A serial killer is loose in Louisville and even though he leaves notes behind each killing the police can't seem to make any sense of them as they are too brief and cryptic. Not only that, but each victim is killed by a different weapon and in a different manner so his motives are hard to figure out as well. Needless to say, the lead detective on the case "Lieutenant Frank Savage" (Austin Stoker) is under a great deal of pressure to find this maniac before he can kill again. And the pressure on him intensifies even more when the maniac kidnaps "Frank's Lady" (played by Valerie Rogers). To add even more fuel to the fire, all of this plays out in an area of the country where racial tensions run deep and the fact that Frank is black doesn't help matters in the least. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a fairly decent "Blaxploitation film" produced during a time when they were all the rage. Although times have changed and this movie is quite dated, it still manages to entertain to a certain degree and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

The Zebra Killer is fast paced, violent (though without much on screen killing or gore), foul mouthed and overall a must-see cult flick.The provocative serial killer that taunts black detective Frank Savage is quite a looney tune, and he has an agenda that reminded me of a film like Seven, although that's about all there is to compare.The vibe is in my opinion quite different from other exploitation flicks; it's more directed at the hardship of a black cop in an overall white police force and in that sense has a strong feel of drama to it. Though the 'exploitation'-label is not at all unjust.Concerning the logics of the story: Savage does not come across as a clever cop that sticks to the case like cheese to macaroni, but it all just seems to unfold at its own pace. And when he finally does use his brain to make a connection, it's all done in a matter of seconds... And the identity of the killer not being black, is quite already obvious when he appears at the second hit (the bombing). These are minuses, but don't spoil the whole film though. Not at all.A great plus is the great music in it: a funky, strutting series of tracks, of which some are a little too uplifting for what is shown, to my taste (the fight between the killer and savage, and the opening scene), but one with the guitar noise at the end is just about perfect - some sort of funkrocknoise avant la lettre.I'd say a big seven, which is so big I'm making it an eight...

I was pleasantly surprised by the pacing and overall flow of this enjoyable blaxploitation flick by William Girdler. For the sake of argument, I would compare it to Marks' Detroit 9000 - though, lacking in budget (well...) and complexity, it is markedly (no pun intended) better. The highlight of the film is the maniacal baddie, again with the comparisons, who makes Dirty Harry's nemesis (name?) a gentleman in light of this deranged killer. The main character, Frank Savage, is also delightfully played with charisma and wit. Girdler's story is also interesting with generous amounts of dry humor. Contrary to what I had heard, there are no (hard) twists in the film, but there are some disturbing moments. While the murders are not particularly gruesome or graphic, the killer is just such a freak that it gives ya goosebumps - or maybe I am just a chicken. The supposed "rape" scene is somewhat implied, i.e. not-graphic, and lends itself to some interpretation on behalf of the killer's mental state (that is, did it actually happen?).There were some things that bothered me. As another reviewer here notes, Savage eats some fried chicken while investigating (the murderers and his girl's subsequent disappearance). I dont think the fried chicken was intended as a slur, BUT it becomes quite frustrating that Savage cant put together the clues (despite some given by mr.bad-guy himself) and furthermore, doesn't seem altogether too bothered by the situation at hand. Also, the brief appearance of D'urville Martin doesnt really fit into the story either. Perhaps it was meant to build the relationship between Savage and his partner, but I found it unecessary. The lack of any perceivable tension shown by the public (Kentucky seems pretty deserted, too!) doesnt really relay the (alternate) title "Panic City". AKA's aside, there's no real sense of urgency or panic demonstrated in anyone's (but the killer, really) actions. Perhaps a budget constraint??...Anyway, these are ONLY minor gripes. As a blax era film, I would go with a high score, an 8 or 9 (outta 10). As an ordinary film, perhaps a 7.Its only marginally what I would consider a blax flick - not just because it was good, which seems to not be a word in the blax reviewer's vocabulary - its more of "race film".The score, by Jerry Styner, is a hot blax score. There's also a balld sung by Richard Williams (of TV fame?) 'You My Lady'.

There's a lot of misinformation regarding this film floating around. Zebra Killer (aka Panic City, Combat Cops) stars Austin Stoker and Hugh Smith as police officers on the trail of a serial killer in Louisville, KY. The murderer goes on to kidnap and rape Stoker's lady, which drives Austin to heavy drinking and chicken eating. James Pickett offers a truly stellar performance, and D'Urville Martin makes a guest appearance in his trademark pimpsuit.Zebra Killer was originally rated PG but it received an R-rating upon release.SOURCE: williamgirdler.com