Karate Cop

the 1973 Chuck Norris film

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.

After an environmental holocaust caused by solar flares nearly destroyed the Earth the atmosphere is ridden with solar radiation and global temperatures had risen greatly. This catastrophe left almost every human on earth dead, devastated the environment, and causes societal collapse. Crime rates have drastically increased, and the few human beings left have decided to fend for themselves and much of the world has seen the rise of gangs of rampaging marauders. In post apocalyptic America, the once stable society has become a corrupt, crime ridden totalitarian wasteland. The few remaining citizens are either hiding in devastated urban areas or are controlled by various 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 as the gangs slowly weed each other out by fighting in large arenas to create the most powerful gang and thus control the country.

The film was a direct to video release, so the number of units sold is unknown. The film did not receive much attention and nearly slipped into obscurity; however, it has since been rediscovered and gained a small cult following. The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, who 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. Rifftrax has released a riffed version of the movie on September 24, 2019.