Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. (1991)

When you look at the Sunday “Bad” Movies, you might notice that there are a few frequent sources that the movies come from.  Of course there are suggestions from fine readers like you, but I’m talking studios and such.  There are the Lifetime and Hallmark movies that pop up now and again that are television quality, and usually pretty terrible.  There are the movies of The Asylum, which was one of the main inspirations for me being interested in bad movies.  They got me into having fun with this kind of stuff.  Then, of course, there is the studio that made today’s movie.

Troma has been around since 1974 and has produced many well-known movies in the wheelhouse of this blog.  I’ve covered thing like Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead and The Toxic Avenger before.  Those two movies, as well as the Toxic Avenger sequels, were directed by studio founder Lloyd Kaufman and produced by studio founder Michael Herz.  A few Troma distributed movies that may not have been produced by the company have also been featured in the Sunday “Bad” Movies.  Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town comes to mind immediately when I’m thinking of an example.  This week’s movie falls under the first kind of Troma movie.  It was produced in house and directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz.

Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. has a complicated history in terms of release date.  It was ready to be released in 1990, and got a very limited release in 1991, but never went wide into theaters until 1996.  It had to be recut from an R-rated movie to PG-13 to get the theatrical distribution that Troma wanted.  Maybe that’s not as complicated as I thought.

The movie followed Harry Griswold (Rick Gianasi), a detective for the New York Police Department.  He went to see a Kabuki show and was witness to an assassination of the show’s cast.  When he ran on stage to stop the perpetrators, he was kissed by the dying star of the show.  This kiss brought with it the powers of Kabukiman, a Kabuki inspired superhero.  Harry had to use his newfound Kabuki powers to stop The Evil One.

There are five main things I want to write about for Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.  Three of them were how it influenced or was influenced by other movies that Troma has released.  The other two points have to do specifically with the movie and how it was made.  All five are important to mention when writing about this movie since they help to make this movie what it is.

The Contrasting Ideas of What Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. Would Be

Two directors worked on Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.  They were Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, the cofounders of Troma.  The two had worked as a directing pair on many movies before, including the three Toxic Avenger movies that had been released at the time.  Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. would be the final film that Herz directed, and with good reason.  The two directors couldn’t agree on the feel of the movie.

Michael Herz and Namco, the Japanese company that was helping fund the production, wanted to make a film that targeted a younger, child-friendly audience.  Some of this still showed through in the final product.  Kabukiman had a child-friendly look, and his weapons included silly things like chopsticks.  He harnessed his power through haiku.  At one point, he accidentally turned into a clown instead of a Kabukiman.  It felt like an idea for kids.  Lloyd Kaufman didn’t agree.

Kaufman wanted Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. to fit into the regular Troma oeuvre.  He wanted the sex and violence.  That also came through in the final product.  Kabukiman had sex.  His coworker was assaulted in the park, having her shirt pulled down to expose her breasts.  The Evil One was a monster that had a monster penis.  A children’s party was shot up by the bad guys.  A man was impaled with a sword.  Many people were killed with firearms.  It was very adult.

The two styles clashed throughout Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. to create a weird mixture.  It was an immature story with mature themes.  It was a story for children with the sex and violence of adult films.  Perhaps that is why the character has stayed in the memories of people who watch Troma movies.  Or maybe it’s because of the next point.

Sgt. Kabukiman Has Appeared in Other Troma Work

There are three specific things following Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. that have featured the title character.  None of them have been a direct sequel to the 1991 movie.  James Gunn once directed the character in Sgt. Kabukiman Public Service Announcement, a parody of PSAs that was featured in Troma’s Edge TV.  There is also a show currently on YouTube called Kabukiman’s Cocktail Corner.  But neither of these were the featured role that related most to the Sunday “Bad” Movies.

When Troma decided to continue The Toxic Avenger franchise with a movie that would eventually be released in 2001, they brought the character of Sgt. Kabukiman into the story.  In the 1991 Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D., the character was a fairly serious superhero in a comedic setting.  Harry Griswold was a good police officer going through changes to become a superhero.  When he returned in Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV, Sgt. Kabukiman was a disgraced hero.  Nobody took him seriously anymore.  He was a drunk.  Basically, the character was the comedic relief.  It was a big change, but a way to continue the character’s escapades.  This was my introduction to the character, and it would be his inclusion in the Toxic Avenger franchise that would inspire me to watch his solo movie.

The Mention of Tromaville

Throughout Troma’s filmography, one thing that has been present has been the city of Tromaville.  It was the setting of The Toxic Avenger.  The health club where Melvin Ferd was turned into Toxie was in Tromaville.  Class of Nuke ‘Em High was set at Tromaville High School.  The American Chicken Bunker in Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead was in Tromaville.  There is a shared universe in the Troma films, with many movies playing out in the same fictional town.

Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. didn’t take place in Tromaville.  It took place in New York.  The name kind of spells that out with the N.Y.P.D. part standing for New York Police Department.  There was a mention of Tromaville, though.  During a scene where a bunch of the bad guys were loading up a truck, they mentioned that the stuff was going to Tromaville.  Even when it wasn’t the setting of the movies, it was still a part of them.  The characters knew the town.  They were in the same world.  It’s sort of like how Stephen King uses Castle Rock, Derry, or Salem’s Lot as fictional locations to his stories.  Tromaville is the Troma version of that.  It’s a place that brings everything together in the fictional world.

The Car Crash

Many of the movies produced by Troma since Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. have featured the same clip of a car crashing, flipping, and exploding.  The car crash has become a trademark of the company.  It originated during a chase scene in the middle of Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.  Harry Griswold confronted the bad guys and tried to turn into Sgt. Kabukiman.  He hadn’t yet harnessed his powers and ended up accidentally becoming a clown.  When he realized that the clown wouldn’t be able to do much to fight, he ran away, hopped on a tricycle, and started a chase.  About halfway through the chase, the flip happened.

There was some confusion in the 1990s about where the car flip originated.  Though Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. made its limited theatrical debut on the first day of 1991, it wouldn’t get a wide enough release to be known until 1996.  That was the year when a PG-13 version was cut and released.  That was the same year that Tromeo and Juliet came out.  The Troma adaptation of the classic Shakespeare play used the same car flip footage.  Because both movies became widely distributed around the same time, people were unsure of which movie the footage came from.  It has since been used in many Troma movies including Terror Firmer and Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.

Sgt. Kabukiman Had a Theme Song

As a last little note that I want to write about, the character of Sgt. Kabukiman had a theme song that played during the movie.  The most notable occurrence was when it played over a montage about an hour into the movie, where Sgt. Kabukiman fights crime throughout New York.

Every superhero could use a good theme song or song about them.  Batman has the 1960s theme from the show.  Spider-Man has the theme from the cartoon.  Superman has all kinds of songs that reference him, plus that great instrumental theme from Superman: The Movie.  Toxie had a theme song.  It just helps to build the legend of a superhero if there is a song that can be associated with him or her.  If there is a recognizable piece of music that can be paired with a hero, it makes them into a bigger persona.  They seem larger than life.  That’s why it’s great to have Sgt. Kabukiman get a theme song of his own.

There was a lot to take away from Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.  Most of all, it’s a fun Troma movie.  It might not be the best of what they’ve put out, but it has that Troma goofiness that brings me back to the studio again and again.  There’s sex, violence, and really cheesy jokes.  It’s entertainment, even if it’s grotesque entertainment.

Though the days of Troma being a force in the filmmaking world are past, it’s still easy to go back to their older stuff and see what made them popular.  That might be the wrong word.  You can see what made them a cult studio.  People watched their movies.  People enjoyed their movies.  People revisit movies like The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke ‘Em High, and Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. and still have a good time with them.  They aren’t great, but they’re entertainment.  That’s why I continuously go back to them.  They’re entertaining even if they aren’t well made.  I’m entertained by them.  They will always have a place in my heart and a place in the Sunday “Bad” Movies.

These notes will also have a place in the Sunday “Bad” Movies:

• Let’s start with the Troma distributed movies that have been covered.  Chopper Chicks in Zombietown, Monster in the Closet, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, the Toxic Avenger movies, and Killer Condom.
• Lloyd Kaufman directed Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.  He also directed Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead and the Toxic Avenger movies.
• Michael Herz was the other director of Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.  He directed the first three Toxic Avenger movies.
• Joe Fleishaker was in Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.  He appeared in Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, The Toxic Avenger Part II, The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, and Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV.
• Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. was also the fifth Sunday “Bad” Movies appearance for Rick Collins, who was in all four Toxic Avenger movies.
• Traci Mann was in Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D., as well as Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, The Toxic Avenger II, and The Toxic Avenger III: The Last Temptation of Toxie.
• Also making a fourth Sunday “Bad” Movies appearance was Charlotte Kaufman, who was in Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, The Toxic Avenger Part II, and Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV.
• Lisa Gaye showed up in Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.  She was in all of the Toxic Avenger sequels.
• Lily Hayes Kaufman and Lisbeth Kaufman were in Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.  Both were in Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead and The Toxic Avenger Part II.
• Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. was the third Sunday “Bad” Movies appearance for Patricia Kaufman.  She had previously been featured in The Toxic Avenger and The Toxic Avenger Part II.
• Three actors appeared in The Toxic Avenger Part II, The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, and Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.: Marc Allan Ginsberg, Phoebe Legere, and Phil Rivo.
• Two actors were in The Toxic Avenger Part II before showing up in Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.  They were Jeffrey W. Sass and Andrew Wolk.
• Bill Weeden was in both Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. and Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV.
• Thomas Crnkovich made a return to the Sunday “Bad” Movies with Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. after first being featured in Dorm Daze 2:College @ Sea.
• Michael Artura came back into the Sunday “Bad” Movies in Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.  He had previously been in Money Train.
• There was an actor named Tony Masa who was in both Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. and Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman.
• Finally, Mario Joyner made an appearance in Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. after appearing in Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star.
• Have you seen Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.?  Have you seen any movies put out by Troma?  What do you think of their movies?  Let me know in the comments.
• You can also use the comments or my Twitter to let me know what movies I should be checking out in future Sunday “Bad” Movies weeks.  I’m always open to suggestions.
• I have a snapchat that I tend to use to build stories out of the clips of the bad movies I watch.  If you want to see that, add me.  jurassicgriffin
• Next week is a pretty big week as it’s week 260.  That means that next week will be a franchise week.  The franchise in question is Ghost Rider and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.  These are two Marvel movies outside of the MCU that are both not very good.  If you want to see what I have to say about them, join me next week.  See you then.