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The streets of New York City are terrorised by a serial killer dressed in a police uniform.
What had initially drawn me to check out Maniac Cop was the rumour that John Hyams (who I mainly knew for directing two surprisingly good direct-to-video Universal Soldier sequels) was in talks to direct a remake that would be produced by Nicolas Winding Refn of all people. A tantalising prospect, to be sure - enough so that it made checking out the original something of a priority. As if you couldn't tell from the bluntly sensationalist title (which even gets acknowledged as such within the film itself), the original Maniac Cop is as B-movie as they come. A hulking figure dressed in an impeccable NYPD police uniform begins the film by interrupting a mugging not by killing the muggers but instead their hapless victim who comes to him for help. From there, the movie becomes about trying to stop him as one veteran detective (Tom Atkins) tries to figure out what's going on while another police officer (Bruce Campbell) is set up as the fall guy who must clear his name.
I can certainly understand why the prospect of remaking Maniac Cop sounds so enticing - the original definitely strikes me as the kind of film that doesn't make the most of its premise's potential. There are definitely aspects to it that resonate all too well in 2018, though even when it touches on the subject of police brutality (as it can't help but do given that, you know, it's a movie called Maniac Cop), it still ultimately drops that tangent about a third of the way in order to focus on an otherwise standard tale of supernatural revenge (albeit one that still focuses on corruption within the police department and mayoral department). At least it still proves mildly entertaining in that regard, not least because it's buoyed by dependable cult actors like Atkins or Campbell and capable of delivering down-and-dirty B-movie antics all the same. As such, I mildly recommend Maniac Cop. Though I question if I'll bother with its sequels and I still hope that it gets a remake that makes better use of its potent premise than it did, it's got that '80s roughness that can be charming if you let it.
#25 - Maniac Cop
William Lustig, 1988
William Lustig, 1988
The streets of New York City are terrorised by a serial killer dressed in a police uniform.
What had initially drawn me to check out Maniac Cop was the rumour that John Hyams (who I mainly knew for directing two surprisingly good direct-to-video Universal Soldier sequels) was in talks to direct a remake that would be produced by Nicolas Winding Refn of all people. A tantalising prospect, to be sure - enough so that it made checking out the original something of a priority. As if you couldn't tell from the bluntly sensationalist title (which even gets acknowledged as such within the film itself), the original Maniac Cop is as B-movie as they come. A hulking figure dressed in an impeccable NYPD police uniform begins the film by interrupting a mugging not by killing the muggers but instead their hapless victim who comes to him for help. From there, the movie becomes about trying to stop him as one veteran detective (Tom Atkins) tries to figure out what's going on while another police officer (Bruce Campbell) is set up as the fall guy who must clear his name.
I can certainly understand why the prospect of remaking Maniac Cop sounds so enticing - the original definitely strikes me as the kind of film that doesn't make the most of its premise's potential. There are definitely aspects to it that resonate all too well in 2018, though even when it touches on the subject of police brutality (as it can't help but do given that, you know, it's a movie called Maniac Cop), it still ultimately drops that tangent about a third of the way in order to focus on an otherwise standard tale of supernatural revenge (albeit one that still focuses on corruption within the police department and mayoral department). At least it still proves mildly entertaining in that regard, not least because it's buoyed by dependable cult actors like Atkins or Campbell and capable of delivering down-and-dirty B-movie antics all the same. As such, I mildly recommend Maniac Cop. Though I question if I'll bother with its sequels and I still hope that it gets a remake that makes better use of its potent premise than it did, it's got that '80s roughness that can be charming if you let it.