Maniac Cop 3

Out of all the "Maniac Cop" series, this one was a letdown. However, out of due respect, I've always liked the character no matter what. This time, he tends to a policewoman who was gunned down during a stand-off. And Matt Cordell(Robert D'Zar) is enforced to "protect and serve". Since none of the other officers would help her, Det. Sean Kenny(Robert Davi) and Cordell are on the same page. Cordell takes on the usual trash crooked cops to be exact. I liked the part where he puts on guy under several exposures of X-rays. Then there's the scene where Kenny tells Cordell that she's been cleared of all wrongdoing. Somehow, underneath his hulking and ravaged exterior belies a interior that's anything but supernatural, it's human. Both went with the explosion, and covered in white. To me, it goes to show that love never dies, especially when Cordell touches the dead woman's hand from the sheets. I mean good grief, let her be. This version got a little sappy, yet will he continue the fight against crime, or will he settle down? This one got me baffled! 2 out of 5 stars!

With Maniac Cop 2, director William Lustig and screenwriter Larry Cohen imagined a mixture of bloody slasher and crime thriller The French Connection, and delivered just about the most satisfying sequel imaginable to an original that was hardly great. It delivered on car chases, action set-pieces and slasher mayhem, backed with a witty, sharp script and an impressive cast. It also delivered a full-body- burn climax that was as exciting as it was technically impressive. While part two looked at William Friedkin's classic thriller for inspiration, just where Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence found inspiration is anyone's guess, other than perhaps the sort of drivel you used to find buried on the bottom shelf of the video store. Lustig and Cohen have both disowned the movie since its release, and it isn't difficult to see why.

Citing studio interference, Lustig walked from the set half-way through filming for the movie to be picked up by inexperienced producer Joel Soisson, who is uncredited. The resulting film is less than a half-baked idea: a lumbering mess of a film, primarily made up of filler that is, at times, downright unwatchable. Having clear Matt Cordell's name and buried him with honours in tact, Detective Sean McKinney (Robert Davi) had hoped to have seen the last of the 'Maniac Cop'. His close father-daughter-like relationship with young police officer Katie Sullivan (Gretchen Becker) is ground to a halt when she is gunned down and placed into a coma by junkie Frank (Jackie Earle Haley), only for two 'nightcrawler' cameramen to smear her name with some edited footage. After being resurrected by a Voodoo priest, Cordell sees Sullivan as an equally tortured and unfairly disgraced soul, and sets about claiming her for his own.

It's hard to know where to start with Maniac Cop 3, as the film is so lacking in ideas and structure that it barely has a beginning, middle and end. When it hits a wall, it looks to its predecessor for ideas. So we are treated to another convenience store shootout, another high speed chase, and another finale involving a full body burn. In its defence, the climax mixes both a high speed chase and a full body burn, and while it goes on for a little too long, you have to appreciate the complexity of such an intricate set-piece. Cordell, again played by Robert Z'Dar, is relegated to little more than a glorified cameo in his own movie, appearing ever now and then to carry out a bloody deed seemingly for Voodoo priest Houngan (Julius Harris), whose motives are still unclear when the credits roll. As a fan of the first two Maniac Cop movies, it's easy to feel as cheated as Lustig did as he stormed off set.

Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1993) is very underrated and it might be the worst one in the series but is my second favorite Action horror flick from the 90's and I still love it. I even more love it than I like the second film. I know that this film is different from the first film that started all and I still think the director and cast crew did a great job in this final installment of Maniac Cop franchise. Claudia Christian,Michael Lerner,Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon,Clarence Williams III,Leo Rossi,Lou Bonacki,Paula Trickey and Charles Napier none of those actors from the second film come back for the third ride but I think new cast and new plot did a great job. I Love this film because it is an Action Horror flick from the 90's and the film is also dark not as dark as Maniac Cop 1 & 2 but still dark. Like I mentioned I love Action horror flicks and this one did delivered because it had some great action sequences and shootings that I did liked and I thought it was much better film than Maniac Cop 2 because Robert Davi's character Det. Sean McKinney had something to do than he did in the second film because wounded one criminal and through the rest of the film he didn't do anything except talking here he at least did something.

The end of the film when Matt Cordell was in flame again and he died caring his bride Kate and Sean didn't do anything I was mad because I thought the film ended without Matt burning to death again and that's it? No action sequences nothing? I was really surprised by the ending and that finally Sean did fought Matt and he defeat him that's what I love in this film. The chase sequences burning police car chasing an ambulance was an fantastic scene.. I am glad Joel Soisson took over the direction when the original series director William Lustig just left the film project and refused to shoot the additional scenes the producers wanted and quit the project.

Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence is a 1993 action horror film written by Larry Cohen and directed by William Lustig, and an uncredited Joel Soisson. It is the sequel to 1990's Maniac Cop 2, and the final installment in the Maniac Cop series, which began in 1988.

A female cop is gunned down and wrongly accused of using excessive force in a hostage rescue attempt. Maniac cop returns from the dead once more to seek revenge, destroying everything and anyone that stands in his way. A voodoo priest resurrect Matt Cordell from dead once again to get revenge on the people for framing fellow officer Katie Sullivan in hostage rescue attempt.

Robert Davi as Det. Sean McKinney did a terrific job as the main hero. The shooting scene in the Hospital was one of his best scenes in the film. He shoot three guys with two guns which was awesome including Jackie Earle Haley as the killer. He fought with Matt Cordell and he finally killed him on the end. Caitlin Dulany as Dr. Susan Fowler was awesome as Doctor in the hospital she did a great job. Gretchen Becker as Officer Katie Sullivan was amazingly fantastic, she shoot with automatic riffle Daisy Softair Model 15 MP-5K in the store on the robber Jessup this Action sequence was fantastic. Killing an insider the store clerk was Jessup's accomplice when she fired on Katie and Katie shooting her in the head was awesome, I love this scene.Jackie Earle Haley as Frank Jessup did a good terrific job as the villain in this film and Julius Harris also did a good job as a voodoo priest. Robert Z'Dar as Matt Cordell did a good job performing his character not that good as he did in the first two films but I still like his performance in here.

I love this Action Horror flick and I really miss Action Horror films form the 90's. Yes Maniac Cop 3 wasn't the best or that good like were it's predecessors but it was still a good film for it's third ride. They aren't any good Action Horror films today, it is so sad, I want to see movies like are this one today in 2015, but I want. I also love the main theme from Joel Goldsmith better than I did in the second film.

7/10 Grade: -B Studio: NEO Motion Pictures, First Look Pictures, Overseas FilmGroup Starring: Robert Davi,Caitlin Dulany,Gretchen Becker ,Paul Gleason, Doug Savant and Robert Z'Dar. Director: William Lustig,Joel Soisson. Producer: Joel Soisson, Michael Leahy Rated: R Running Time: 1Hrs. 25Mins.

The plot apparently was not the main consideration of the people who decided to make this, the second sequel to the 1988 surprise hit; that's the only way to explain why there are so many gaps in it (like "Who is that voodoo master?", "Why did he choose to resurrect the Maniac Cop" and "Why does the Maniac Cop kill / help good AND bad guys so arbitrarily?"). Since justice had been set straight at the end of the previous installment, there is no really compelling reason for the title character to return from his grave, so the whole movie seems pointless and unmotivated. But the lengthy chase sequence near the end is so fast-paced and well-done that made me raise the film's rating by half a star. (**)

Former killer cop, officer Cordell is resurrected to take care of some unfinished business and exact revenge on those who have disgraced a policewoman shot in the line of duty.

Despite being made in 1993 Badge of Silence reeks of the 80s farmore than Cordells rotten flesh, basically it's part slasher flick, part cop shoot 'em up. There's stunt doubles, car chases and cops on the edge. To its credit Larry Cohen's Maniac Cop 3 story touches on some topical issues, problems with gun crime, the TV/press manipulation and corrupt officials.

With a hint of the Bride of Frankenstein and a more blatant supernatural overtone Robert Z'Dar is reduced to a zombie with a bigger chin than Bruce Campbell as wronged cop Matt Cordell. It feels like Z'Dar has less to do this time around and through no fault of his own his character is a shade of grey with his motivations as murky as cities officials.

The casting is above par for this kind of flick. Robert Davi is on form as usual, returning as Det. Sean McKinney and pretty much owns each scene with a Dirty Harry grimace. Top character actors Robert Forster and Paul Gleason have welcomed bit parts with Ted Raimi putting in cameo.

Where as part one shocked because of its daylight surprise setting, two because of its dark tone, grit and seediness, part three is most notable for being the darkest looking instalment lacking it's own identity - it feels like an episode of the Equalizer starring The Terminator in places. However, where the aforementioned parts were low budget with a big budget results, edgy and delivered shocks, three falls short feeling rushed and underdeveloped retreading the antagonists past and redemption. Nevertheless, to director William Lustig's credit and writer Cohen part 3 manages to mix a voodoo element on the gritty police backdrop successfully unlike for example Halloween 6 which followed two years later.

Overall, while not as entertaining nor as well executed as its predecessor it's worth seeing if only for Caitlin Dulany and Davi's performances and also to hear Joel Goldsmith overlooked score.