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At the end of Maniac Cop 2, before the obvious sequel set up, there appeared to be some form of resolution. The new commissioner, Edward Doyle (Michael Lerner), had reopened Cordell’s case, Cordell kill the three thugs that stabbed the shit out of him in the shower and he became a “hero” when he killed his stripper killing buddy. After Cordell seemingly met his demise, they held funeral ceremony fitting for a hero, but then that lead to the aforementioned sequel set up.

The plot for Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence is just downright retarded, but, to humor you guys, I will tell you the plot anyway. In this film, after an explanation (unlike a certain horror flick out there today; but that’s for a different review) of how Cordell (Robert Z’Dar) has come back to life… again, Kate Sullivan (Gretchen Becker), a female police officer, takes a call at a drug/convenience store that is being robbed by a crazed drug addict played by Jackie Earle Haley (WATCHMEN, Bad News Bears). She takes him out, but is gun downed by his girlfriend/accomplice. Unbeknownst to her, a couple of douche bags are filming the altercation and then edit it in such a way that it wrongly accuses Kate of using excessive force. So, because of that, Cordell was resurrected to clear Kate’s name… allegedly. However, just to add more to the story, it looks like Cordell wants to clear Kate’s name because he wants an undead girlfriend.

Despite the film’s dumb plot, the movie is actually handled pretty well. The film’s quality looks great and doesn’t have a weird grainy look to it at all. Direction, which was handled by William Lustig (Maniac Cop, Maniac Cop 2) and Joel Soisson this time around, is around par for the franchise… which isn’t a bad thing since the direction has been a highlight throughout. The acting is actually a step up from the previous two films. Davi amps up his awesomeness (which includes a hilarious moment at the end when he lights a cigarette with Cordell’s severed arm and burning hand) and Earle Haley actually takes his role seriously and delivers a solid performance. The film even has some surprising areas. Those are its make-up effects and some of the actors that are in it. The make-up effects are the best in the series. Cordell’s face, which is now charred (and more decayed looking) after being set on fire in Maniac Cop 2, looks fantastic and it’s nice to see that they improved on that as the series went on. As for the cast, you won’t believe who shows up in this movie. It has Grand L. Bush (Little Johnson from Die Hard), Robert Forster (Mulholland Drive) and Paul Gleeson (The Principal from The Breakfast Club). Granted they don’t do much in the film, but just seeing them in the movie is surprising enough. My personal favorite part of this movie is the final sequence. During the sequence, Cordell, who has been set on fire again, chases Davi’s character (who is driving an ambulance) for something like ten minutes. While he’s in hot pursuit, pun intended, Cordell is literally pushing… with his hand… other cars out of his way. In short, it’s hilarious and awesome.

I already mentioned how dumb the plot to the film is, so I won’t be delving into that topic again; However, I will go into the film’s other flaw. That flaw is the film’s kills. For some reason, the kills in the movie have reverted back to silliness (though there are a few that are awesome). Why they went back after the brutal killings from the second film is beyond me, but that’s the route they decided to go.

Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence has its flaws but it is clearly the best film of the franchise. It’s good to see that they went out on a high note and didn’t go out on a whimper like most franchises do.

Final Synopsis: It isn’t as brutal as part two, but it’s still the best in the series. Check it out.

Points Lost: -1 for the dumb plot, -1 for going back to silly kills.

Lesson Learned: If you’re an undead cop and you don’t want Robert Davi spotting you, stand in the corner of the room.

Burning Question: How did Davi not see Cordell in the room with him and Kate? He literally looks at him as he’s leaving the room.

Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence
8/10

Tags: 1993, action, Caitlin Dulany, grand l. bush, Gretchen Becker, horror, Jackie Earle Haley, joel soisson, latest movie reviews, Paul Gleeson, recent3, robert davi, robert forster, Robert Z'Dar, sequel, slasher, william lustig