Film review - Samurai Cop (1991)

 


My word. I got done watching The Room (2003) a fortnight ago and still haven't got over how bad it is. So when this beauty came up I figured I could do with another laugh anyway, so why not.  And yet, imagine my surprise when I discover that Tommy Wiseau from said classic-fame appeared in the 2015 'Cop' sequel.  Somebody could make it up, after all!

The synopsis is San Diego policeman Joe, apparently trained in martial-arts swordfighting and fluent in Japanese, is drafted in to the LAPD to help take down an Oriental gang involved in drug activity.  Together with his wiseguy partner Frank, they become embroiled in a number of shoot-outs and physical combat with the aim to stop the posse's reign of terror.  Along the way Joe flexes his muscles both metaphorically and literally, taking part in some horrifically choreographed fight scenes and some cringeworthy female interaction that doesn't age well.

From the opening credits, something feels off from a technical standpoint as the introductory theme resembles music from a Sega Mega Drive game.  The real story of the film becomes how bad the editing is, jumping to cuts within single scenes that were obviously filmed at different times of day, even varying locations in some cases.  One could be forgiven for thinking it was filmed in the late 80s, what with the production standards; however a wall calendar with "January 1991" visible puts paid to such theory.

Certainly such characterisation wouldn't fly in 2020.  Subtle racism can be depicted from the gang's presentation, down to the bad voice dubbing and horrendous karate sequences, with at least one skin colour gag that had to be slid in.  Meanwhile the women are all portrayed as over-sexed, with each one chanelling soft porn vibes through their image and words spoken.

It has to be watched and, if you're brave, re-watched - but do so with company, not by yourself.  Share the laughs and share alike. You'll thank yourself for doing so!

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