Maniac Cop (1988)

Cast:

Tom "Night of the Creeps!!" Atkins is Frank McCrae
Bruce "HAIL TO THE KING, BABY!!!!" Campbell is Jack Forrest
Laurene Landon is Teresa Mallory
Richard "He's a bad mutha...Shut yo mouth...Just talking about Shaft..."Roundtree is Police Commissioner Pike
William "I will teach you about CROM!!!" Smith is Captain Ripley
Robert "I will hunt down those who made Pocket Ninjas" Z'Dar is Maniac Cop

What the box says:

Maniac Cop is an action-suspense thriller about a series of brutal mutilation murders that terrorize New York City. Chaos reigns as armed and scared citizens slaughter innocnet policemen after it is revealed that the blood thirsty killer on the loose...is a cop!

Police officer Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell) is arrested as a convenient sacrifice to the public, but his incarcerationis based on extremely flimsy evidence. Jack's adoring mistress, Teresa Malloy (Laurie Landon), a beautiful undercover policewoman, tries frantically to prove his innocence...

Plot:

Maniac Cop readies for his beat to beat down others.

Late one night, a woman is leaving a bar. 2 guys try to mug her. However, she is able to fight them off and escape. Hiding, they still search for her. She spots a policeman and runs to him for help. Unfortunately, the Maniac Cop doesn’t appreciate being disturbed from his coffee break by breaking her neck.

The next day, the cops get the muggers.

In the morgue, Lt. McCrae and his partner are briefed on the woman’s death. McCrae is sure that the muggers didn’t do it.

That night, a couple are caught an extremely long red light when the Maniac Cop pulls up. He kills the guy. The girl is able to drive away.

The next morning, Commissioner Shaft (He’s a complicated man…) meets with McCrae who is sure that a cop is the killer and will strike again. Shaft wants the investigation handled very delicately and is sure that McCrae is off his rocker.

That night, Maniac Cop handcuffs some guy and draws a knife. The dude is running down the street crying for help. Maniac Cop catches him and plants the guy’s head in a wet concrete sidewalk.

The Mayor doesn’t want any mention of Maniac Cop.

At a bar, McCrae meets with a Gina the reporter. He wants her to warn the city about the Maniac Cop to get the mayor to actually do something.

The mayor rages about McCrae’s stunt.

A news report announces there is a cop killing people in the city.

In a deserted part of the city, a woman sees a cop pull up behind her. She draws her gun and blows him to Donut heaven.

Commissioner Shaft (He’ll risk his life for his brother man…), Captain Ripley and the mayor’s aide need to desperately catch the Maniac Cop fast.

Ellen is scrap-booking when it wasn’t cool. She has a number of articles about the Maniac Cop. Bruce Campbell has to go on duty. Their marriage is on the rocks, and another spat ensues. He promises to make it up to her. After he leaves, Ellen gets another call accusing Bruce of being the Maniac Cop. Ellen gets a gun and heads out to follow Bruce.

He goes to a motel. Ellen gets into the room and discovers Bruce getting a little sugar and using his boomstick. He tries to explain things to her when she draws her gun. Ellen runs off and is grabbed by the Maniac Cop.

The next morning, the motel maid finds Ellen’s body in the room.

In the squad room, Captain Ripley tells Bruce about Ellen’s death and arrests him for her murder.

The mayor proudly announces that Bruce is the Maniac Cop and completely sane.

Bruce is being questioned by Ripley and McCrae. Bruce’s lawyer wants him to admit he’s crazier than Tom Cruise on a couch. Bruce holds back from naming his girlfriend who can prove that he didn’t kill Ellen to protect her and to see if the cops can catch the Maniac Cop.

McCrae is sure that Bruce isn’t the Maniac Cop and must be protecting a witness using his incredible detective skills from Night of the Creeps.

In Bruce’s cell, McCrae meets him and is sure that the Maniac Cop is inside information from the police department. Bruce reveals his girlfriend is on the force: Theresa Mallory.

That night, Theresa is one of the few, the proud, and the vice squad. The Maniac Cop is about to get her when McCrae drives to the rescue. Later, they know they each hit the Maniac Cop 4 or 5 times. McCrae is sure that Bruce is being set up. Theresa reveals that one of her friends knew about her and Bruce: Sally Nolan. McCrae hides Theresa at his place.

At the station, McCrae is skulking about when he runs into Sally Nolan who limps. He mentions Theresa’s close call.

Later, McCrae follows Sally to an abandoned warehouse on a pier. He sees Sally talking with a giant of a man. Sally wants Matt to get the pushers, the Mayor, and Commissioner Shaft (He’s a sex machine to all the chicks…).

McCrae gets plenty of background on Matt Cordell from Clancy. He was super cop but the politicians hammered him for killing a suspect. Cordell was sent to Sing Sing. McCrae learns that Cordell’s girlfriend crippled herself after he went in the big house.

Maniac Cop is dreaming about prison. The long walk down the cell block and prison shower where 4 guys jumped him. He was slashed pretty badly.

The Mayor meets with Clancy, the cop. He tells the illustrious mayor about McCrae sure that Cordell is the Maniac Cop. Clancy even accuses the mayor of framing Cordell. The good police man doesn’t care because he’s retiring in a couple of days.

McCrae meets with Bruce and Theresa about Cordell. McCrae will see the prison doctor about Cordell in the morning.

Later, McCrae checks Sally’s purse. She attacks him with her cane before hobbling away.

In the station, several police officers are found dead. Maniac Cop finishes off Sally. He starts beating McCrae, too.

Bruce and Theresa get past the dead cops. He goes back to find McCrae. McCrae’s partner is now sure that Bruce killed everyone. Bruce knocks him out and is on the lam with Theresa.

Elsewhere, the Mayor is terrified that Cordell will be after him for framing the cop.

New York City stock footage ensues. Bruce has got to prove that Cordell is alive. They go to Sing Sing to talk with the prison doctor.

The doctor claims that Cordell was stitched up and buried. His body was claimed by his girlfriend and that he wasn’t completely dead, just mostly dead. Flashback, the doctor revived Cordell. The former cop would be killed if returned to prison. Cordell is brain damaged and even legally brain dead.

St. Patrick’s Parade, Bruce wants Theresa to warn Commissioner Shaft (Can you dig it? …) about Cordell

The mayor is terrified that Cordell will come after him.

Theresa is brought to Commissioner Shaft. She can’t convince him that Cordell is the Maniac Cop. He orders to be arrested for helping her boyfriend escape.

Maniac Cop promptly gets Commissioner Shaft and Captain Ripley. He heads after Theresa next and kills the cop that is handcuffed to her. Theresa has to drag a dead body with her while trying to uncuff herself. The Maniac Cop almost gets her when she gets on the ledge of the building.

Cops spot Bruce and throw him in a nearby paddy wagon. The Maniac Cop steals the paddy wagon Bruce is locked in.

Theresa hops in a police car and is in hot pursuit…(Huh-coooo-coooooo-coooooo, sorry Dukes of Hazzard must be acknowledged..)

Maniac cop stops at an abandoned warehouse. He uses an axe to open the doors of the paddy wagon to get to Bruce. Theresa gets there and opens fire on Cordell.

Maniac Cop versus Bruce Campbell. Cordell tries driving away in the van but is impaled on a steel pole before crashing off the docks.

The police lift the van out of the water. They are all packing heat ready for the Maniac Cop to attack. Creepy music plays as they see that Cordell isn’t there. No one sees in the water Cordell’s hand crawl up one of the pier supports.

The mayor learns that Cordell is dead. He is relieved though doesn’t see Cordell sneak up and get him…

What I say:

Late at night, you're walking down a deserted street when hearing a noise. The past couple of weeks, the neighborhood has been plagued with a string of muggings. A gang gets the drop on you but somehow are able to escape. Frantically trying to escape, you see a police officer. Heading for him to get his help will be your last mistake as he crushes your throat. Pretty effective opening for a movie.

Castwise, you aren't going to find other movies with such a famous B-movie cast unless Dick Miller and Linnea Quigley are involved. A movie with Bruce Campbell, Richard Roundtree, and Robert D'Zar. Throw in Tom Atkins, William Smith who you will recognize after hearing his voice which is more gravelly than 18 miles of a dirt road in Georgia.

If you're expecting Evil Dead 2's Ash from Bruce Campbell, you'll be disappointed. No deadite slaying. No brash bigger than life Bruce in this movie. He does play the role for the most part a bit more unlikeable than you'd think. Frankly, until, he learns about his wife's death is a fairly cold bastard. His wife is pretty unnerved by the calls accusing him of being the Maniac Cop along with his growing coldness to her. He cheats on his wife. Bruce doesn't have the opportunity to exercise his manic physical comedy skills in most of his movies like Bubba Ho-Tep.

Does Tom Atkins always die when playing the cop who understands that something very strange is going on like in Night of the Creeps? Halloween III: Season of the Witch, check...He managed to survive the jabbing pains in Creepshow and some of his appearances on TV shows.

Confession time, I once had the movie poster for Maniac Cop or was it Maniac Cop 2 but lost it. Now, someone out there wants to slap me for losing such a precious thing. Hey, I remember a nearby video arcade that had movie poster to Evil Dead 2 I wish I had.

For the most part, Robert D'Zar is doing a Jason Voorhees sort of police officer on a rampage. Imagine the police precinct attack scene from the Terminator without the firepower, that is the scene here. In fact, Robert D'Zar has ripped off an Arnie impersonation this scene in several other movies like Future War.

Complaints, there were quite a few too dark to see scenes..Scenes that are too dark one of the most irritating things to me running a second close to boring movies. To be honest, the ending is a bit anti-climatic. The Bruce Campbell versus Maniac Cop fight. Robert Z'Dar winds up with a steel pole impaling him. If Bruce had shoved the steel pole into Robert D'Zar with a witty remark. "Now, take a donut break..." That'd be acceptable...

A higher budget would have shown more effectively how the city became more and more terrified that a killer cop was after them. Over the past few years, there have been a few news reports of guys using police sirens to pull over women: blue light rapists. In fact one of the most dramatic parts is when a woman is sure a cop that pulls her over is the Maniac Cop.

So many movies have people walking up to the unkillable monster tapping it with their foot and then quickly proceeds to the realm of the metabolically challenged. The very end that had every cop with guns about to open fire when the van was lifted out has to be one of the truly logical scenes in a b-movie. It ranks up there at the end of Gremlins 2 : the New Batch where the cop shot one of the piles of Gremlin goo for moving.

Matt Corrdell was legally dead which somehow affected his brain. Though, how beign revived after being brain dead somehow makes one impervious to bullets is the big question. Maniac Cop II and Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence would continually go further and further explaining why Matt Cordell had become bulletproof, etc...by more becoming divorced from reality and voodoo curses, too.

Maniac Cop plays with the script a lot more seriously than you would think it would. Larry Cohen may have given the world Q - the Winged Serpent and the underrated Stuff. Cohen still can do some interesting scripts. A crazed cop randomly killing people. The citizens become even more and paranoid and unable to trust the police as the body count rises. Granted, this was a pretty low budget movie so you cannot be expecting a high budget movie.

Quotable Dialogue
"Take a look at those hematomas."
"Make it bigger than AIDS."
"You're the one who dropped out of therapy."
"Must've partiedit out good in here."
"You always take a leak witha gun in your hand?"
"He wasn't exactly alive."
"There's no end to your decency."
Morals of the Story
Windshield wipers smear blood.
Running handcuffed men are commonplace in New York City.
No problem for killers to terminate 9 police officers adn hang most of them without making a single sound.
Naked guys grnting while beating attackers sounds a bit unnerving.
High speed chases are hard to do in heavy traffic.