I will be reviewing the whole Maniac Cop series this week, starting today.
I came across this film series a few years back when I heard Arrow video were planning to release the first Maniac Cop film on Blu-ray. I was interested in seeing it because firstly the title intrigued me. Secondly the film had some notable names attached to it, Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead series) and the director of 1980 cult horror film Maniac, William Lustig.
I knew now I had to buy it. So I did, and what a surprise I had when I watched it, what a great concept. A cop who gets falsely imprisoned and then murdered by the inmates he had put away earlier and returns to kill anyone who comes his way.
The Film;
The plot is this, a mysterious police officer is walking the streets at night and committing gruesome murders on innocent people. The news quickly gets wind of it and the police are now seen in a different light. Innocent officer Jack (Bruce Campbell) is accused of the murders and now must try to clear his name and bring to light who the real killer is with the help of his police officer friends Frank (Tom Atkins) and Theresa (Laurene Landon).
The film has so many well known actors, Bruce Campbell, Tom Atkins and B movie star Robert Z'Dar (most may know him from Tango and Cash as "Conan").
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Maniac Cop is a different sort of slasher, it has brains. The back story of the character and I suppose the character in general is different to other slashers of that time period. Who are you to trust if you can't even trust a police officer? His weapon of choice is a police baton which is actually a sword is a nice touch. The kills may not be as gory as Friday the 13th or The Prowler but what it lacks in gory kills it makes up in a good story and great stuntwork.
Tom Atkins plays a great burnt out cop in this one and is easily the best part of this film. Bruce Campbell while he is more suited to the larger than life hero types, he plays here as a great ordinary cop trying to desperately find out who the killer is. The one problem though I have with the casting choice which in my opinion weighs down the film is Laurene Landon, her acting ability doesn't seem to be as strong as her fellow cast mates and at times her dialog seems forced and not real.
The film is sometimes slow moving and nowhere as fastly paced as the sequels but it does make for a good viewing and some of the stunts while not as crazy as Maniac Cop 2 are still very good. William Lustig is proud of this film and rightfully so, the film definitely lives up to it's title.
I recommend this film.
The Blu-ray Disc;
Extras;
The Arrow video disc comes with an exclusive introduction with Tom Atkins and also contains an interview. Also it contains interviews with Laurene Landon and Larry Cohen. All extras are very insightful and well worth the watch.
3/5
Picture Quality;
The picture quality is impressive in this release. Compression is good and there are no signs of artifacts. There is also no signs of DNR or Sharpening. The 2K restoration has worked wonders.
4/5
Sound Quality;
The sound quality is clear and robust, there is no times when dialog is muffled and hard to hear.
4/5
Overall this release gets a 4/5.
I hope you have enjoyed my first official review on this blog and if you have any questions or tips please comment below!
Andrew
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