~Spoiler~
Maniac Cop is a perfect example of what a good cast can do for a mediocre movie. Genre heroes Bruce Campbell and Tom Atkins make this a very likable flick. Big Will Smith, Laurene Landon, Richard (Shaft) Roundtree and Robert Z'dar round out the cast. William Lustig has given Maniac Cop a few great moments. The smile scene between Roundtree and Atkins is priceless, and the paranoia created through the media is a good angle. It's all played very well. But for the most part, it's just an above average slasher movie. However, Lustig does something that just isn't done that much; he switches main characters half way through the film with Campbell taking over for Atkins. I haven't seen anything like that since Hitchcock's Psycho. A great low budget thriller in all respects and a must see for Campbell fans.
Note for genre buffs: Watch for Sam Raimi, William Lustig, and Buck Flower in cameos.
Maniac Cop is a perfect example of what a good cast can do for a mediocre movie. Genre heroes Bruce Campbell and Tom Atkins make this a very likable flick. Big Will Smith, Laurene Landon, Richard (Shaft) Roundtree and Robert Z'dar round out the cast. William Lustig has given Maniac Cop a few great moments. The smile scene between Roundtree and Atkins is priceless, and the paranoia created through the media is a good angle. It's all played very well. But for the most part, it's just an above average slasher movie. However, Lustig does something that just isn't done that much; he switches main characters half way through the film with Campbell taking over for Atkins. I haven't seen anything like that since Hitchcock's Psycho. A great low budget thriller in all respects and a must see for Campbell fans.
Note for genre buffs: Watch for Sam Raimi, William Lustig, and Buck Flower in cameos.