Plot: What’s it about?
After a horrific turn of events, police officers Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell) and Teresa Mallory (Laurene Landon) have survived and “maniac cop” Matt Cordell (Robert Z’Dar) is dead. The two survivors share the story of the maniac cop’s actions, but no one seems to believe their tales. When police psychologist Susan Riley (Claudia Christian) delves into the stories, she too has her doubts, but those are soon erased. While Cordell was assumed dead, he is back from the dead and attacks Riley, with the doctor barely escaping with her life. Riley is soon partnered with Dectective McKinney (Robert Davi), who is assigned to investigate a series of brutal murders that seem to be related. A serial killer is assumed to be involved, given the similar patterns and that all of the victims were exotic dancers. With both a serial killer and a maniac cop on the loose, can Riley and McKinney manage to keep the streets safe or will even the police be helpless to intervene?
Most sequels pale in comparison to the original, but Maniac Cop 2 manages to buck that trend. William Lustig returns to direct, Larry Cohen is back as writer, and several cast members reappear, so this feels like a genuine sequel as well. The casting is great, with a range of performers that genre fans love to watch and all turn in solid efforts here. You can tell the filmmakers wanted to one-up the original as well, as the things that made Maniac Cop fun have been dialed up in the sequel. This means more action driven scenes with some better than expected set pieces, dark humor, and of course, blood and sleaze. In other words, Maniac Cop 2 almost plays as light fan service, as it caters to fans of the original to a high degree. The result is a better movie than the original, with amped up elements that keep you tuned in throughout. Of course, no one will mistake Maniac Cop 2 for high art, but it does what it sets out to do, which is entertain fans of the genre. As always, Blue Underground shows love and care with this release, with new audio & video treatments, plus some enjoyable extras. So if you’re a fan of the Maniac Cop series or just a fan of genre films in general, this is a release you’ll want to check out.
Video: How’s it look?
Maniac Cop 2 is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen. This new transfer is a revelation, as it looks light years better than previous home video incarnations. The print is clean, which allows so much detail to surface that it is almost like seeing the movie again for the first time. The visuals show off superb depth, especially when compared to the awful treatments we’ve been forced to endure in the past. I found contrast to be spot on, so even the darkest scenes look refined and detail is never buried by the shadows. When colors need to be bright, the transfer delivers, though this is more of a dark film in terms of visuals. So once again, Blue Underground revives a genre movie for fans to cherish.
Audio: How’s it sound?
A new DTS HD 7.1 soundtrack is on deck and provides a great experience. The mix is creative, but remains true to the original sound design, so the end result is a more natural remix. I have read some fans dislike the music being placed in the rear channels, but it doesn’t prove to be a huge issue. The surround use is frequent and effective and since the movie has a lot of action, that is good news all around. This release also includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX surround option, a 2.0 surround track, and subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Italian, Russian, Danish, Finnish, Mandarin, Korean, and Norwegian.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The extras here include an isolated music track, audio comments from director William Lustig, a retrospective featurette, a Q&A session with the director, a deleted scene, posters & still photos, and the film’s theatrical trailers.
