Maniac Cop 2 (1990) ***1/2

The first time I saw William Lustig's Maniac Cop 2 (1990), I was really annoyed by Leo Rossi's goofy Mansonesque "no homo" serial killer sidekick, Turkell. I still don't love the character (sorry, Larry Cohen)—though he is good for a few laughs—but I've learned to accept him in what is otherwise a very solid and entertaining horror action b-movie with a lot of replay value. 

I wouldn't go so far as to say that MC2 is superior to its predecessor, as many feel it is (not enough Bruce Campbell and no Tom Atkins!), but there are aspects of it that are better than the original—the direction, for one, and (especially) the stunts, for another. Woo boy, the stunts in this movie—just absolutely insane. Of the kind which you mostly don't see anymore, as many things have long since been replaced by CGI (which is safer for the stunt people but way less impressive). Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood set the Guinness World Record for the longest uninterrupted on-screen controlled burn in 1988. I'm not sure if that film still holds the record and it doesn't appear that MC2 broke it two years later, but the body burns (and all the stunts surrounding them) in Lustig's film are truly jaw-dropping.

Lustig has gone on record as saying that MC2 is his best movie, and while I don't agree, I still really enjoy it (and I unapologetically love the "Maniac Cop Rap"). Ten years ago, when the film was first scanned in 4K and released on Blu-ray, I had the pleasure of seeing it at The Coolidge Corner Theatre with Lustig in attendance, and he signed and gave me a full-sized theatrical poster (for free!), which is still hanging on my wall.

William Lustig Films Ranked