Maniac Cop

There's a new menace on the streets of New York, a big hulking brute in a cop uniform has been murdering people indiscriminately and the population are beginning to panic. This is classic eighties horror with plenty of brutal murders and a great cast which includes the legendary Bruce Campbell.

Detective Frank McCrae investigates the killings trying to find the mysterious murderer responsible and he soon comes to suspect Jack Forrest. When Forrest's wife is found dead he inevitably gets arrested but McCrae starts to believe he has been framed. With the help of his girlfriend Forrest is able to identify the real killer but he struggles to convince the authorities especially since the man they suspect, Officer Matt Cordell was butchered in prison by a gang of criminals.

Written by Larry Cohen and directed by William Lustig this is a trashy b-movie of the highest quality. Lustig captures the dark and gritty side of New York and there are lots of good characters thrown into the mix. There are also many memorable murder scenes as victims are strangled, drowned in wet cement, stabbed, beaten and poor old McCrae is thrown out of a high window.

The cast is excellent; McCrae is played by the moustachioed Tom Atkins. Bruce Campbell plays Jack Forrest and is easily the best character in the film. Richard Roundtree is effortlessly convincing as Commissioner Pike and William Smith is brilliantly grizzled as Captain Ripley. Laurene Landon plays Theresa, Forrest's bit on the side and the frightening looking Robert Z'Dar plays Matt Cordell. There is also a cameo by Sam Raimi as a reporter.

Once McCrae is gone Forrest escapes and takes over the investigation trying to prove his own innocence. He and his girlfriend talk to the coroner who presided over Cordell's death and find out he actually survived the brutal knife attack in prison. They soon figure he is out for revenge and they know he'll go after the sleazy Mayor and the Commissioner who helped put him away in the first place. The action hots up as the day of the big parade comes round and we are treated to a big car chase finale.

Maniac Cop came out towards the end of the slasher boom but it is different from most slasher flicks and plays out more like a crime thriller. The superhuman killer certainly fits the bill but we are't usually treated to such an array of supporting characters and the cast is blissfully free of brain dead teens. The film did well enough the spawn two sequels but as usual the original is best. This is a definite guilty pleasure and despite the flaws it is really entertaining viewing.

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