Sgt. Kabukiman, N.Y.P.D.

1990 - Troma
Directed By Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz


SYNOPSIS


The spirit of a long line of Japanese Kabuki actors is transferred into the body of a bumbling New York detective (Rick Gianasi.) Against his will, the sergeant transforms into Kabukiman with amazing superpowers (like shooting chopsticks.) He must find "The Evil One," who is destined to take over the world, and defeat him. A powerful and evil businessman (Bill Weeden) is revealed to be The Evil One. Now, Kabukiman must master his new powers and defeat the Evil One and his minions.

MY THOUGHTS

As you can tell from the synopsis (or even the title,) Sgt. Kabukiman, N.Y.P.D. is completely ludicrous.

The film is made by Troma and like all of its films, this is pure schlock.... but 'Grade A' schlock. Bad acting, over-the top story, horrible one liners, excessive violence and gore, gratuitous nudity are all traits of Troma... and are here in ample quantities. Kabukiman never takes itself seriously and is the absolutely perfect mastery of cheesiness and silliness in every possible form. Lacking the extreme violence and gore of other Troma films, this is far more accessible to the general public then their usual fair.

The film is a great send-up of the superhero genre and has a few nods to Superman: The Movie and Tim Burton's Batman. It's certainly on-par with Troma's greatest 'classic,' The Toxic Avenger.

Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.is a far cry from 'cinematic high-art' but it is a very entertaining film, ideal for a movie night/party for a group of friends looking for a fun 'bad' movie.