Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence

• Directed by William Lustig
• December 10, 1992
• HBO

Can’t keep an undead cop down. A voodoo priest resurrects Officer Cordell to do his bidding.

I unapologetically enjoyed the first two Maniac Cop films and I enjoyed this one as well. While not the best of the trilogy, it is certainly a good movie. The reported issues that it had behind the scenes during production are clear in the finished product, but I don’t think those issues make it a terrible film. They just make it much weaker than it could’ve been had they not occurred.

I have read originally they had plans for an African-American detective hunting a serial killer at a Harlem hospital which I guess would’ve somehow intersected with the return of Matt Cordell. The Japanese distributor reportedly didn’t want a black lead in the film because it would not sell well over there and Robert Davi got cast so he made a return. The original idea would have worked well as the second film eschewed the more traditional horror film sequel. This however stuck with the survivor as the star rather than find a new star.

I’m not knocking Robert Davi in this or any movie. He does pretty good returning as the very Italian looking and sounding Irish Detective Lieutenant Sean McKinney. He’s more comfortable with his character this time around and apparently his character’s star has risen a touch as a result of his involvement with the Cordell case. There is more swagger here than previously.

Like before, in Badge of Silence the issues are caused by a combination of police corruption as well as just general corruption. In this case, the young Officer Katie Sullivan (Gretchen Becker) who is friends with McKinney, is framed by a corrupt independent news crew to look like she fired on an innocent civilian when in fact she was simply returning fire. This is all in connection to a case she’s involved in. 

Issues with production caused elements designed to stretch the story out a bit to be added. Because of what they could film and because they had to remove stuff, what they could film of the desired script is a bit short so here we are. There are elements that go nowhere or their end point isn’t really that much. While what we do get is well done, it is not nearly enough.

The kills are imaginative but campy. We have a doctor killed by electric paddles. We get another doctor killed by an x-ray machine. Not bad but not nearly as shocking as the cop on the tow truck in the second one.

But the real treat of Badge of Silence is when McKinney and Dr. Susan Fowler (Caitlin Dulany) whom McKinney connects with during the film are moving along in an ambulance and Cordell (Robert Z’Dar) pulls up next to them in a flaming police car. Just a balls out crazy scene that makes you go “Holy cow!”

Weirdly Cordell is seeking a zombie bride in the form of Officer Sullivan who has been on the brink of death following the shooting. Cordell himself was brought back by Houngan Malfaiteur (Julius Harris) because Cordell’s spirit can only be brought back since it is not at rest. The bride bit is out of nowhere and one of those things clearly designed to help cover for the dismemberment of the original script. Previously a search for justice drove the character but this muddies that a great deal.

The acting is very high-quality. And the directing is fantastic. Lustig turned in a rather well helmed monstrosity from the pieces he had to work with. This is an intelligently done film from start to finish. Surprisingly so given that it was a low budget pay cable release. They used their brains to pull together the elements as much as they could to present quality and it shows in the end product. It’s an engaging film. Characters are consistent. Largely all too often missing from many movies no matter how good or bad they are. 

Despite the intelligence, it’s not quite as focused in the story as the other two films. It stumbles here and there despite having a mostly steady pace. And that’s rather unfortunate. The first two were quality slasher films. While not bad, the drama certainly harmed it.

Despite any flaws, Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence is a good movie. Maybe not the strongest of the trilogy but an entertaining addition to it. If you want to seek a unique take on the slasher this is worth a look.