deliver a cohesive genre film complete with special effects, action sequences, and even a token "name" actor (David Carradine) in a cameo. Filming was done in and around Stockton, California--mostly in industrial/warehouse areas.

For those who have seen Ron Marchini's film "Omega Cop" (also available for $1 in Wal-Mart) this film is a continuation of that character. In fact, the film's production quality is exactly the same. It wouldn't surprise me if they were filmed simultaneously. Personally I like Marchini. He's no great actor, but neither was Chuck Norris.

With a name like "Karate Cop", what are you really expecting? This movie is a perfect example of a brainless, bizarre, early 90s action movie. It has terrible acting, has a plot with as many holes as swiss cheese, and stars a third-rate Chuck Norris clone (ouch!) and David Carradine (who is only in one scene and gets killed).

That said, my circle of friends enjoyed this movie because we have a soft spot for god-awful movies. So if you enjoy MST3K, frequent the IMDb's Bottom 100, and love to make fun of Norris, Segal, Van Damme, and Stallone than this movie is worth a look on a Sunday night, possibly after a few too many beers. Otherwise, avoid like the plague.

Painful – that's the first word which comes to mind when I think of describing this movie. As a film star, Ron Marchini has possibly the worst catalog of starring vehicles among any regular action hero, and KARATE COP represents his low standard well. Some B-movies are a chore to watch, but KARATE COP crashes beyond this extreme by not only being technically inadequate but by being almost completely joyless.

The story: On a quest to find a teleportation crystal for the leader of a gang of street children (Carrie Chambers), an ex-cop (Marchini) battles through the vicious gangs of a post-apocalyptic city.

Given that Marchini is a karate pioneer whose name is heard alongside the likes of Chuck Norris and Joe Lewis, I was expecting at least something out of the fight scenes, but the film offers me zilch. Every single one of the eight brawls stink and their collection provides an encyclopedia of things to do wrong in a choreographed fight. Lead-footed kicking, poor timing, slow pacing, poor extension on strikes, cramped camera angles, unnecessary slow motion, and that dreadful technique wherein a strike is filmed with multiple shots and edited together to give the impression of many hits. Marchini looks strong but entirely graceless. David Carradine appears in a small, non-fighting role, and while I'm usually disappointed whenever Carradine partakes in a martial arts flick without showing his own moves, I understand why he might not have wanted to have gotten involved here.

Speaking of David, his scene constitutes the one and only part of the film that entertained me, solely because Carradine's personality eclipses both his costars and the production in general. Many movies with ambitions larger than their budget have struggled with trashy sets, clunky costumes, and destitute filming locations, but this is one of the few wherein the sheer bleakness of the production depressed me. To be fair, there are flashes of energy in the performances and several moments wherein the filmmakers make creative use of their indie medium, but these are obscured by the tepid tone and tedious pace. Every development in the plot feels like a concession: the movie *wants* to be over and is grouchily doing us a favor by reaching its conclusion, dragging its feet as it goes while muttering "Whatever."

I only finished the movie for the sake of this review, and I don't recommend that anyone else put themselves through the ordeal. Don't get this one. Pick up any Fred Williamson junker or Leo Fong schlock before putting money towards KARATE COP, which is among the pickiest of niche features I've ever seen and a very steep gamble if you're looking for fun.

If you ever want to make a direct-to-video martial-arts movie, just watch 'Karate Cop' and take some notes. You will be well on your way to creating your very own direct-to-video karate video. Awesome.

John Travis (Ron Marchini) is the last cop on Earth. What exactly happened to the rest of the police or what caused this post-apocalyptic vision of Earth is never quite revealed. At all. In fact, it was only viewing 'Karate Cop' and looking it up on IMDb that it was a sequel to something called 'Omega Cop'. Anyway, John's a pretty busy guy, being the last cop on Earth and everything. He saves Rachel (Carrie Chambers) who turns out to be a scientist AND the leader of the 'Freebies', a group of freedom fighters who resemble Peter Pan's lost boys more than fighting rebels. Offered hot food, Travis offers to do some errands for Rachel, including karate-ing the local gang led by Lincoln (D.W. Landingham).

Did I mention that David Carradine makes an appearance? I guess that was just assumed.

'Karate Cop' reeks of being straight-to-video. Most of the dialog is irrelevant, and generally consists of Travis talking to himself. As for acting... Well. Here's what I think happened: Every time one of the actors made an attempt at acting, that actor was beaten until they learned to stand there remembering lines instead of actually acting. That is the most logical explanation I can think of. With the exception of Lincoln and Lincoln's champion (Michael M. Foley), the bad guys strike me as being 'inspired' by '1990: The Bronx Warriors', an obscure Italian movie which was itself 'inspired' by 'Escape From New York'. It may be a stretch to make these comparisons, but hey, I call them as I see them. As for Lincoln, he reminds me of Mojo from 'X-Men' and the Champion is nothing but a Bolo Yeung clone. Awesome.

As an action movie, it is VERY cheap. Ron Marchini spends most of his on-screen time anti-acting, beating people up or hiding from bullets and explosions. 'Karate Cop' is definitely one of those movies that will entertain if you enjoy mindless b-movies. None of the action scenes are of any mentionable quality, but hey, what do you expect?

'Karate Cop' is just a b-grade action movie. If that's your thing, check it out. It is a poor movie, but sure to entertain some - 3/10