Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence is one of those movies where the behind-the-scenes drama is probably far more interesting than the movie itself, which was a patchwork mess that isn’t very entertaining.
Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence
(1992)
Genre(s): Horror, Fantasy
Blue Underground | R – 85 min. – $49.95 | November 16, 2021
Date Published: 11/23/2021 | Author: The Movieman
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Blue Underground provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
Note: The screen captures were taken from the included Blu-ray disc.
THE MOVIE — 1½/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: When Officer Kate Sullivan (CAITLIN DULANY) storms a hostage situation, the whole incident is captured on tape by an unscrupulous media crew who edit the footage to show Kate killing a helpless victim. Now in a coma, Kate’s only hope is Detective Sean McKinney (ROBERT DAVI), who desperately tries to clear her name. But unbeknownst to him, “Maniac Cop” Matt Cordell (ROBERT Z’DAR) takes it upon himself to exact revenge upon those responsible for smearing her name. Quick Hit Review: Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence is a pretty poor movie and after watching it’s no surprise the production had plenty of problems, first and foremost the director, William Lustig quit early on with producer Joel Soisson directing the remainder of the patchwork script. There’s really not much to admire for this entry save for a chase sequence that wasn’t too bad but otherwise I found this to be tough to sit through and I have to wonder if star Robert Davi didn’t give much a damn either. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 4/5 |
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This 2-disc release comes housed in a black HD keep case and comes with a title-embossed slip cover. Audio Commentary by original director William Lustig and Producer Joel Soisson. This is a new track recorded for this release and is an assessment of the production and some of the info was relayed in the featurette, but still well worth a listen. (also on 4K disc) Wrong Arm of the Law: The Making of Maniac Cop 3 (25:05) is an honest featurette on the troubled production and includes interviews with William Lustig, Joel Soisson, Robert Davi, Robert Z’Dar, Caitlin Dulany, Gretchen Becker and others. Deleted and Extended Scenes (10:26) — There were7 scenes that were either cut or trimmed, mostly pretty short (all under 2 minutes). Also included is the Theatrical Trailer (1:49) (also on 4K disc), Poster & Still Gallery and Original Synopsis from 1991. |
VIDEO – 4¾/5 |
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Blue Underground releases Maniac Cop 3 onto 4K Ultra HD, presented in the original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and a 2160p high-definition transfer culled from a 4K scan of the original uncensored negative. There’s no mention who supervised it, I guess no one wanted to take ownership… In any case, the picture here looks great, detail is sharp and nicely defined throughout and colors are well balanced and there were no obvious signs of artifacting or aliasing, though I suspect there might be a spec or two that I missed. But otherwise this is another good looking 4K transfer. |
AUDIO – 4½/5 |
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The track is fairly similar to that of Maniac Cop 2. The original Blu-ray came with a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track and here is also has been upgraded to Dolby Atmos. From what I can tell, it’s not terribly dynamic in comparison but still well done with dialogue coming through crisp and cleanly and some fine depth for the action sequences. |
OVERALL — 3/5 |
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Overall, Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence is one of those movies where the behind-the-scenes drama is probably far more interesting than the movie itself, which was a patchwork mess that isn’t very entertaining, though the car chase finale at least recaptured my attention. This Blue Underground release has great video and audio transfers alongside a good selection of bonus material, headlined by a new commentary from the original director and producer giving an honest assessment of the production. |