81 reviews
After I finished watching Samurai Cop, I sat in silent disbelief for a few moments not really knowing what to think. I decided that I had either just watched one of the absolutely worst movies ever made or I had watched a piece of satirical brilliance that my puny mind couldn't fully comprehend. After doing a little research, I realize that my first notion was correct - it's bad. However, as bad as Samurai Cop is, that doesn't change the fact that I was entertained. If you do an internet search for a movie that's "so bad, it's good" (God, do I hate that phrase), a picture of Samurai Cop should immediately pop-up on your screen. It is the embodiment of what a "so bad, it's good" movie is.
So just how bad is Samurai Cop? Everything about the movie shows a level indescribable incompetence. Technically, the movie is a train wreck. The direction is horrible, there is a complete lack of continuity, my 5 year-old could have done better with the sound editing and effects, lighting is literally non-existent, and visual effects are incredibly poor. Artistically, the movie isn't any better. Sets, costuming, music, and make-up are all bargain basement. As for the acting - when Robert Z'Dar stands head-and- shoulders above the other actors talent-wise, that speaks volumes about the quality of the acting. I won't go into the full backstory of how the movie was made, but it does explain a lot and is worth reading for a laugh or two.
I haven't even mentioned the plot because it really doesn't matter. It has something to do with a Japanese gang that controls the drug trade in Los Angeles and the police that are trying to put them out of business. In reality, the plot is about a gang of bad guys and the cops that routinely shoot them. That's about it. With a name like Samurai Cop, I expected to see some martial arts type action with a lot of hand-to-hand fighting. But alas, this Samurai Cop and his trigger happy partner are much more at home shooting the baddies. The one or two actual fight scenes are (as you probably could guess by now) poorly choreographed messes.
As bad as it all is, the whole thing is just so funny it's hard not to find entertainment in what you're watching. For example, there a scene where Samurai Cop and his trigger happy partner go visit a burn victim to get some information. This man is wrapped head-to- toe in bleeding bandages. What does our hero do? Standing about four feet from the hospital bed, he hits up the nurse with some of the most inappropriate, cringe-worthy dialogue ever heard. It's literally laugh-out-loud funny. Another example of incompetent brilliance occurs when Robert Z'Dar's character, Yamashita (yes, Robert Z'Dar plays a character named Yamashita), throws a grenade that we inexplicably and hysterically hear explode twice. One grenade - two explosions. Funny stuff. And just when you think the movie has hit a low point and can't get any more absurd, somehow it does. Samurai Cop keeps giving.
Realistically, Samurai Cop is a complete disaster of a movie. If you rated it as a serious action film, you'd have to give it a 1/10. However, it is unintentionally one of the funnier movies I've seen in awhile. As a comedy piece, I'd rate it an 8/10. Averaging the two ratings together and rounding up, I'm giving Samurai Cop an overall 5/10. If you're into "bad" movies, this one is not to be missed.
So just how bad is Samurai Cop? Everything about the movie shows a level indescribable incompetence. Technically, the movie is a train wreck. The direction is horrible, there is a complete lack of continuity, my 5 year-old could have done better with the sound editing and effects, lighting is literally non-existent, and visual effects are incredibly poor. Artistically, the movie isn't any better. Sets, costuming, music, and make-up are all bargain basement. As for the acting - when Robert Z'Dar stands head-and- shoulders above the other actors talent-wise, that speaks volumes about the quality of the acting. I won't go into the full backstory of how the movie was made, but it does explain a lot and is worth reading for a laugh or two.
I haven't even mentioned the plot because it really doesn't matter. It has something to do with a Japanese gang that controls the drug trade in Los Angeles and the police that are trying to put them out of business. In reality, the plot is about a gang of bad guys and the cops that routinely shoot them. That's about it. With a name like Samurai Cop, I expected to see some martial arts type action with a lot of hand-to-hand fighting. But alas, this Samurai Cop and his trigger happy partner are much more at home shooting the baddies. The one or two actual fight scenes are (as you probably could guess by now) poorly choreographed messes.
As bad as it all is, the whole thing is just so funny it's hard not to find entertainment in what you're watching. For example, there a scene where Samurai Cop and his trigger happy partner go visit a burn victim to get some information. This man is wrapped head-to- toe in bleeding bandages. What does our hero do? Standing about four feet from the hospital bed, he hits up the nurse with some of the most inappropriate, cringe-worthy dialogue ever heard. It's literally laugh-out-loud funny. Another example of incompetent brilliance occurs when Robert Z'Dar's character, Yamashita (yes, Robert Z'Dar plays a character named Yamashita), throws a grenade that we inexplicably and hysterically hear explode twice. One grenade - two explosions. Funny stuff. And just when you think the movie has hit a low point and can't get any more absurd, somehow it does. Samurai Cop keeps giving.
Realistically, Samurai Cop is a complete disaster of a movie. If you rated it as a serious action film, you'd have to give it a 1/10. However, it is unintentionally one of the funnier movies I've seen in awhile. As a comedy piece, I'd rate it an 8/10. Averaging the two ratings together and rounding up, I'm giving Samurai Cop an overall 5/10. If you're into "bad" movies, this one is not to be missed.
- bensonmum2
- Feb 15, 2017
- Permalink
Samurai Cop is a movie that is bad on so many levels that it's difficult to know where to begin. First of all, the acting performances are below average and lead actor Mathew Karedas seems to only have one facial expression. The plot is everything but clever, extremely predictable and could be described as almost childish. The dialogues are thin, unconvincing and often performed in poor English because the script was written by Iranian director Amir Shervan who didn't have much experience. The female characters in this movie are all stupidly obsessed with sex and the male characters try to look cool on purpose which makes them look like complete idiots. The camera techniques are often terrible because characters who are talking are sometimes out of frame or picture. Technicians are sometimes visible in the reflections of sunglasses or as shadows in a small room. There are numerous continuity mistakes with people wearing sunglasses in one cut and not wearing them in the next cut four seconds later, hospital rooms being filled with people that have mysteriously vanished five seconds later and people being asked to come from New York City to Los Angeles who are suddenly present a few minutes later as if they had taken a rocket ride. The locations of this film are also boring and mostly consist of exchangeable alleys, random intersections and cheap restaurants. The worst part about the movie is that the director forgot to shoot some important scenes and asked the different actors to come together again to finish the film about four months after it had already been finished. The problem here is that our static lead actor Mathew Karedas cut his long hair after the movie had been completed and had to wear a wig to avoid continuity errors. The problem is that this wig looks extremely fake and is even pulled off his head in a fight Scene if you watch closely which is the cherry on the cake of this goofy b-movie.
You might wonder why this film still deserved a generous five out of ten points. The answer is quite obvious. This film is so bad that it's almost good again. It's quite amusing to catch all the obvious mistakes. The film is unpredictable in its goofy weirdness. A nice drinking game invented by two German comedians specifically for this movie consists of drinking a shot of alcohol each time the main character's wig is visible.
To be fair though, it's a quite entertaining movie with a lot of car chases and fight scenes with bare hands, pistols, swords and improvised weapons. The movie also includes several soft porn scenes and a shallow love story that gives us a break from all the action. I was never bored by this movie because of its vivid flow. Most action movies these days either bore with complicated background stories, endless dialogues and take themselves way too serious or are filled with exchangeable CGI effects and enormous plot holes in unnecessary sequels. From that point of view, Samurai Cop is almost refreshingly grounded and unpretentious.
Fans of old-school action b-movies could be very well entertained by Samurai Cop and can give this film a shot if they are open to have some fun. My advice would be to invite some friends over while watching this film. Despite its numerous obvious flaws, Samurai Cop is still overall an average movie and not among the worst films I have ever watched like so many other people claim.
You might wonder why this film still deserved a generous five out of ten points. The answer is quite obvious. This film is so bad that it's almost good again. It's quite amusing to catch all the obvious mistakes. The film is unpredictable in its goofy weirdness. A nice drinking game invented by two German comedians specifically for this movie consists of drinking a shot of alcohol each time the main character's wig is visible.
To be fair though, it's a quite entertaining movie with a lot of car chases and fight scenes with bare hands, pistols, swords and improvised weapons. The movie also includes several soft porn scenes and a shallow love story that gives us a break from all the action. I was never bored by this movie because of its vivid flow. Most action movies these days either bore with complicated background stories, endless dialogues and take themselves way too serious or are filled with exchangeable CGI effects and enormous plot holes in unnecessary sequels. From that point of view, Samurai Cop is almost refreshingly grounded and unpretentious.
Fans of old-school action b-movies could be very well entertained by Samurai Cop and can give this film a shot if they are open to have some fun. My advice would be to invite some friends over while watching this film. Despite its numerous obvious flaws, Samurai Cop is still overall an average movie and not among the worst films I have ever watched like so many other people claim.
Second viewing of this trash epic confirms that my initial 10/10 was anything but unwarranted. You know you're getting awfully close to the absolute nadir of b-movie cinema, to that horrifying point of no return beyond all shame and therefore beyond reproach, when your name is Amir Shervan and you go on to follow up your cheapo Lethal Weapon cash-in called 'Hollywood Cop' with a cash-in on Maniac Cop by casting Robert Z'dar in a movie called 'Samurai Cop', a no-budget action crime flick where Z'dar is neither samurai nor cop (not even a maniac for that matter), where even protagonist Matt Hannon, actor in the broadest sense of the term, looks more like a poolboy instead of a samurai. Of course when you make an entire movie for no other reason than to cash-in on the larger-than-frame persona of an actor who made a career playing such refined characters as Igor, Mongoose, Brutis, Cobra Khan, Bongo and of course let's not forget the aptly descriptive Face (!) in Tango and Cash, it's not so much a question of good or bad, but whether it's going to be "this makes even Battlefield Earth seem watchable" bad or "break out the beers - Lady Terminator" bad.
Thankfully you don't need to get any further than the opening 15 minutes to know the answer to the above question; a staggeringly amazing prologue of b-movie awesomeness which, among other things, serves to introduce the Katana Gang, which counts within its ranks a red-haired chick whose entire contribution to the gang is announcing the entrance of the boss ("The boss is here"), the samurai cop and his mandatory black sidekick indulging in a little sex talk with the blonde helicopter operator bimbette in the middle of a drug bust, sped-up chases followed by amazing dialogue ("shoot", "faster", "shoot", "go faster") and a sex scene with underwear on (hey, it's low budget) between blonde bimbette and lovable hunk Matt Hannon.
What else do you need? Have you ever wondered what the real samurai code is (a real samurai always gets his weapon from his Katana Gang henchman)? Did you always want to know what is the mandatory hairstyle all Katana Gang henchmen ought to keep at all times (a mullet)? Did you always complain to anyone who'd listen that cinema doesn't have enough gay Costa rican waiters cracking jokes about suicide? Were you always itching to see security guards calling for security? The Katana Gang red-haired chick enriching world culture with the line "I'm going to change the trash" (!!)? Everyone in the movie getting sliced up while Matt Hannon is too busy canoodling another bimbo in a pool? Nurses randomly asking Matt Hannon if he wants to have sex with them, then belittling him for his circumcised penis? Matt Hannon pondering on whether he should make the arrest during or after the suspect has finished having sex, finally making his mind only to be stopped by a sliding door (!!!)? A beach house transforming into a house in the suburbs between takes? Well, here's your chance.
Yes, just break out the beers. I've seen quite a few no-budget schlockfests in my time but Samurai Cop stands tall among such venerable classics as Werewolf, Timechasers and American Commando - Angel's Blood Mission 2 as one of the most triumphant displays of unintentionally hilarious genius. See this if you're cool.
Thankfully you don't need to get any further than the opening 15 minutes to know the answer to the above question; a staggeringly amazing prologue of b-movie awesomeness which, among other things, serves to introduce the Katana Gang, which counts within its ranks a red-haired chick whose entire contribution to the gang is announcing the entrance of the boss ("The boss is here"), the samurai cop and his mandatory black sidekick indulging in a little sex talk with the blonde helicopter operator bimbette in the middle of a drug bust, sped-up chases followed by amazing dialogue ("shoot", "faster", "shoot", "go faster") and a sex scene with underwear on (hey, it's low budget) between blonde bimbette and lovable hunk Matt Hannon.
What else do you need? Have you ever wondered what the real samurai code is (a real samurai always gets his weapon from his Katana Gang henchman)? Did you always want to know what is the mandatory hairstyle all Katana Gang henchmen ought to keep at all times (a mullet)? Did you always complain to anyone who'd listen that cinema doesn't have enough gay Costa rican waiters cracking jokes about suicide? Were you always itching to see security guards calling for security? The Katana Gang red-haired chick enriching world culture with the line "I'm going to change the trash" (!!)? Everyone in the movie getting sliced up while Matt Hannon is too busy canoodling another bimbo in a pool? Nurses randomly asking Matt Hannon if he wants to have sex with them, then belittling him for his circumcised penis? Matt Hannon pondering on whether he should make the arrest during or after the suspect has finished having sex, finally making his mind only to be stopped by a sliding door (!!!)? A beach house transforming into a house in the suburbs between takes? Well, here's your chance.
Yes, just break out the beers. I've seen quite a few no-budget schlockfests in my time but Samurai Cop stands tall among such venerable classics as Werewolf, Timechasers and American Commando - Angel's Blood Mission 2 as one of the most triumphant displays of unintentionally hilarious genius. See this if you're cool.
- chaos-rampant
- Apr 2, 2009
- Permalink
It is so bad that I couldn't stop laughing the whole time while watching this. Acting was brutal, dialogue seems Cheesy, and a bit both racist and sexist. Story was filled with plot-holes and inconsistency. Most funniest scenes were the action sequences. I just kept LMAO when the action sequences were playing. Editing and cutting was awful. A single fight scene was taken in 3 different locations. On another scene, wig came off of the main character, and it was clearly visible. Color correction was bad. Screen was getting tinted with blue, purple and pink randomly. All the woman in this film seems like acting in a porn movie. They couldn't hold on to their pants for 5 minutes, after meeting with the main protagonist!!!! In every romantic scene, It felt like watching an Adult movie! Jokes were terrible and funny in the wrong way. Every film maker should watch this film to learn 'how a film shouldn't be made, ever'!
- ironhorse_iv
- Sep 15, 2015
- Permalink
- lemon_magic
- Jul 18, 2017
- Permalink
- Bryan_Roderick
- May 1, 2016
- Permalink
Writing this comment is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. The magnitude of this movie cannot be defined. It has it all: Japanese/Mexican Crime Lord with Mullet? Check. Guy who dies 4 different times because they didn't know enough people who wanted to be in this movie? Check. Random nurse scene with even more random clips of black partner's facial responses to nurse's comments about size of samurai cop's "sword"? Yes, that too is in it. Basically, if you ever saw a terrifically bad movie, and liked it, you will bow down to the awesome power of Amir Shervan's cinematic genius.
Smaurai Cop spares no expense. It gives you what you really want: Boobs, Racial Comments, Excessive Groping of Handgun by a Lacky, Fight scene with obvious continuity issues, Pimp Van in fast motion chase scene, Disturbingly Effeminate Waiter, 4 different samurai wigs, Matt Hannon acting, and too many other priceless moments to recount.
I am not sure how Amir got Robert Z'Dar and Gerald Okamura on this film (considering their "star power"), but thank God he did. This movie does not get the credit it deserves. It is one of cinema's greatest gems and should be recognized as such. Please, if you have watched this movie, and loved it, comment now!
Smaurai Cop spares no expense. It gives you what you really want: Boobs, Racial Comments, Excessive Groping of Handgun by a Lacky, Fight scene with obvious continuity issues, Pimp Van in fast motion chase scene, Disturbingly Effeminate Waiter, 4 different samurai wigs, Matt Hannon acting, and too many other priceless moments to recount.
I am not sure how Amir got Robert Z'Dar and Gerald Okamura on this film (considering their "star power"), but thank God he did. This movie does not get the credit it deserves. It is one of cinema's greatest gems and should be recognized as such. Please, if you have watched this movie, and loved it, comment now!
- ill_bite_your_nose_off
- Nov 27, 2005
- Permalink
Joe Marshall (goofy beefcake actor Matt Hannon) is a detective trained in the ways of the samurai, and together with his affable partner Frank Washington (Mark Frazer), he goes after the many goons and thugs working for big time Japanese mobster Mr. Fujiyama.
That's about it for plot in this knowingly cheesy, sloppy, and silly martial arts action movie mess, written and directed by Amir Shervan. Obviously he knew exactly what kind of movie he was making, and just had fun with it. Often, "Samurai Cop" offers plenty of bad movie charm, as it clunks along from one inept sequence to another. The acting is hilariously, endearingly dumb across the board, with Hannon as one majorly wooden hero. Frazer has many great facial reactions. The ladies present are delicious eye candy: Melissa Moore as horny cop Peggy, Jannis Farley as leading lady Jennifer, and Krista Lane as a henchwoman. Robert Z'Dar is great fun as Yamashita, the primary henchman.
Marshall dispenses with inept bad guys left, right and centre; ultimately, the movie isn't always terribly funny, and gets a little tiresome, but it's still amusing enough to make it pleasant if not uproarious fare. It could have used some better pacing, but still delivers enough laughs for those B cinema enthusiasts looking to have a night of bad movies and beers.
Six out of 10.
That's about it for plot in this knowingly cheesy, sloppy, and silly martial arts action movie mess, written and directed by Amir Shervan. Obviously he knew exactly what kind of movie he was making, and just had fun with it. Often, "Samurai Cop" offers plenty of bad movie charm, as it clunks along from one inept sequence to another. The acting is hilariously, endearingly dumb across the board, with Hannon as one majorly wooden hero. Frazer has many great facial reactions. The ladies present are delicious eye candy: Melissa Moore as horny cop Peggy, Jannis Farley as leading lady Jennifer, and Krista Lane as a henchwoman. Robert Z'Dar is great fun as Yamashita, the primary henchman.
Marshall dispenses with inept bad guys left, right and centre; ultimately, the movie isn't always terribly funny, and gets a little tiresome, but it's still amusing enough to make it pleasant if not uproarious fare. It could have used some better pacing, but still delivers enough laughs for those B cinema enthusiasts looking to have a night of bad movies and beers.
Six out of 10.
- Hey_Sweden
- Jun 25, 2014
- Permalink
There are good films and there are bad films; and then there are bad films so bad they are actually good... and then there is 'Samurai Cop'. A film in a class of its own, standing tall like a giant, so high above other trashy cinema masterpieces that a regular movie watcher brain cannot even process all the nonsensical visual drivel he has just seen. The quality of this 'masterpiece' surpasses any expectations you might have about cheap-piece-of-juck-90s-'action'-nonsence and enters the realm of surreal. The fact that someone actually bothered to piece together this absurdity into a feature-length film is just mind blowing.
Words might fail while trying to adequately describe this phantasmagorical piece of cinematic perfection. You could write a lengthy article criticizing a terrible acting, editing or utterly ridiculous dialogues. Or the fact that the story is so much saturated with every cliche of 90s action cinema that it cannot be considered as an independent script but rather as an amalgamation of a dozen scrips borrowed from other films. Severe objectification of women and excessive voyeuristic nudity serving no purpose whatsoever might just leave you entirely speechless. And lets not dwell too much on the fact that the main character, supposedly expert in Japanese martial arts, couldn't even throw a decent round house kick, while ridiculous hand gestures he performs during various fights, make American Ninja look like a documentary quality depiction of Ninjutsu. Shot inconsistency, the main character switching from a wig to a real haircut multiple times throughout the film is just an icing on a cake.
Somehow all the critique you could master up about 'Samurai Cop' doesn't seem to make it justice. The overall result is so much worse than the sum of its negative parts that your brains just cannot rationally explain or perceive it. One thing couldn't be denied though, the film is entertaining as hell. And that's, after all, the main point of action cinema - to entertain. In that regard 'Samurai Cop' is truly a film in the class of its own.
Words might fail while trying to adequately describe this phantasmagorical piece of cinematic perfection. You could write a lengthy article criticizing a terrible acting, editing or utterly ridiculous dialogues. Or the fact that the story is so much saturated with every cliche of 90s action cinema that it cannot be considered as an independent script but rather as an amalgamation of a dozen scrips borrowed from other films. Severe objectification of women and excessive voyeuristic nudity serving no purpose whatsoever might just leave you entirely speechless. And lets not dwell too much on the fact that the main character, supposedly expert in Japanese martial arts, couldn't even throw a decent round house kick, while ridiculous hand gestures he performs during various fights, make American Ninja look like a documentary quality depiction of Ninjutsu. Shot inconsistency, the main character switching from a wig to a real haircut multiple times throughout the film is just an icing on a cake.
Somehow all the critique you could master up about 'Samurai Cop' doesn't seem to make it justice. The overall result is so much worse than the sum of its negative parts that your brains just cannot rationally explain or perceive it. One thing couldn't be denied though, the film is entertaining as hell. And that's, after all, the main point of action cinema - to entertain. In that regard 'Samurai Cop' is truly a film in the class of its own.
Written and directed by one Amir Shervan, SAMURAI COP is the kind of cinema I live for. An action picture so wrong headed and mixed up that it is hard to believe anyone kept a straight face while making (or screening) it. It is a movie so bad that B-movie queen Melissa Moore leaves it off her resume to leave room for more respectable titles such as Hard to Die, Evil Spawn and The Invisible Maniac. Heck, she even thought Vampire Cop was worthy enough to put on there.
Lead Matt Hannon, apparently a onetime bodyguard for Stallone, gives an incredibly one-dimensional performance, mostly relying on his hair to convey his emotions. The problem is apparently Hannon cut his hair halfway through shooting and is forced to wear the funniest dime-store woman's wig ever during huge chunks of the film. The sheer fact that he fails to ever show a single emotion (outside of his hair) is a monumental achievement in itself. The fact that no one on set even bothered to mention this to him is even better. I guess the producers felt his tanned and chiseled body (along with the aforementioned hair) would do all the talking. But you know you have a problem when the male star's swimsuit is skimpier than his female co-star's.
Of course, his co-stars help him along by maintaining the same level of stiffness. Only Matt Frazer shows some form of life, hamming it up incredibly as Samurai's partner Frank. You can tell that director Shervan walked out of LETHAL WEAPON 2 (1989) that summer with visions of SAMURAI COP dancing in his head. Although the back and forth banter displayed here between partners consists of jokes about Frank's butt (when Samurai isn't making sexual innuendo jokes that is). Robert Z'Dar, sporting a beard and referred to as a Japanese hit-man (!), is relatively subdued when compared to his work in the same year's TANGO & CASH (has anyone tagged both ends of the film-making spectrum like that in one year?). The previously mentioned Moore and single named co-star Cameron (adult film performer Alexis Firestone) provide the requisite nudity. Interesting to see Cameron adopt a more porn sounding name for her mainstream debut. Not to be outdone, Shervan also allows B-movie vets Z'Dar and Okamura to show some skin, something I'm sure their fans have never demanded.
Lead Matt Hannon, apparently a onetime bodyguard for Stallone, gives an incredibly one-dimensional performance, mostly relying on his hair to convey his emotions. The problem is apparently Hannon cut his hair halfway through shooting and is forced to wear the funniest dime-store woman's wig ever during huge chunks of the film. The sheer fact that he fails to ever show a single emotion (outside of his hair) is a monumental achievement in itself. The fact that no one on set even bothered to mention this to him is even better. I guess the producers felt his tanned and chiseled body (along with the aforementioned hair) would do all the talking. But you know you have a problem when the male star's swimsuit is skimpier than his female co-star's.
Of course, his co-stars help him along by maintaining the same level of stiffness. Only Matt Frazer shows some form of life, hamming it up incredibly as Samurai's partner Frank. You can tell that director Shervan walked out of LETHAL WEAPON 2 (1989) that summer with visions of SAMURAI COP dancing in his head. Although the back and forth banter displayed here between partners consists of jokes about Frank's butt (when Samurai isn't making sexual innuendo jokes that is). Robert Z'Dar, sporting a beard and referred to as a Japanese hit-man (!), is relatively subdued when compared to his work in the same year's TANGO & CASH (has anyone tagged both ends of the film-making spectrum like that in one year?). The previously mentioned Moore and single named co-star Cameron (adult film performer Alexis Firestone) provide the requisite nudity. Interesting to see Cameron adopt a more porn sounding name for her mainstream debut. Not to be outdone, Shervan also allows B-movie vets Z'Dar and Okamura to show some skin, something I'm sure their fans have never demanded.
SAMURAI COP is another hilariously inept action B-movie from the guy who brought us Killing American Style. I think Amir Shervan's earlier film has the edge in terms of out-and-out cheese and comedy, but SAMURAI COP comes a close second. The title's a misnomer, brought about because there are a couple of samurai swords in the film; otherwise this is the usual cops and robbers stuff as upstanding heroes battle gun-toting criminal gang members.
This film is so much like Killing American Style it feels like they were shot back to back: the movies share cast members and look and feel exactly the same in terms of staging, fight scenes, etc. The staging is staggeringly inept, with most scenes shot in single takes, and the acting is quite horrible. The main actor, Mathew Karedas, has a long hair style that swaps from being real to a woman's wig and back again as the story goes on (the story is that he had his hair cut short halfway through the production so had to wear a wig for the rest of the filming).
SAMURAI COP is a film that nobody can take seriously, so the best thing to do is to sit back and laugh at it. In this respect it becomes something of a gem, an example of so-bad-it's-good entertainment. As with Killing American Style, Robert Z'Dar plays in support as the chief villain. Others must have enjoyed this movie, because a sequel followed in 2014 (!).
This film is so much like Killing American Style it feels like they were shot back to back: the movies share cast members and look and feel exactly the same in terms of staging, fight scenes, etc. The staging is staggeringly inept, with most scenes shot in single takes, and the acting is quite horrible. The main actor, Mathew Karedas, has a long hair style that swaps from being real to a woman's wig and back again as the story goes on (the story is that he had his hair cut short halfway through the production so had to wear a wig for the rest of the filming).
SAMURAI COP is a film that nobody can take seriously, so the best thing to do is to sit back and laugh at it. In this respect it becomes something of a gem, an example of so-bad-it's-good entertainment. As with Killing American Style, Robert Z'Dar plays in support as the chief villain. Others must have enjoyed this movie, because a sequel followed in 2014 (!).
- Leofwine_draca
- May 30, 2016
- Permalink
Where to begin?? This celluloid suppository never should have seen the light of day!
Sexist, bad script, bad concept, bad acting and obnoxious characters-- it's painful to watch.
The ONLY way I could watch this was with Rifftrax. I needed the laughs to get through this garbage.
"Just remember, it's not racist if it's incoherent.
Sexist, bad script, bad concept, bad acting and obnoxious characters-- it's painful to watch.
The ONLY way I could watch this was with Rifftrax. I needed the laughs to get through this garbage.
"Just remember, it's not racist if it's incoherent.
- sc_mackinnon
- Sep 5, 2021
- Permalink
In SAMURAI COP, Asian gang members start yelling at each other, right away! One of them, named Yamashita (Robert Z'Dar), begins killing other gangsters, apparently due to his awesomely enormous beard.
Enter police officer Joe Marshall (Matt Hannon), who starts off wearing my mom's old 1970's wig, before miraculously sprouting hair of his own! A cocaine deal "goes down", leading to a chase, with the cops driving the MYSTERY MACHINE from Scooby Doo! Bad guys are slaughtered like the nameless extras they are, followed by imitation sex between Marshall and his cop / Barbie girlfriend.
Meanwhile, the Asian gangsters scream at each other again, making Yamashita appear sedate by contrast. Marshall and his partner, Frank Washington (Mark Frazer) question a bloody guy in a sheet, while near-mannequins chatter mindless dialogue. Yamashita executes sheet man. Can Marshall catch Yamashita, before the streets run reddish with dayglo blood?
More dimwit dialogue is spoken by semi-sentient fungi posing as "actors", while Hannon teeters between his hippie-haired, toilet cleaner-snorting, Clint Westwood persona, and his goggle-eyed, Rambo / hamster with rotting of the brain. Oh yeah, and does he ever score with the ladies!
The "action" in this bust-a-gut symphony of ineptitude is a schlock addicts dream! Every scene is a priceless, irredeemable collection of nonsense! Not even the full frontal, female nudity can detract or distract from the beautiful, cluster-galaxy of rubbish unfolding before us!
Every fight scene is a ballet of buffoonery! Parts that are supposed to induce tension, only produce uncontrollable laugh spasms! The all-too-frequent sex scenes are like watching trees rubbing against each other in a heavy wind!
Thankfully, Marshall's wig returns, becoming a sort of character in itself. Actually the wig, in addition to being the best actor in the film, adds suspense, since we never know just when it might show up next! The Yamashita beard is a close second, taking our attention away from the boom mic shadow, during a crucial scene. The finale pits the wig against the beard, in a knock down, drag out, sword-swinging grimace fest, featuring wet sandbag punches and more grunting than at a corporate pig farm!
Yes! This is cinema!...
Enter police officer Joe Marshall (Matt Hannon), who starts off wearing my mom's old 1970's wig, before miraculously sprouting hair of his own! A cocaine deal "goes down", leading to a chase, with the cops driving the MYSTERY MACHINE from Scooby Doo! Bad guys are slaughtered like the nameless extras they are, followed by imitation sex between Marshall and his cop / Barbie girlfriend.
Meanwhile, the Asian gangsters scream at each other again, making Yamashita appear sedate by contrast. Marshall and his partner, Frank Washington (Mark Frazer) question a bloody guy in a sheet, while near-mannequins chatter mindless dialogue. Yamashita executes sheet man. Can Marshall catch Yamashita, before the streets run reddish with dayglo blood?
More dimwit dialogue is spoken by semi-sentient fungi posing as "actors", while Hannon teeters between his hippie-haired, toilet cleaner-snorting, Clint Westwood persona, and his goggle-eyed, Rambo / hamster with rotting of the brain. Oh yeah, and does he ever score with the ladies!
The "action" in this bust-a-gut symphony of ineptitude is a schlock addicts dream! Every scene is a priceless, irredeemable collection of nonsense! Not even the full frontal, female nudity can detract or distract from the beautiful, cluster-galaxy of rubbish unfolding before us!
Every fight scene is a ballet of buffoonery! Parts that are supposed to induce tension, only produce uncontrollable laugh spasms! The all-too-frequent sex scenes are like watching trees rubbing against each other in a heavy wind!
Thankfully, Marshall's wig returns, becoming a sort of character in itself. Actually the wig, in addition to being the best actor in the film, adds suspense, since we never know just when it might show up next! The Yamashita beard is a close second, taking our attention away from the boom mic shadow, during a crucial scene. The finale pits the wig against the beard, in a knock down, drag out, sword-swinging grimace fest, featuring wet sandbag punches and more grunting than at a corporate pig farm!
Yes! This is cinema!...
- azathothpwiggins
- Dec 14, 2018
- Permalink
"You have the right to remain silent. Dead silent." Amir Shervan (director of Killing, American Style) was responsible for this, possibly the most god awful example of bungled, inept action filmmaking of the 1980s, and remains one of the worse films ever made. He's big. He's bad. He's got serious hair issues. He's Samurai Cop! (aka Joe Marshall, played by sun-scorched, lion-maned actor Matt Hannon, a former bodyguard for Sylvester Stallone) and he's out to bring down a Japanese crime syndicate known as the Katana Gang led by the ruthless, mullet-haired Fujiyama (Cranston Kumoro) and his number-one samurai henchman Yamashita (Maniac Cop himself Robert Z'Dar). Filmed over several months, the makers of this micro budget effort couldn't even afford lighting, so they had to shoot the the entire film during the day. The actors also had to wear their own clothes and drive their own cars, with much of it shot without sound and in single takes (that kinda explains the bemused looks on the actors faces). When he couldn't get any of the bit part actors to return post production, the director just dubbed their voices himself and warped it to sound different. It does feature B movie hotties Janis Farley and Melissa Moore stripping off, but that ain't no recommendation. Unbelievably a sequel, Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance, directed by Gregory Hatanaka, founder of Cinema Epoch, was released in 2015 with Hannon (who was rumoured to have died in the early 2000's) reprising his role.
- mwilson1976
- Jun 16, 2020
- Permalink
This is one of the all time great bad movies and I adore it with every ounce of my being.
- stephenstephenbyrne
- Jul 9, 2021
- Permalink
Samurai Cop is an interesting failure. While its intention is a buddy cop knock-off, its popularity comes from its misguided nature. Everything about Samurai Cop is blatantly terrible, but so much so that it's actually hilarious. First, the dialogue is completely bizarre. Illogical plot points are bluntly delivered, character banter is downright weird, and entire conversations are pointless. The acting doesn't help since most of the cast is uncomfortable with their alien characters, struggling to make sense of their roles. Furthermore, scenes aren't sufficiently edited, showing actors out of character because they assumed the scene concluded.
Meanwhile, Samurai Cop is plagued with further technical issues. Dialogue blares out due to faulty mics. Each camera has a different color temperature, so shots in the same scene look unrelated. Action effects are comically unconvincing, and the protagonist often wears a hysterical wig. Plus, the locations are random homes with distracting decors, clearly not set for filming. Lastly, successive shots of characters from different angles just don't match. They were obviously done in different locations. Ultimately, Samurai Cop has so many fundamental flaws, it becomes quite funny. It's a fascinating watch for anyone who is into filmmaking.
Writing: 1/10 Direction: 0/10 Cinematography: 1/10 Acting: 2/10 Editing: 1/10 Sound: 0/10 Score/Soundtrack: 2/10 Production Design: 0/10 Casting: 1/10 Effects: 1/10
Overall Score: 0.9/10.
Meanwhile, Samurai Cop is plagued with further technical issues. Dialogue blares out due to faulty mics. Each camera has a different color temperature, so shots in the same scene look unrelated. Action effects are comically unconvincing, and the protagonist often wears a hysterical wig. Plus, the locations are random homes with distracting decors, clearly not set for filming. Lastly, successive shots of characters from different angles just don't match. They were obviously done in different locations. Ultimately, Samurai Cop has so many fundamental flaws, it becomes quite funny. It's a fascinating watch for anyone who is into filmmaking.
Writing: 1/10 Direction: 0/10 Cinematography: 1/10 Acting: 2/10 Editing: 1/10 Sound: 0/10 Score/Soundtrack: 2/10 Production Design: 0/10 Casting: 1/10 Effects: 1/10
Overall Score: 0.9/10.
Junk...pure junk. Watch Riff Traxx version only. Acting so bad it's funny. Could have been better produced by a group of chimps with a video camera.
A womanizing super samurai cop and his black side-kick go after the Yakuza.This film is bad..REALLY bad, it's also pretty damn funny. Matt Hannon stars as the samurai cop who looks more like a gay poolboy in the best movie of his long varied career of one film. Robert Z'dar (Maniac Cop) is the right-hand man of the bad guy. Definately a guilty pleasure movie with it's jaw-droppingly insanely stupid dialog, the horrible "action", the unneeded flamingly gay waiter, and well you just have to see it for yourself.
My bad-movie grade: A
Media Blaster Dvd Extras: Joe Bob Brigg's intro and commentary!!! (which is GREAT); Robert Z'Dar Interview; Stills gallery;Trailers for "Sex Bomb" (which is awful), "Strike Me Deadly", "Blood Shack", and "Mission Kill Fast"
Eye Candy: ALL the main actoresses get topless and one gets fully nude
My bad-movie grade: A
Media Blaster Dvd Extras: Joe Bob Brigg's intro and commentary!!! (which is GREAT); Robert Z'Dar Interview; Stills gallery;Trailers for "Sex Bomb" (which is awful), "Strike Me Deadly", "Blood Shack", and "Mission Kill Fast"
Eye Candy: ALL the main actoresses get topless and one gets fully nude
- movieman_kev
- Jun 10, 2004
- Permalink
- tarbosh22000
- Mar 21, 2011
- Permalink
This film is a bit of a ripoff of Lethal Weapon if I had to compare it to something. A completely off the wall version of Lethal Weapon, even more so than actual Lethal Weapon parody Loaded Weapon! At times it almost seems like it is a parody, I mean no police chief would sanction a bloodbath and act like the one here does. The action is a bit confusing at times as the shootouts are the type where you cannot tell where everyone is in relationship to one another and at times they fight with swords as they have to justify that samurai in the title. Still, while not a good film, it was strangely entertaining too.
The story, Joe is a special police officer who was trained in Japan. He is on loan from San Diego to stop a ruthless Japanese guy who runs an organization called the katana, though strangely this right hand man is not Japanese, but rather Robert Z'Dar, who looks pretty cool with a beard. Seriously, dude should have sported one more often. Well, they have multiple clashes with said gang and surprisingly the Japanese mob type guy cannot hire really good assassins, but rather dudes who look like they should be backup dancers in music videos from the 80's; meanwhile, Joe falls for a girl that the Japanese guy likes!
The movie would have been better had we had a less dorky looking hero. Dude looks like he is wearing a wig and we have to witness him in a speedo! His partner just stands around and shoots people before Joe has a chance to fight them and does half hearted quips. Z'Dar though, is taking the role deadly serious and therefore comes out ahead quite nicely. I was actually rooting for him during that last fight!
So, the film is a bit campy and cheesy, but I would definitely put it in the so bad it is good category. I mean, at one point you get to see a guy's arm chopped off so yeah it has its awesome moments! It is also just too insane to be good and the shootouts near the end totally suck because you literally cannot tell who is shooting who. They also really display this fat dude in a t-shirt being killed as he gets shot, tries to aim his gun, gets shot again and then falls so softly. Basically, though, you will not be bored and you will enjoy yourself as you watch this poor Lethal Weapon imitation scamper across the screen!
The story, Joe is a special police officer who was trained in Japan. He is on loan from San Diego to stop a ruthless Japanese guy who runs an organization called the katana, though strangely this right hand man is not Japanese, but rather Robert Z'Dar, who looks pretty cool with a beard. Seriously, dude should have sported one more often. Well, they have multiple clashes with said gang and surprisingly the Japanese mob type guy cannot hire really good assassins, but rather dudes who look like they should be backup dancers in music videos from the 80's; meanwhile, Joe falls for a girl that the Japanese guy likes!
The movie would have been better had we had a less dorky looking hero. Dude looks like he is wearing a wig and we have to witness him in a speedo! His partner just stands around and shoots people before Joe has a chance to fight them and does half hearted quips. Z'Dar though, is taking the role deadly serious and therefore comes out ahead quite nicely. I was actually rooting for him during that last fight!
So, the film is a bit campy and cheesy, but I would definitely put it in the so bad it is good category. I mean, at one point you get to see a guy's arm chopped off so yeah it has its awesome moments! It is also just too insane to be good and the shootouts near the end totally suck because you literally cannot tell who is shooting who. They also really display this fat dude in a t-shirt being killed as he gets shot, tries to aim his gun, gets shot again and then falls so softly. Basically, though, you will not be bored and you will enjoy yourself as you watch this poor Lethal Weapon imitation scamper across the screen!
Samurai Cop is sure to please all fans of B-cinema. There are many scenes in this gem that will have you doubled over with laughter. From the initial car chase, to the slow motion katana duel between Matt Hannon and Robert Z'Dar, this movie screams cheese. Its aborted plot revolves around the titular character, Joe Marshall, the "samurai" cop (played by Matt Hannon), who has been transferred from San Diego to Los Angeles in order to assist the LAPD in taking down the troublesome Katana gang. Marshall, so we are told, has trained with the masters in Japan, and so ostensibly has some greater insight into the inner-culture of the Katana. What his expertise is exactly is hard to say, however, because he sneeringly mumbles Japanese names as if they were utterly foreign to him. Indeed, the only thing Marshall does do effectively is hitting on every woman he meets in the most sleazy and tactless manner conceivable. With far more brawn than brain, it is pretty clear from the get-go that Marshall won't be thinking his way through this flick.
It is a film that defies all reason and good taste. Marshall inundates the movie with incredibly lame one-liners and quips, usually entailing sexual innuendo, that find there energy more so in the playful tousling of his hair than in emotion or conviction. Whenever Marshall speaks, he appears dumbfounded by what he just said, as if didn't quite understand himself. Suspending disbelief to envisage a beach bum/meathead as a samurai warrior is just too much to expect of human imagination. And the fact that he owns an ocean side residence in L.A., with outdoor pool, on a cop's salary, doesn't help matters much. The script is blatantly racist in both message and content, and is padded with several gratuitous sex scenes. Marshall's partner is the stereotypical black buffoon who is always backing up our hero (whether with firepower or by serving as the butt of his badly timed jokes) while remaining in the background; and all the female characters are either stupid, trashy, or both. Simply put, Samurai Cop's willingness to forgo all sense and sensitivity for the sake of reproducing brainless actioner fantasies ranks high on the list of B-movies.
Samurai Cop is edited in chop shop fashion; the director Amir Shervan rarely bothers to establish shots, jumping from place to place, moment to moment, without any regard whatsoever for something like "continuity." The action accomplishes the amazing feat of never once being engaging. Dialog is delivered listlessly, often coming off as disjointed, and even nonsensical. This is made manifest in a number of exchanges between characters, e.g. the police captain's wanton use of expletives (with anyone that speaks to him), Fujiyama's orders to his henchmen, and especially the speech Hannon gives to the Katana gang in a restaurant. The viewer also gets the distinct impression that there are only about fifteen sound bites recorded for this film that are looped over and over again. As for its score, it consists of a series of uninspired Casio-produced tunes repeated mercilessly that either color the film with cliché 80s sounds, or fissure a given scene with music that simply does not correspond with the actions of the characters. The general ineptitude of the film, however, results in highly enjoyable viewing experience for anyone who considers riffing on schlock to be a pastime.
It is a film that defies all reason and good taste. Marshall inundates the movie with incredibly lame one-liners and quips, usually entailing sexual innuendo, that find there energy more so in the playful tousling of his hair than in emotion or conviction. Whenever Marshall speaks, he appears dumbfounded by what he just said, as if didn't quite understand himself. Suspending disbelief to envisage a beach bum/meathead as a samurai warrior is just too much to expect of human imagination. And the fact that he owns an ocean side residence in L.A., with outdoor pool, on a cop's salary, doesn't help matters much. The script is blatantly racist in both message and content, and is padded with several gratuitous sex scenes. Marshall's partner is the stereotypical black buffoon who is always backing up our hero (whether with firepower or by serving as the butt of his badly timed jokes) while remaining in the background; and all the female characters are either stupid, trashy, or both. Simply put, Samurai Cop's willingness to forgo all sense and sensitivity for the sake of reproducing brainless actioner fantasies ranks high on the list of B-movies.
Samurai Cop is edited in chop shop fashion; the director Amir Shervan rarely bothers to establish shots, jumping from place to place, moment to moment, without any regard whatsoever for something like "continuity." The action accomplishes the amazing feat of never once being engaging. Dialog is delivered listlessly, often coming off as disjointed, and even nonsensical. This is made manifest in a number of exchanges between characters, e.g. the police captain's wanton use of expletives (with anyone that speaks to him), Fujiyama's orders to his henchmen, and especially the speech Hannon gives to the Katana gang in a restaurant. The viewer also gets the distinct impression that there are only about fifteen sound bites recorded for this film that are looped over and over again. As for its score, it consists of a series of uninspired Casio-produced tunes repeated mercilessly that either color the film with cliché 80s sounds, or fissure a given scene with music that simply does not correspond with the actions of the characters. The general ineptitude of the film, however, results in highly enjoyable viewing experience for anyone who considers riffing on schlock to be a pastime.
Watch this movie with a few friends and you will have a great time. It's far from Oscar material but it's lots of fun. People say The Room is hilarious, and sure, it has it's moments, but such moments are much more common in Samurai Cop. Also there is action, nudity and a fake lions head. What more can you want from a movie?
I cannot in good conscience give this movie high marks. The acting is uneven and over-the-top. There were a lot of decisions that the filmmakers made with this one that make you wonder what the heck they were thinking.
That being said, this movie is pure fun. It's so bad it's good, but the bad parts never make you groan or want to turn it off, which I feel is unique about this film. Even among other so-bad-it-was-good movies, there are always parts that feel utterly unwatchable. But here, the bad bits just make you laugh harder every time. Sure you have to be in the mood for this movie, but when you are it is non-stop entertainment. Recommend for those who love the very corny stuff.
That being said, this movie is pure fun. It's so bad it's good, but the bad parts never make you groan or want to turn it off, which I feel is unique about this film. Even among other so-bad-it-was-good movies, there are always parts that feel utterly unwatchable. But here, the bad bits just make you laugh harder every time. Sure you have to be in the mood for this movie, but when you are it is non-stop entertainment. Recommend for those who love the very corny stuff.