This 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray combo disc is currently available from Blue Underground.
“I hate the movie. I can’t stand it. It’s torture for me to watch it.” – William Lustig (Maniac Cop, Maniac Cop 2)
That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, especially coming from the main figure behind the camera of Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence. Since before the film’s release on video in 1992, various horror-based publications printed articles stating that there had been trouble on the set. These pieces suggested that director William Lustig and producer Joel Soisson Jhad been fighting with Lustig and had taken over the picture. As it turned out, this indeed was the case, with Lustig eventually walking off of the project and leaving Soisson to complete the movie.
Yet, while the film is by far the weakest in the series, the basic concept of a cop being turned into a zombie through voodoo is interesting. And the final cut does have its moments, including a fantastically over-the-top climactic car chase. Viewers can now see this memorable bit newly restored in 4K Ultra HD and or on Blu-ray in a fantastic new package from Blue Underground. Completists and fans will certainly want the movie to complete their Maniac Cop collection. But perhaps the greatest thing about this release is how, for the first time ever, it explains the whole story of what happened on the project, as viewers hear from both Lustig and Soisson on the subject.
This effort is set after the events of Maniac Cop 2. Matt Cordell (Robert Z’Dar) Is finally dead and has been buried for good. That is, until voodoo priest Houngan Malfaiteur (Julius Harris) resurrects the cop in order to do his bidding. In the meantime, the media report about a police officer named Kate Sullivan (Gretchen Becker) using excessive force while foiling a robbery. Sullivan can’t defend herself, as she ends up in a coma while trying to stop the crime. As hard-nosed Detective Lieutenant Sean McKinney (Robert Davi) investigates the event, the Maniac Cop takes a shine to Sullivan. So much so that the undead officer eventually heads to the hospital to forcibly take the woman and use magic to revive her. McKinney and Dr. Susan Fowler (Caitlin Dulany) note strange behavior in the sleeping patient and soon come face to face with the undead Cordell.
There isn’t nearly as much excitement in this picture, with much of the running time focused on McKinney’s investigation and burgeoning relationship with Dr. Fowler. Those hoping for crazy cop mayhem in the vein of the first two features will be slightly disappointed to see the focus shift away from the title character. Davi is a talented actor, but he is ill-suited to being a romantic lead in (when he isn’t talking tough or fighting villains) and these bits feel out of place. As a result, the movie a strange mix of tones and doesn’t feel unified.
At least there are some good moments when the action does arrive. The initial shoot-out at the convenience store involving Officer Sullivan and a crazed robber (played by Jackie Earle Haley) is well-handled and takes an unexpected turn or two. There’s an excellent bit part involving Robert Forester as a supervising physician who wanders through a busy emergency room in a single shot. And when Cordell does go on the rampage, as always, the movie is entertaining to watch.
So, while Manic Cop 3: Badge of Silence isn’t exceptional and is the weakest entry in the Maniac Cop franchise, it does possess a few creative and well-shot sequences that manage to elevate it slightly above many other genre flicks of its era. Once can understand Lustig’s frustration that the movie isn’t quite up to his standards, but compared with some other titles released during this period, it’s decent and has a memorable scene or two.
Once again, the image quality is fantastic on this 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray release, no matter which disc you use to watch the movie. The feature looks sharper and crisper than ever before and visually there is a lot to admire in the impressive night photography and hospital sequences. It’s another great-looking disc.
However, the highlight of the presentation comes in the nearly 30-minute making-of and the “Alan Smithee” commentary track. The interviews include Lustig, writer Larry Cohen, as well the cast and, most surprisingly, producer Joel Soisson. Details begin to emerge about what occurred behind-the-scenes. It seems that new producers had purchased the rights to the franchise and called on Lustig and Cohen to make a follow-up. Cohen’s script was going to be set in Harlem and introduce a new black detective trying to deal with the voodoo-resurrected Maniac Cop killer, while adding elements of Bride of Frankenstein. Producers weren’t taken with the idea, suggesting that regions whom the film had been presold to wouldn’t approve of the idea. Lustig states that it soon became a movie-by-committee with Soisson bringing Davi back, rewriting the script and adding extra dialogue and adding a romantic subplot for the McKinney character.
Soisson also makes a few good points, stating that Cohen hadn’t turned in a usable draft of the screenplay and that he was forced to take over and complete the script on his own. Lustig only shot about 51 minutes of the final running time and then quit the movie, leaving Soisson on his own to complete the remaining feature. Despite the behind-the-scenes struggles, the cast and crew thought that Lustig, Soisson and the other producers treated them professionally and that the big issues at hand were exclusively between the director and producers.
Even more remarkable is the commentary track with “Alan Smithee”, which actually features both Lustig and Soisson together talking about the movie. After 30 years, any bitterness about what occurred between them appears to have dissipated. The two get on well and both admit their errors in dealing with the situation. Lustig admits to being difficult and angry with the producers, stepping in to direct after having been fired from True Romance (Tony Scott had just stepped in to replace Lustig). Soisson also admits that he didn’t treat the franchise with the proper respect and that the final product was schizophrenic in tone. It’s good to see the two being frank after so many years. This is a fantastic track for those who want to listen to an honest account of how a production can run aground.
Naturally, you’ll also get plenty of deleted and extended scenes, as well as a trailer and an extensive still and poster gallery for the movie. Another nifty extra is a brief summary of Cohen’s original idea for the feature, which would have been much better had it been accepted by the producers. While it clearly needed some fleshing out, the first concept really had a lot more potential than the finished product.
In the end, Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence isn’t a phenomenal film, but the extra content is revelatory and incredible for anyone curious about creative conflicts. It really helps one understand exactly what occurred, at the same time helping viewers develop a stronger appreciation for its effective moments.
This is another remarkable disc from Blue Underground and one that even provides a glimmer of hope for the future of the franchise. In one of the bonuses, Lustig mentions that he plans on producing a new remake of Maniac Cop with Maniac Cop 2 commentary cohort Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Only God Forgives, The Neon Demon) taking the helm as director. That’s one remake that horror fans will be waiting for with baited breath. In the meantime, every horror aficionado will enjoy catching up with the past exploits of the Maniac Cop!