Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence

Customer Reviews:

Maniac's Ignominious Swansong.......2003-11-01

Don't let the supremely entertaining Cop 2 build your expectations. The original producer/director team of Larry Cohen and William Lustig were bumped mid-production and replaced by hack extraordinaire Joel Soisson. Consequently, the film suffers from anemic visuals, highly diffused lighting, claustrophobic set pieces, a bright and sunny Los Angeles futily masquerading for gritty NYC, and a synth score that pales in comparison to original composer Jay Chattaway's moody, orchestral music cues (which by eliminating Maniac Cop's signature bittersweet "whistle theme" has committed a cinematic faux pas comparable to changing the Halloween score). The film is not all bad; Cohen's off-beat script still shines through in several places. However, it's an ugly stepchild to the wildly inventive action horror of Maniac Cop 2, the quintissential B movie.
The basic story is a simple, creative coda to the resolution of the second film: after being vindicated by Detective Sean McKinney (Robert Davi), Maniac Cop Matt Cordell (Robert Z'Dar) is ressurected by voodoo magic to help exhonerate comatose cop "Maniac Kate" (Gretchen Becker), who is similarly framed and ostracized when two greedy freelance tabloid reporters (Bobby DiCiccio; and Frank Pesce who gets killed for the second time in the series)doctor a tape of her shooting a drug store clerk. The films lower budget doesn't allow for Cop 2's jaw-dropping stunt work, authentic NYC location shooting, or talented and quirky supporting cast (Cop 2 featered a veritable "who's who" of character performers). Still, Cop 3 is a cut above your average late night cable fare; and Laserlight's low resolution disc is comparable to above average vhs.
Ironically, the Maniac Cop franchise resembles a far loftier trilogy: The Godfather. The series started strong with a raw film that revealed more potential than pay-off (Cop 1), graduated to a grander, more textured sequel that delivered on the promises of the previous installment (Cop 2), but ultimately faltered with a denoument that was rushed and plagued with production problems (Cop 3). And much like Godfather 3, Maniac Cop 3 is better than your average potboiler, yet suffers in comparison to its predecessor. Now, if only someone would give Cohen and Lustig the money Coppolla had...............

This more of an Slasher film than an thriller but Still Fun........2001-12-10

Most thought the murderer cop (Robert D`Zar) is dead but he has been brought back to life by a voodoo man. Now the cop only wants one thing, an woman is his life.

This silly premise works because of Larry Cohen (Phone Booth) Script. Directed by the same director:William Lustig (Maniac Cop 1 & 2, Uncle Sam). The Last in the Series. Watch for actors:Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) & Paul Gleason (The Breakfest Club). Grade:B-.

not as good as Maniac Cop 2.......2000-08-26

I saw this at my local blockbuster and decided to rent it. I thought if Maniac Cop 1 and 2 were that good maybe this will be the same. I was wrong. Maybe it was the lack of a good cast as in the first films despite Robert Davi and Robert Z'Dar. The story was interesting but dull. William Lusting did not directed some of this film and it can tell some of the acting isn't that good. Spiro Razatos did a great job on the stunts and the last 30 minutes was really good. Most of the ways Cordell kills is very stupid. I have seen some good movies like "The Green Mile" and "Night of the Living Dead" but this is not in that catagorie. I recommend this for people who have Maniac Cop 1 and 2 so you can complete the series, but if you didn't like 1 or 2 don't buy it.

You can't keep a good corpse down.......2000-03-13

Considering the fact that William Lustig (director) and Larry Cohen (writer/producer), creators of the two predecessors, were also responsible for this follow-up, it's not surprising that also Maniac Cop 3 turns out to be pretty good - even though Lustig stopped filming after 24 days and was replaced by another director. The cast, including Robert Davi (No Contest) and Robert Forster (Scanner Cop 2), is decent, and you can spot Ted Raimi (Skinner) in a cameo. There are quite some new and interesting ideas, and the whole movie's pace should satisfy any undemanding horror buff, although the end is closer to an action than to a genre flick. Lustig is currently trying to raise money for another sequel - and if it is as good as this one, why not? If you look at Lustig's (in)famous Maniac, it is obvious his style is getting better and better. If directed by some other b-movie filmmaker, this might have turned out to be just another cheap trash movie. Of course, MC3 is not a masterpiece, it's just good thrills for horror fans. And if that's what you looking for, check it out. There is also an Unrated Version available on VHS, try to get that one!

Officer Matthew Cordell finally put to rest. R.I.P........1999-10-02

Well, starting from the end of Part 2. Cordell is finally at rest, although flashbacks from Part 2 become to apparent in the opening credits. A voodoo master of the occult is resureccting Cordell. Basically this has nothing to do with revenge its good if you like Cordell. He actually speaks in this one compared to being Silent in Pt. 1. Part 2. He gasped his name although he was still human kind of. Now he is more burnt. I like Robert Z'Dar but I wish they would have kept his original make up and uniform. I didnt like the leather because it didnt give him to much arm movement.

DVD:

DVD

DVD