Review of Maniac Cop (1988) by Josh A — 04 Sep 2007

Ok, first things first... I'm a Bruce Campbell fan through and through. That's right, I love the Evil Dead trilogy, I watched "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." when it followed the X-Files in its sole season on Fox, I've read both of his books (and laughed throughout the excellent "Make Love: The Bruce Campbell Way" audiobook)... I even own "Jack of All Trades" on DVD (I'm also anxiously awaiting the inevitable Portland screening of "My Name is Bruce.") Bruce, like always, is great in this movie and brings a bit of snide comic relief (not that you really need much with the subject matter, but you can never have too much BC!!).

No self-respecting Bruce Campbell fan should miss out on this gritty, edgy cop thriller. There's not much to the plot, but really, what do you expect? What really shines in this movie are the cool shots, the fast-paced directing and zany characters. You gotta love the "why the hell not?" enthusiasm of b-movie directors. Plus, if you get a chance, watch the bonus featurette, where Robert Z'Dar waxes nostalgic about the "importance" of his portrayal of the title character (his frank analysis of the other actors in the film is worth the price of admission! This is *WHY* the concept of featurette s was made). "Maniac Cop" may not be high-brow cinema, but it's a worthy addition to anyone's 80s b-movie collection.