Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1992)

A priest practicing the Voodoo arts resurrects Matt Cordell, who takes his badge and comes back from the dead to do his bidding.

Director:

William Lustig

Writers:

Larry Cohen (characters), Larry Cohen

Stars:

Robert Davi, Robert Z'Dar, Caitlin Dulany

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Davi	...	Det. Sean McKinney
Robert Z'Dar	...	Matt Cordell
Caitlin Dulany	...	Dr. Susan Fowler
Gretchen Becker	...	Katie Sullivan
Paul Gleason	...	Hank Cooney
Jackie Earle Haley	...	Frank Jessup
Julius Harris	...	Houngan
Grand L. Bush	...	Willie (as Grand Bush)
Doug Savant	...	Dr. Peter Myerson
Robert Forster	...	Dr. Powell
Bobby Di Cicco	...	Bishop
Frank Pesce	...	Tribble
Lou Diaz	...	Leon
Brenda Varda	...	Lindsey
Vanessa Marquez	...	Terry

Storyline

A female cop is gunned down and wrongly accused of using excessive force in a hostage rescue attempt. Maniac cop returns from the dead once more to seek revenge, destroying everthing and anyone that stands in his way.

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Plot Keywords:

third part | psychotronic film | slasher | part of a trilogy | violence | 

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Taglines:

You can't keep a good corpse down.

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Genres:

Action | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, and for language and some drug content (edited for re-rating)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite being set in New York, filming clearly took place in Los Angeles.

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Goofs

When Detective Sean McKinney passes through a metal detector after handing his gun to a security guard, the metal detector does not trigger for the metal in McKinney's badge.

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Quotes

Det. Sean McKinney: [sighs] What's the prognosis?
Dr. Peter Myerson: [smiles] Stick 'er in a rock garden!
Det. Sean McKinney: I don't like your sense of humor.

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Alternate Versions

Originally rated NC-17, some extreme violent acts were cut so the film could receive an R-rating by the MPAA.

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Connections

Referenced in American Grindhouse (2010)

User Reviews

Massively disappointing third entry in the Maniac Cop series. Watch Lustig and Cohen's underrated 'Uncle Sam' instead.

Look, I love 'Maniac Cop'. For me it's one of the 1980s most entertaining exploitation movies, and I think that 'Maniac Cop 2' is almost as good. But something went horribly wrong with the third movie in the series. William Lustig is credited as the director and Larry Cohen the writer/co-producer but the magic is missing. I've heard Lustig almost apologizing for it in interviews. It isn't a complete turkey but it's a major disappointment. Fans of the first two movies would be better to give it a miss and watch the underrated 'Uncle Sam' instead, a Lustig/Cohen collaboration which sank without a trace. Matt Cordell, the "maniac cop" (Robert Z'Dar) is resurrected by a priest (Julius Harris, one of the stars of 1970s blaxploitation classics 'Black Caesar' and 'Superfly'). Meanwhile McKinney (Robert Davi), the cop who cleared Cordell's name in the previous movie, is outraged when his friend and fellow cop Katie Sullivan (Gretchen Becker), is seriously wounded in a robbery and accused of wrongfully shooting two "victims". Pretty soon people involved with the case are brutally murdered and McKinney comes to believe that Cordell is back. 'Maniac Cop 3' is a big letdown. The plot is paper thin and the whole thing seems tired. Also, unlike the other two movies, the cast is very disappointing. 'Maniac Cop' and 'Maniac Cop 2' included names like Bruce Campbell, William Smith, Richard Roundtree, Tom Atkins, Claudia Christian and Charles Napier. This time we get pointless cameos from Robert Forster (star of Lustig's revenge classic 'Vigilante') and Paul Gleason ('The Breakfast Club'), but that's about it. Davi is left surrounded by a bunch of no-names. Everything about this movie indicates that it is a rushed and ill thought out cash-in. Unless you're a rabid Matt Cordell fan I say forget about it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 December 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

MC3: Maniac Cop 3

Filming Locations:

6540 Grand Ave, Flushing, NY 11378, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

NEO Motion Pictures, First Look Pictures, Overseas FilmGroup

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1