Maniac Cop
80s Horror will probably always remain the best kind of horror, even down to the b-movies, mostly because the scripts were usually spot on and filled with original, unpredictable characters, plus the exposure these lower end movies got on late night pay cable (which is virtually unheard of today) guaranteed that they would have a fanbase that would remember them in the coming era of DVD and Blu Ray. This particular entry from 1988 was actually the start of a low budget trilogy featuring as its main antagonist Officer Matt Cordell (the genuinely scary looking Robert ZâDar), a one time âhero copâ who wound up busting a few too many bad guysâ heads, got railroaded by the system, and was sent off to prison, where the inmates were only too happy to attack him with knives and shanks, leaving him grotesquely deformed and worse, left with severe brain damage that turned him into an enraged killing machine. Now he stalks the streets of New York City in full uniform, only this time killing innocent people as he cuts a path of carnage on his way to getting revenge on those who wronged him. Even better is the lineup of legendary b-movie actors brought in here with various size roles, including Tom Atkins as the veteran cop on the case; Evil Deadâs Bruce Campbell as the younger cop who winds up being cleverly framed for Cordellâs crimes (and daringly being shown cheating on his wife in his first scene, which is a rather unsympththetic introduction for the hero of the film); Laurene Landon as the adorable female cop (who specializes in prostitution busts) targeted by Cordell who brings a whole new meaning to the word âpluckyâ; Richard (Shaft) Roundtree as the corrupt police commissioner; William (Conan The Barbarianâs father) Smith as the equally corrupt police captain; and former throwaway Marilyn Monroe wannabe Sheree North as an older, crippled policewoman with a possible tie to Cordell, along with a handful of cameos from NYC-based character actors, including Jake LaMotta, Frank Pesce, and even Sam Raimi popping in as a TV reporter. Thankfully, in the end itâs all about the villain and the massive body count he generates, especially in the final act, but as good as many things are, the film still has a motley collection of plot holes, in particular relating to Cordellâs backstory (you wonât believe the whopper by the prison doctor as it relates to Cordellâs release) and some aspects of the investigation into his crimes along with a few unrealistic displays of his invulnerability. But all in all this amounts to good old fashioned low budget b-movie fun, with a memorable opening scene and an entertaining finale, and is also mandatory viewing for the rabid Bruce Campbell fan in your householdâŚ
8/10