Maniac Cop (1988)
Studio: Synapse Films
Theatrical Release: May 13, 1988
Blu Ray Release: October 11, 2011
R
Review by James Klein
If you want a tongue in cheek, fun, action packed, violent thriller filled with some of the best genre actors out there, written by the great Larry Cohen (It's Alive) and directed by everyone's favorite 80's sleaze director William Lustig, (Vigilante) well look no further. Maniac Cop is finally out on blu ray and Synapse's transfer looks pretty damn good compared to the old DVD. Time to upgrade, fellas!
Maniac Cop doesn't dick around as we get a woman being chased by muggers taking refuge by a beat cop standing on the street. As she runs up to him, he grabs her by the head and cracks her neck. This happens just after the five minute mark. This is not a slow moving film by any means.
As hard boiled lieutenant Frank McCrae (Tom Atkins) investigates the multiple killings he gets the idea that the murders may be done by a fellow police officer, police arrest the wrong man as clues point to police officer Jack Forrest (genre favorite Bruce Campbell). Meanwhile, the maniac cop is still loose in NYC and the body count continues to grow and soon the citizens of the Big Apple are starting to protect themselves against New York's finest.
Thanks to Larry Cohen's darkly comedic script, Maniac Cop is a blast. While some of the dialog is over the top and cheesy ("This isn't about romance. This is about murder.") director Lustig fills the film with some of the best genre vet's out there who can make these lines work. You have Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell, Robert Z'Dar, Richard Roundtree, William Smith, and even a quick cameo by Sam Raimi. Although the film was obviously done on a low budget, the film never feels too cheap and even has a pretty impressive car chase and some daring stunts at the ending climax.
The blu ray is also pretty impressive. The film looks crystal clear but continues to have a slight grain so characters don't come off as looking like wax figures. The sound is ok while I noticed at times the music being a bit overbearing while dialog was at times difficult to hear (especially when William Smith speaks his lines). The special features are plentiful and give us some brief interviews with Robert Z'dar, Tom Atkins, and Danny Hicks. There are numerous trailers and TV spots, even a Spanish radio spot. There is even additional footage that was shot for Japanese television featuring the mayor of NYC and his relationship with the maniac cop. Synapse as always gives fans as many special features as they can, thus making almost of their blu ray's a must buy.
With all of this talent in front and behind the camera, Maniac Cop is a fun film and can pass the time by rather quickly. Not to mention, the film has never looked this good. Here's hoping Synapse can get their hands on the underrated Maniac Cop 2 in the near future.
Theatrical Release: May 13, 1988
Blu Ray Release: October 11, 2011
R
Review by James Klein
If you want a tongue in cheek, fun, action packed, violent thriller filled with some of the best genre actors out there, written by the great Larry Cohen (It's Alive) and directed by everyone's favorite 80's sleaze director William Lustig, (Vigilante) well look no further. Maniac Cop is finally out on blu ray and Synapse's transfer looks pretty damn good compared to the old DVD. Time to upgrade, fellas!
Maniac Cop doesn't dick around as we get a woman being chased by muggers taking refuge by a beat cop standing on the street. As she runs up to him, he grabs her by the head and cracks her neck. This happens just after the five minute mark. This is not a slow moving film by any means.
As hard boiled lieutenant Frank McCrae (Tom Atkins) investigates the multiple killings he gets the idea that the murders may be done by a fellow police officer, police arrest the wrong man as clues point to police officer Jack Forrest (genre favorite Bruce Campbell). Meanwhile, the maniac cop is still loose in NYC and the body count continues to grow and soon the citizens of the Big Apple are starting to protect themselves against New York's finest.
Thanks to Larry Cohen's darkly comedic script, Maniac Cop is a blast. While some of the dialog is over the top and cheesy ("This isn't about romance. This is about murder.") director Lustig fills the film with some of the best genre vet's out there who can make these lines work. You have Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell, Robert Z'Dar, Richard Roundtree, William Smith, and even a quick cameo by Sam Raimi. Although the film was obviously done on a low budget, the film never feels too cheap and even has a pretty impressive car chase and some daring stunts at the ending climax.
The blu ray is also pretty impressive. The film looks crystal clear but continues to have a slight grain so characters don't come off as looking like wax figures. The sound is ok while I noticed at times the music being a bit overbearing while dialog was at times difficult to hear (especially when William Smith speaks his lines). The special features are plentiful and give us some brief interviews with Robert Z'dar, Tom Atkins, and Danny Hicks. There are numerous trailers and TV spots, even a Spanish radio spot. There is even additional footage that was shot for Japanese television featuring the mayor of NYC and his relationship with the maniac cop. Synapse as always gives fans as many special features as they can, thus making almost of their blu ray's a must buy.
With all of this talent in front and behind the camera, Maniac Cop is a fun film and can pass the time by rather quickly. Not to mention, the film has never looked this good. Here's hoping Synapse can get their hands on the underrated Maniac Cop 2 in the near future.
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