There's a vicious urban myth going round in horror land... No, not that Matt Cordell might sneak into your bedroom at night and break your neck, but rather that "Maniac Cop 2" is one of those rare sequels that surpasses the original. Myth-buster (and devoted fan of the original) Coventry goes undercover...
Better than its predecessor? I beg to differ, although there's definitely a "The Terminator VS. Terminator 2: Judgement Day" similarity here. What I mean is that the budget for the sequel was four times higher than for the original, and hence it looks a lot better. Obviously, the budget is still quite low (especially compared to films like "Terminator 2"), but $4.000.000 versus $1.000.000 makes a giant difference in what you can achieve. Moreover, director William Lustig and writer/producer Larry Cohen (we can easily speak of a dream-team) put every cent to a good use! The make-up and special effects are undoubtedly superior, and the film features a couple of impressive stunts. It starts with the physical appearance of anti-hero Matt Cordell, who looks a lot more monstrous and horrific, but Lustig also inserts two spectacular car chases and a fiery finale that is downright brilliant.
Spectacle aside, though, I don't think "Maniac Cop" is better than the original. The surprise and shock element of a relentless killer in a tidy and honorable NYC police uniform is gone, and personally I didn't buy the whole 'teaming up with a serial killer' plot. Cordell wants revenge and murders a lot of cops, I get that, but his collaboration with a psycho who kills strippers to purify them is implausible; - particularly because the latter is such a needy and whiny freak. Also, as much as I appreciate Robert Davi, he's not a substitute for both Tom Atkins and Bruce Campbell. Great sequel and an awesome trilogy altogether, but my personal favorite of the three is still the original.
Better than its predecessor? I beg to differ, although there's definitely a "The Terminator VS. Terminator 2: Judgement Day" similarity here. What I mean is that the budget for the sequel was four times higher than for the original, and hence it looks a lot better. Obviously, the budget is still quite low (especially compared to films like "Terminator 2"), but $4.000.000 versus $1.000.000 makes a giant difference in what you can achieve. Moreover, director William Lustig and writer/producer Larry Cohen (we can easily speak of a dream-team) put every cent to a good use! The make-up and special effects are undoubtedly superior, and the film features a couple of impressive stunts. It starts with the physical appearance of anti-hero Matt Cordell, who looks a lot more monstrous and horrific, but Lustig also inserts two spectacular car chases and a fiery finale that is downright brilliant.
Spectacle aside, though, I don't think "Maniac Cop" is better than the original. The surprise and shock element of a relentless killer in a tidy and honorable NYC police uniform is gone, and personally I didn't buy the whole 'teaming up with a serial killer' plot. Cordell wants revenge and murders a lot of cops, I get that, but his collaboration with a psycho who kills strippers to purify them is implausible; - particularly because the latter is such a needy and whiny freak. Also, as much as I appreciate Robert Davi, he's not a substitute for both Tom Atkins and Bruce Campbell. Great sequel and an awesome trilogy altogether, but my personal favorite of the three is still the original.