Karate Cop

Karate Cop is a 1991 direct-to-video martial arts action film. It is the sequel to the film Omega Cop. It is set in the post-apocalyptic near-future about a karate-trained police officer struggling to keep order in a chaotic, unstable totalitarian society. It stars Ronald L. Marchini in the main role; David Carradine makes a cameo appearance.

Plot

An environmental holocaust, which happened because the sun created an onslaught of solar flares made up of red-hot, radiation ridden plasma that nearly destroyed Earth. This left the atmosphere ridden with solar radiation and increased the global temperature greatly. Because of this catastrophe, it leaves almost every human on earth dead, devastates the environment, and collapses all of society and the global economy. Crime rates have drastically increased, and the few human beings left have decided to fend for themselves, therefore, much of the world, including America, have become totalitarian governments. The people in control are gangs of rampaging marauders. In post-apocalyptic America, the once sovereign society has become a corrupt, crime ridden totalitarian wasteland. The few remaining citizens are either hiding in devastated urban areas or are in control of by a series of gangs that now rule the cities with an iron fist. A former cop, John Travis, is a martial arts expert and spends his days undercover, walking across the barren urban landscape. Travis is doing his best to maintain some kind of order, despite the fact that the gangs slowly weed each other out by fighting in large arenas to create the most powerful gang that would control the government.

Cast

Ronald L. Marchini as John Travis
Carrie Chambers as Rachel
Michael E. Bristow as Snaker
D.W. Landingham as Lincoln
Michael M. Foley as Lincoln's Champion
Dana Bentley as Lincoln's Woman
Dax Nicholas as Cal
David Carradine as Dad
Vibbe Haugaard as Mica
Warren Reed as Fat Scav
Jeffrey K. Lee as Sneaker
Lorraine Swanson as Tess
Denny Grayson as Priest
Kelli Gianettoni as Dancing Dahlia
Stephen W. Sargent as Danny

Release

The film was a direct-to-video release, so totals of how many units it sold are unknown. The film was a sleeper hit, and did not receive much attention. Therefore, it nearly slipped into obscurity. However, years later, it has since been rediscovered and has gained a small cult following. The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, who initially criticized the film for its acting and plot. However, almost all critics have praised the film for its carefully researched and extensively choreographed action sequences.

External links

• Karate Cop at the Internet Movie Database
• Karate Cop at AllMovie
• Karate Cop at the TCM Movie Database