Samurai Cop Is The Room-Like Schlock That Reddit Thinks Is Still Worth Checking Out
There is a long and storied tradition in movie lovers of committing to the glorious hate watch. From 1970s shlock like "The Thing With Two Heads" to awful video game adaptations like the mid-'90s action disaster "Street Fighter," there are key examples of so-bad-its-good cinema going back for decades.
However, one movie has mastered the conversation around ironic quoting and relentless rewatches with regard to bad movies in the 21st century, and that movie is "The Room." Tommy Wiseau's vanity project is a comedy-drama that also stars the writer-director. It's been screened in thousands of theaters since it gained its initial notoriety in the mid-'00s.
However, it would seem that fans of awful films have found a new favorite to champion with the cheese-filled, cop-buddy action flick, "Samurai Cop!" A ridiculous mash-up of genre conventions and over-the-top acting choices, this Z movie is definitely a product of its time, and fans are seemingly eating it up as a result.
Samurai Cop looks to be as laughably bad as The Room is
On the r/movies subreddit, fans found themselves debating which movie was worse, between "The Room" and "Samurai Cop." "I actually think, from a purely objective standpoint by today's standards, 'Samurai Cop' is worse," wrote u/RangerRed02, who began the thread. "But the reason 'The Room' is more mindbogglingly bad is because while 'Samurai Cop' was a low-budget direct-to-VHS release, 'The Room' was a 5 million dollar theatrical release."
Famously, "The Room" was such a production disaster for the cast and crew that it inspired star Greg Sestero to write a behind-the-scenes memoir about his experience with the film. Still, when it comes to that specific brand of American cheese that can only be found in the action films of the '80s and '90s, "Samurai Cop!" definitely seems to scratch a very specific itch.
"I've watched both multiple times and have to go with 'The Room,' because it's trying to be good," wrote another user. "'Samurai Cop' wasn't trying to be as bad as it is, but it's still an action movie called 'Samurai Cop.'" The user makes a good point as, despite Tommy Wiseau's later claims, it's clear from the early marketing of "The Room" that he thought he'd made something truly special. Either way, fans cracking a few with their friends and sitting down with the occasional awful movie may have found their next night of ironic joy with the more obscure "Samurai Cop!"