a review of 鬼面公仆

2021 Cult Movie Challenge Week 20: Bruce Campbell Week There was a moment about 20 minutes into this movie where I had to double-check the cast list to make sure Bruce Campbell was actually in this one, because it sure seems one whole heck of a lot like a Tom Atkins movie for at least the entire first act. It's an interesting switcheroo, especially because it comes at a point in Campbell's career where it wasn't always clear whether he was going to be the hero or just cannon fodder. The Larry Cohen script contains more of his hamfisted but sincere social commentary (as seen in "God Told Me To" and "The Stuff"), and Atkins' character appears to be pretty much the only NYPD detective this side of Frank Serpico to give a shit about police brutality. It makes me wonder what Nicholas Winding Refn's approach to the material is going to be for his upcoming HBO series adaptation, insofar as our understanding of the kinds of things that big-city police forces will cover up has certainly evolved in the past 30+ years.