The first Maniac Cop film is one of the supreme trash classics from the eighties; and its sequel, the imaginatively titled 'Maniac Cop 2' is about as good as a sequel could have been. However, in true sequel fashion; this third outing is extremely poor. The film is subtitled 'Badge of Silence', but 'Bride of Maniac Cop' would be more appropriate, since that's the road that the second sequel has chosen to go down. Once again, we have William Lustig directing a script written by Larry Cohen; this team worked so well on the first two films, but something hasn't clicked this time around. The entire movie feels like it cant really be bothered, with the plot serving only in dishing up the relevant elements for Matt Cordell; the 'maniac cop' to go on another killing spree. We see a voodoo priest resurrect the mental copper shortly before witnessing police officer Kate Sullivan gets killed during an armed robbery. For some, largely unexplained, reason; Matt Cordell decides that he wants to make Kate his bride. It's not long before Sean McKinney (the hard-bitten detective from Maniac Cop 2) begins to suspect that Cordell may be back on the scene.
One of the main problems with this film is the scenes with the maniac cop. There aren't enough of them for a start, and the ones there are merely show him powering his way through people, and this fails to capture the creepiness of the original. Robert Z'Dar is still imposing in the only role that his name is associated with; but his presence was much better handled in the previous two films. I quite like Robert Davi; he's no Bruce Campbell or Tom Atkins, but he looks the part as the experienced policeman, and definitely fits this sort of film well. The atmosphere is well created again, with a foreboding New York feel accompanying most of the street scenes; which is a shame since most of the film takes place in a hospital. The police force itself isn't portrayed very well, and there isn't a single scene that is really convincing. The film has a very direct to video feel throughout also, and no attempt is ever made to mask the fact that you're watching a worthless piece of crap. The violence is fairly heavy, although there isn't a lot of blood; and the final car chase goes on far too long, and manages to drain the last bit of energy from an already frail film. If you loved the first two, you might find something here. But then again, you might not. Skip it.
One of the main problems with this film is the scenes with the maniac cop. There aren't enough of them for a start, and the ones there are merely show him powering his way through people, and this fails to capture the creepiness of the original. Robert Z'Dar is still imposing in the only role that his name is associated with; but his presence was much better handled in the previous two films. I quite like Robert Davi; he's no Bruce Campbell or Tom Atkins, but he looks the part as the experienced policeman, and definitely fits this sort of film well. The atmosphere is well created again, with a foreboding New York feel accompanying most of the street scenes; which is a shame since most of the film takes place in a hospital. The police force itself isn't portrayed very well, and there isn't a single scene that is really convincing. The film has a very direct to video feel throughout also, and no attempt is ever made to mask the fact that you're watching a worthless piece of crap. The violence is fairly heavy, although there isn't a lot of blood; and the final car chase goes on far too long, and manages to drain the last bit of energy from an already frail film. If you loved the first two, you might find something here. But then again, you might not. Skip it.