"This is gruesome," says a squeamish cop when uncovering the headless corpse of a wino in a back alley. But to be precise, this 3rd entry in this popular horror series is not that gruesome at all, mostly downplaying the gore in favor of the stunt-filled action sequences.
The Maniac Cop himself, Matt Cordell does not have much of a part in the story-line until the final act. Instead the film is mostly focused on around frayed-at-the-edges detective Robert Davi, who is very upset when his protégé young police woman is left brain-dead after a drugstore shootout with a psychopath.
There are various peripheral characters who are going to suffer from Cordell's wrath. For instance, there is the greedy medico who jokes about the lady cop on life support, saying she might make a nice rock garden ornament.
The final act is full of stunts including the sequence where Cordell is set on fire. The photography is good, characterizations are quirky, dialog witty, and the score pleases the ear.
Arresting entertainment. To my mind, the best part of the trilogy.
The Maniac Cop himself, Matt Cordell does not have much of a part in the story-line until the final act. Instead the film is mostly focused on around frayed-at-the-edges detective Robert Davi, who is very upset when his protégé young police woman is left brain-dead after a drugstore shootout with a psychopath.
There are various peripheral characters who are going to suffer from Cordell's wrath. For instance, there is the greedy medico who jokes about the lady cop on life support, saying she might make a nice rock garden ornament.
The final act is full of stunts including the sequence where Cordell is set on fire. The photography is good, characterizations are quirky, dialog witty, and the score pleases the ear.
Arresting entertainment. To my mind, the best part of the trilogy.