MANIAC COP

Stunning the world in the early 80s with Maniac, a mean-spirited, emotionally scathing slasher film that went too far too soon, writer/director William Lustig proved early on that he had a unique aesthetic sensibility and, just as important, a penchant for down-and-dirty exploitation. Not afraid to dig deep into surface gore and nihilistic philosophy, merging graphic sexual mayhem with ultra-violence, Lustig's seminal depiction of an abused psychopath who peels off women's scalps endeared him to the press . . . perhaps in another life! In reality, he succeeded in pissing off not only mainstream critics but several genre fans as well, who missed the point (or simply didn't care) that his woman-hating 'maniac' was featured in such an organic way, and lacked the safe mainstream sensibilities of the Hollywood film, to hammer the realism and despair of the plot home. The horror audience, in general, weaned on safer 'popcorn' nightmares, wanted something tamer. Scary . . . But not quite so downbeat. Lustig learned his lesson well with Maniac Cop, giving the people exactly what they wanted. While horrific, the scares in this ode to corrupt justice and revenge is more accessible than the depressing naturalistic verve of Maniac, appealing to the funny bone even as it tantalizes with 'gotcha!' shocks. Lustig hit cult film pay dirt, crafting a fright film that scared . . . up to a point. This tribute to dark humor, side-splitting action, and cheesy hysterics never looses sight of its first purpose: to entertain. And it has never perhaps looked so very entertaining, nor held up so well, as in this new transfer from Synapse.

In a minimal plot that successfully combines the conventions of the Noir thriller, supernatural, and revenge potboiler so popular in the 70s and 80s while retaining its own polished urban identity, Maniac Cop achieves much with little. Larry Cohen's fast-moving, emotionally engaging screenplay is substantial without spending too much time on character development. Devoted to action over subtle nuances of exposition, events, not subtle characterization, is clearly the focus. Detective Frank McCrae (Tom Atkins) investigates reports of a uniformed police officer on a mysterious bloody rampage throughout the city. Murdering both criminals and innocent citizens, this 'Maniac Cop' (dubbed such by McCrae's wisecracking reporter sexpot news reporter) is taking a bite out of . . . Well, everyone! When Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell) is marked as the chief suspect (after the murder of his wife), it is left to him and McCrae to discover this monster's identity motivation -- not easy, considering he seems to be nearly inhuman, and no one is talking . . .

"You have the right to remain silent . . . Forever," reads the movie tag for this solidly crafted, simplistic yet stylistic fright fest. This description speaks a mouthful, shouting for the world the very essence of showmanship and cheap thrills that drive Maniac Cop. Touting practically every exploitation genre cliché known to man, Lustig blends these elements into a satisfying whole. If not exactly unique in its basic premise, it is original in its socially conscience mix of greed, honor, and madness. Its central figure -- the Maniac Cop -- is both a villain and anti-hero for the modern era. This rampaging figure of urban legend embodies the primal mystery and awe so crucial to the genre. At the same time, he symbolizes both the motive and effects of crime -- both for the individual and society at large. The perfect example of B-exploitation, Maniac Cop manages to say something about the human condition without sermonizing. While this sounds pretentious, and no doubt will earn the ire of fans who refuse to see anything more significant in the genre than surface thrills, in this case the praise is absolutely accurate. The script of this supernatural rift on Dirty Harry targets political scandal, corrupt law enforcement, and the general distrust existing between people with no less vigor than its iconic madman displays when turning people into tossed salad. Performances are solid, with Atkins easily at top form as the gritty meat-and-potatoes detective, and Campbell packs customary frantic energy into his rather short playing time.

Anyone familiar with Synapse is well aware of that company's devotion to excellence when it comes to restoring both classic and odd genre fare, so it will come as no surprise to learn that this version of Maniac Cop makes past incarnations of the disc irrelevant. A new widescreen print, transferred in high-def from 'original vault materials,' the film is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The splotches of uneven picture, grain, and murky contrast depth of earlier releases are gone. Colors are spot-on, rich and vibrant, and the picture as a whole is clean without taking away from the essentially murky ambience of the night-shot locations. Audio is presented in a new DTS 6.1 audio track, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, and/or 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. While, each track is free from outside distortions, hissing, or muffling, and each track likewise offers an equal distribution between dialogue, score, and effects, the 5.1 track sounded slightly superior.

Extras are substantial and informative, while not in the same league as the same company's superlative Street Trash set. Three Theatrical trailers (two in English, one French) and two TV spots are entertaining revisits to a lost age, back when trailers were actually FUN. A Spanish radio spot is also included, just a dash of multi-cultural spice. More substantial is the audio commentary with Lustig, Cohen, Campbell, and composer Jay Chattaway. Packed with information, this friendly, rowdy, joking track never lets up, combining technical advice and personal memories on set/behind the camera while poking fun at one another. Valuable as both a document on the making of the film and as a testament of friends having a good time together, this is how more audio tracks should strive to be. Fun if not essential, additional scenes originally filmed for television in Japan are also included. Consisting of a handful of conversations between Forrest and his lawyer and head honchos of the police department, these scenes are enjoyable if not crucial to a better appreciation of the basic story. More valuable is the all new featurette with star Robert Z'Dar called "Maniac Memories." Robert reveals in this chat his early love of movies, his start as a waiter in Sheriff Lobo, where he spoke seven lines of dialogue, and co-starred in the Flash series. Affable and direct, he comes across as a real professional if not exactly enthusiastic. His talk is full of fun facts and gossip, and never dull.

Review by William P. Simmons