Maniac Cop 2

An obvious improvement over its lackluster predecessor, Maniac Cop 2 follows Robert Z’Dar’s title psycho as he resumes his gruesome killing spree. Filmmaker Lustig, armed with Larry Cohen’s screenplay, delivers a solid sequel that does, unfortunately, get off to a palpably rough start, as Maniac Cop 2 suffers from a rather sluggish opening half hour that doesn’t hold much promise – with the more-of-the-same vibe persisting right up until the fairly shocking deaths of the original movie’s ostensible heroes. The picture, beyond that point, segues into a gleefully larger-than-life midsection rife with appreciatively broad performances (eg Leo Rossi’s thoroughly unhinged turn as a rapist/murderer) and several spectacular set-pieces (eg a character hangs for dear life off the side of a careening car, Z’Dar’s villain storms a busy police station, etc), and while the film’s rough-around-the-edges admittedly remains a distraction throughout, Maniac Cop 2 climaxes with an exciting sequence set within a prison, in which Z’Dar’s character keeps murdering even after being set on fire, that ensures it concludes on a decidedly positive note – with the end result a better-than-expected followup that certainly exceeds one’s low expectations.

*** out of ****