Maniac Cop 2 (1990)
Studio: Blue Underground
Theatrical Release: December 13, 1990
Blu Ray Release: November 19, 2013
Director: William Lustig
R
Review by James Klein
Blue Underground's newest blu ray release is a very impressive one. Simply put, Maniac Cop 2 has never looked or sounded this good. While I know some fans of the original who did not care for any of the sequels, I am one of the few that thinks Maniac Cop 2 is just as good if not better than the original.
Maniac Cop 2 opens up at the very climax of the original film as Cordell is thought to be dead and in the bottom of NYC's harbor. But as we all know that won't be the case as he is still alive and out looking for revenge on the two officers Jack (Bruce Campbell) and Teresa (Laurene Landon) who killed him at the end of the first film. Both officers are assigned to see a police psychologist, Susan Riley (Claudia Christian) who gets wrapped up in the case when Cordell starts up his murder spree, beginning with Jack. Also in the mix is hard nosed Det. Sean McKinney (Robert Davi) who figures out that Cordell is now after the actual men who assaulted him and left him for dead while in prison. But Cordell won't hesitate to take out a few cops along the way.
Like the original film, Maniac Cop 2 is just a lot of fun. Sure the movie can be ridiculous at times but there is plenty of action and shoot outs as well as cameos by various genre stars that will put a smile on any horror fans face. There is a pretty damn good car chase between Cordell and Landon where she is trying to escape in a runaway taxi through the busy streets of New York that can rival any mainstream action film. What's more impressive is that the car chase is real and that the sequence looks down right dangerous. I could shout out that the scene is amazing to watch simply because there is not one ounce of CGI...but the readers should already know my dislike for the computer effects. Speaking of CGI, wait until you see some amazing stunt work done with fire that just puts modern effects to shame.
Also, in what could be a rip-off / homage to The Terminator, a long shoot out inside a police station takes place that I absolutely loved. Cordell walks through walls and blasts everyone in sight, including a police chief who he throws around like a rag doll. I loved the Christmas setting too as Cordell wastes cops left and right as a Christmas wreath is stuck to him. There is no shortage of squibs in this scene as blood literally explodes from bodies as Cordell fires away.
If I had a complaint, it would be the odd addition of the character of Turkell played by Leo Rossi. His Manson-esque crazed sidekick is at times annoying and unnecessary. He almost serves as a narrator since Cordell barely speaks. While I like Rossi as an actor, this character just didn't do it for me and his sudden change of heart at the film's climax is almost laughable.
As I stated before, the blu ray looks amazing. The picture is crystal clear but keeps the film grain as it should. I was very impressed with the sound as well. Plenty of loud car crashes and gun fire erupted from my speakers with all the dialog being easily audible. There is a detailed making of documentary that pulls no punches as both Lustig and actress Christian both admit their dislike for one another. Davi is a ham and seems like a fun guy to work with. Z'dar looks almost scary now as he has had a lot of work done. He looked so much better in the making of featurette on the original Maniac Cop blu ray. He almost looks like a drag queen here. There is also a Q&A recorded with Lustig at a recent screening of Maniac Cop 2 where he admits that this may be his favorite film he has done, although a difficult one to make. There is also a deleted scene with Sam Raimi as a newscaster. Rounding out the special features is a rather interesting but still strange audio commentary by Lustig and his friend, director Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Only God Forgives).
For those who enjoyed the original and for fans of fun, B-grade action and violence with some boobies thrown in, Maniac Cop 2 delivers the goods.
Movie [Rating: 4]
Blu Ray [Rating: 4.5]
Theatrical Release: December 13, 1990
Blu Ray Release: November 19, 2013
Director: William Lustig
R
Review by James Klein
Blue Underground's newest blu ray release is a very impressive one. Simply put, Maniac Cop 2 has never looked or sounded this good. While I know some fans of the original who did not care for any of the sequels, I am one of the few that thinks Maniac Cop 2 is just as good if not better than the original.
Maniac Cop 2 opens up at the very climax of the original film as Cordell is thought to be dead and in the bottom of NYC's harbor. But as we all know that won't be the case as he is still alive and out looking for revenge on the two officers Jack (Bruce Campbell) and Teresa (Laurene Landon) who killed him at the end of the first film. Both officers are assigned to see a police psychologist, Susan Riley (Claudia Christian) who gets wrapped up in the case when Cordell starts up his murder spree, beginning with Jack. Also in the mix is hard nosed Det. Sean McKinney (Robert Davi) who figures out that Cordell is now after the actual men who assaulted him and left him for dead while in prison. But Cordell won't hesitate to take out a few cops along the way.
Like the original film, Maniac Cop 2 is just a lot of fun. Sure the movie can be ridiculous at times but there is plenty of action and shoot outs as well as cameos by various genre stars that will put a smile on any horror fans face. There is a pretty damn good car chase between Cordell and Landon where she is trying to escape in a runaway taxi through the busy streets of New York that can rival any mainstream action film. What's more impressive is that the car chase is real and that the sequence looks down right dangerous. I could shout out that the scene is amazing to watch simply because there is not one ounce of CGI...but the readers should already know my dislike for the computer effects. Speaking of CGI, wait until you see some amazing stunt work done with fire that just puts modern effects to shame.
Also, in what could be a rip-off / homage to The Terminator, a long shoot out inside a police station takes place that I absolutely loved. Cordell walks through walls and blasts everyone in sight, including a police chief who he throws around like a rag doll. I loved the Christmas setting too as Cordell wastes cops left and right as a Christmas wreath is stuck to him. There is no shortage of squibs in this scene as blood literally explodes from bodies as Cordell fires away.
If I had a complaint, it would be the odd addition of the character of Turkell played by Leo Rossi. His Manson-esque crazed sidekick is at times annoying and unnecessary. He almost serves as a narrator since Cordell barely speaks. While I like Rossi as an actor, this character just didn't do it for me and his sudden change of heart at the film's climax is almost laughable.
As I stated before, the blu ray looks amazing. The picture is crystal clear but keeps the film grain as it should. I was very impressed with the sound as well. Plenty of loud car crashes and gun fire erupted from my speakers with all the dialog being easily audible. There is a detailed making of documentary that pulls no punches as both Lustig and actress Christian both admit their dislike for one another. Davi is a ham and seems like a fun guy to work with. Z'dar looks almost scary now as he has had a lot of work done. He looked so much better in the making of featurette on the original Maniac Cop blu ray. He almost looks like a drag queen here. There is also a Q&A recorded with Lustig at a recent screening of Maniac Cop 2 where he admits that this may be his favorite film he has done, although a difficult one to make. There is also a deleted scene with Sam Raimi as a newscaster. Rounding out the special features is a rather interesting but still strange audio commentary by Lustig and his friend, director Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Only God Forgives).
For those who enjoyed the original and for fans of fun, B-grade action and violence with some boobies thrown in, Maniac Cop 2 delivers the goods.
Movie [Rating: 4]
Blu Ray [Rating: 4.5]
Post a Comment