DEATH WISH (1974) Review

Directed by: Michael Winner

Starring: Charles Bronson, Hope Lange, Vincent Gardenia

When it comes to vigilante revenge thrillers you can’t get much more iconic than the original DEATH WISH and its protagonist Paul Kersey. Becoming a veritable one man army he tasks himself with the mission of cleaning the scum from the mean streets of New York City after a home invasion leaves his wife dead and his daughter bruised both physically and mentally. And although this is far from the first movie to feature a single man waging a personal war against criminals it is easily one of the best examples out there.

Mild mannered Paul Kersey (Bronson) is an architect. He’s happily married with a lovely daughter and appears to be pretty comfortable both financially and in his personal life. But all of that changes when his wife and daughter become victim to a violent home invasion. Three thugs follow them home from the grocery store and pose as delivery boys to gain access to their apartment. Once inside they rough the women up as they search for money and then after displaying their disappointment at just how little cash is lying around they beat the shit out of Joanna (Lange) and tear off Carol's clothes before abusing her. A swift kick to Joanna’s head and they run off.
Joanna dies in the hospital but Paul’s daughter Carol is fine (physically at least) so Paul heads on down to the police station to see how the investigation is going. After getting a fairly blunt and disappointing reply Paul heads off on a work ‘vacation’ to Arizona to deal with a land development. Upon returning he is gifted with a shiny new .32 revolver which he will be using quite a lot in the coming days.
A chance run in with a mugger ends with the mugger dead and Paul holding the smoking gun. What follows is a one man mission to cleanse the streets of the city as Paul heads out at night looking for trouble with his .32. But as the bodies start piling up the police begin putting the pieces together and soon they are hot on Paul’s heels. Will they catch the vigilante killer?

I was always a little disappointed that Paul never gets revenge on the thugs responsible for his wife’s death but then I always took that to be a comment on the staggeringly high crime rate in the city at the time. This is confirmed when Paul talks to the detective heading the investigation and is told pretty much straight up that there’s not much hope of finding the offenders.

Without any real leads to follow up on Paul starts shooting up any criminals he comes across but his first victim is somewhat of an accident. I always liked the fact that he doesn't go from mild mannered, middle aged man straight to stone cold killer. The first time he shoots someone it visibly affects him and shakes him to his core. But once he realizes what he’s capable of he purposely goes out at night looking for trouble and dealing out his own brand of justice.

But simply labelling DEATH WISH as an avenger style film with an impressive body count would be to deny it its true power which comes in the form of the moral and ethical questions it raised. Can vigilantism be a good thing? To what lengths should a person go to defend themselves. The film makes an argument in favor of vigilantism by explaining the crime rate dropping after Paul’s attacks, but to its merit it also brings to light the other side of the coin. What effect will this vigilantism have in the long run? Will it whip the citizens into a frenzy where eventually they'll be attacking anybody who looks suspicious?

And although events start off pretty clean cut (Paul’s first victim is clearly attempting to mug him) they eventually wander into more ambiguous territory as Paul not only goes out seeking out muggers but even begins to shoot them while they are fleeing. This is when the notion of self-defense goes right out the window and you start questioning whether or not Paul really is doing the right thing.
Charles Bronson has never really been known as a particularly great actor but he does an outstanding job here as do just about everybody else. Even the very young Jeff Goldblum in his role as one of the thugs who invades Kersey’s apartment puts on a fittingly aggressive display.

DEATH WISH stands as el numero uno on my list of vigilante flicks but it is also much more than just that. It’s actually quite an intelligent film and is a product of its time and it does a good job of not glorifying vigilantism but instead offering arguments both for and against. On one hand you can just sit back and enjoy the ride as Paul Kersey doles out high velocity justice with his .32 revolver or you can go a bit deeper and ponder the moral questions the movie raises, really it’s up to you.
It’s not your usual Charles Bronson action fest and whether or not you'll enjoy it may depend upon your thoughts about crime and justice. I still highly recommend it to everybody though and I personally give it 9 dead muggers out of 10.

THE EXTERMINATOR (1980) Review

Directed by: James Glickenhaus

Starring: Robert Ginty, Christopher George, Steve James

Vigilante revenge flicks have always been a favorite of mine. Whether somebody has been raped or tortured or had their families killed it always feels good to see the victim get even, and then some.
THE EXTERMINATOR takes this most basic of premises and although it doesn’t really add anything new it still comes across as a decent DEATH WISH-like vigilante film.

The movie opens with an explosive Vietnam War prelude with bullets flying and bombs exploding all over the place. A small group of American soldiers find themselves surrounded and captured by the Viet Cong and after one of them is killed (in a surprisingly satisfying decapitation sequence) another soldier Mike (James) attacks the enemy and saves his fellow soldier John's (Ginty) life. Obviously taking place on a sound stage, this sequence was actually shot in only 4 days as an afterthought, perhaps to try and add something different to the film but more probably to give it a bit of an APOCALYPSE NOW vibe.

Post Vietnam and the two surviving American soldiers John Eastland and his pal Michael are settling into their civilian lives, but when Mike is mugged by a gang of street thugs calling themselves the Ghetto Ghouls, his neck is broken and he is left paralyzed and unable to speak. John swears revenge on the gang and becomes The Exterminator. But wreaking revenge on his pal’s muggers is only the first step. Next he needs a quick way to come up with some money for Mike’s family since Mike obviously can’t work anymore. Eventually he finds himself involved with an abused prostitute and soon he’s wiping all kinds of scum off of the streets. But of course not all of this goes unnoticed and soon the police and CIA are hot on his trail.
The traumatic experience of war is something I hope I’ll never have to go through, but we’ve all heard stories and seen films which show what can happen to a soldier’s mind (FIRST BLOOD being a perfect example). I suppose this was the reason the extra Vietnam scenes were added in afterwards, to give John a better excuse for flying completely off the handle.

And of course the film wants you to side with John Eastland so it throws in the type of villains you have to hate; thugs, gangsters and child molesters, leaving you to cheer on The Exterminator as he blows them all away. Well that’s the theory anyway, but John isn’t exactly the kind of guy you feel like cheering on. He’s much too bland a character and after he achieves revenge he really has no cause to kill anymore, so why does he?

After the decapitation at the movie’s beginning, I had expected the violence to continue throughout, but it’s really nowhere near as brutal or graphic as I had expected (or hoped) which was a bit disappointing.
There is a nice scene involving an industrial sized meat grinder but for an exploitation flick which was banned in more than one country you would expect to see a lot more explicit violence.

There is an unnecessary romantic sub-plot involving the cop James Dalton (George) jammed in there and also an underdeveloped plot involving the CIA which was very sloppily inserted in the film. The script and dialogue are pretty terrible (when asked what Vietnam was like, all that Detective Dalton can reply with is that “It was bad”) and the acting ranges from average to shit.

THE EXTERMINATOR isn't such a bad movie really, and for an exploitation flick it ticks all the boxes. It probably could have been a bit more violent in my opinion, but mostly by the time the credits roll the movie will make you realize just how much better a film like DEATH WISH is. Recommended for exploitation fans but others may be disappointed.

FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION: BEAST STABLE (1973) Review

Directed by: Shunya Ito

Starring: Meiko Kaji, Mikio Narita, Yayoi Watanabe

The third (and last of the franchise to be directed by Ito) FEMALE PRISONER film feels a lot different to both of its predecessors. In fact apart from a single extended sequence at the film's end, the setting is taken outside of prison walls and into the wide world beyond. But in a way the outside world seems like its own penitentiary.

Matsu has escaped prison once again and is trying her best to settle into whatever kind of 'normal' life she can. The film opens with a brilliant sequence (probably the best opening for any of the films so far) in which Scorpion is seated in a subway car trying her best to blend in. Two police officers recognize her and try to detain her. One officer manages to get a handcuff around her wrist (the other cuff around his own) but she manages to slip out the door of the train just as it is closing. The only way to escape is for her to cut off the officer's arm which she does so swiftly just in time for the opening credits in a wonderful sequence showing her running through the busy streets with a disembodied arm swinging from her wrist.
A new character is also introduced in this third film, a distraught young woman named Yuki (who coincidentally is played by Yayoi Watanabe who played Yuki in the original film) who sells her body in order to provide for herself and her mentally retarded brother. She also gives up her body for her own brother to satisfy his sexual desires.

The two women meet in a cemetery and strike up a strange kind of mutual friendship most likely fuelled by their similar predicaments. Both women are trapped in their own prisons and have next to no opportunity at living a normal life. But while Matsu responds to scenarios with her patented violent vengeance Yuki is seemingly cursed with getting fucked over and over again. Her only real means of escape is the terrible thought of killing her very own brother.

Although BEAST STABLE is still firmly an exploitation flick it is quite a bit more tame than the previous two films although it does include incest, torture, forced abortion and some nudity. And as usual no woman can take more than 5 steps outside without being accosted and having her clothes ripped off. As for the story itself it is fairly well told but at times does feel a little disjointed especially when it comes to the ending which was awesome in itself but ultimately felt almost tacked on.

Shunya Ito is a masterful director and it's a shame that over a 40 year career he has only directed around 14 films, and more of a shame that BEAST STABLE marked the end of his involvement in this series. But to be honest he chose a good time to end it because the way this film ends there is no need for any more sequels even though Meiko Kaji would later return to her role in the fourth film GRUDGE SONG.
BEAST STABLE is easily Ito's bleakest film in his trilogy which I found almost ironic since it is set in the 'free' world outside of prison. In one scene Kaji's character is even reduced to tears which is something I never would have expected. And although the symbolism from the previous movies is not quite so prevalent here there are some wonderful scenes - my favorite showing the lit matches drifting down into the dark depths of the sewer, a few at a time first and then eventually a downpour of them.

BEAST STABLE is a lot different from Ito's other FEMALE PRISONER movies and if you're looking for another WIP film then you may be sorely disappointed. However it is a great film in its own right and showcases some nice storytelling, more of Ito's unusual artful style and some decent acting. And of course once again Meiko Kaji plays the role of Scorpion to perfection.

FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION: JAILHOUSE 41 (1972) Review

Directed by: Shunya Ito

Starring: Meiko Kaji, Fumio Watanabe, Kayoko Shiraishi

The second film in the FEMALE PRISONER series is an entirely different beast when compared to the original. In fact the vast majority of the film takes place outside the prison walls, and since the women it focuses on are no longer in prison JAILHOUSE 41 isn't technically a Women In Prison movie but it's sleazy exploitation just the same.

The film opens with Matsu (Reiko) back in prison, in solitary confinement. The warden Goda (Watanabe) has decided to let her out but only for one day because a high profile inspector is visiting the prison. During a ceremony Matsu attacks the warden and a short riot breaks out but is soon quelled. Later during a prison transfer Matsu manages to escape along with six other prisoners. They take refuge in an old abandoned village while the authorities try to track them down.

Much like the first movie JAILHOUSE 41 has some excellent cinematography and director Ito has cranked up the surreal artful style with plenty of odd sequences including an interesting scene where the prisoners meet an old woman and a monologue is given for each prisoner explaining how and why they ended up in prison. There is a lot more character development this time around although more so in regards to the other six women than for Matsu herself. Particular attention is paid to Oba (Shiraishi), a woman who drowned her two year old son and then stabbed her unborn child to death. Oba and Matsu don't exactly have the best relationship. Matsu manages to get under her skin while saying basically nothing (much like the first film) but she has that deadly stare perfected and it's all she needs to drive Oba nuts.

JAILHOUSE 41 also has a nice score much like its predecessor and it reuses the Kaji sung theme song from the original along with an additional song also performed by her. However while we're on the subject of the film's audio, there are some strange sound effects incorporated in as well. Humorous "boing" noises are used for some undisclosed reason and whether they are to try and ease the harshness of the rape scene or not is not clear. Personally I found them a little distracting and felt that they didn't really fit in with the rest of the soundtrack.

Meiko Kaji does a brilliant job as Scorpion again and although her character isn't really developed much here she definitely gets more screen time than in the first film. Fumio Watanabe plays the evil warden Goda brilliantly once again and Kayoko Shiraishi does a great job as the crazy bitch Oba.

FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION: JAILHOUSE 41 is an excellent sequel and in fact I'd say it is on par with the first film. In some ways it may even be better but overall I think the original is a cut above. If you enjoyed the surreal arthouse styling of the first film then you'll love this sequel, and it still has enough exploitation goodness (including a somewhat random lesbian scene) for fans to enjoy. A brilliant follow up to the original FEMALE PRISONER movie.

FEMALE PRISONER #701: SCORPION (1972) Review

Directed by: Shunya Ito

Starring: Meiko Kaji, Rie Yokoyama, Isao Natsuyagi

Women In Prison (WIP) films are usually pretty reliable for a few things, namely a lot of gratuitous nudity, lesbian scenes, catfights, abuse, cruelty, torture, rape and evil prison guards. They are rarely anything special when it comes to story or character development but FEMALE PRISONER #701: SCORPION goes above and beyond what you'd normally expect from a WIP film. While it does exhibit nudity, violence and sadistic guards, SCORPION also has a nice strong lead, a great director, some sweet action scenes and an unusual artful edge to it. It's no ordinary WIP film.

Nami Matsushima (Kaji) is roped into helping the love of her life Sugimi (Natsuyagi) with a drug sting he is pulling at work. After being set up by Sugimi and being raped she has only one thing on her mind: revenge. An attempt to slice up Sugimi with a knife on the front steps of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters (not a smart move) goes wrong and she is arrested and thrown in prison. Although strangely Nami refused to testify against Sugimi, he still sees her as a big problem and makes a deal with another prisoner Katagiri (Yokoyama) for Nami to fall victim to an 'accidental' death in prison. But Nami has her heart set on escaping and seeking revenge against her former lover, and nothing will stop her.

The film begins with a jailbreak. Nami and another prisoner have escaped and are on the run and the warden is understandably pissed. The dogs are released and eventually Nami is returned to the prison where all of the inmates are punished for her escape attempt. Soon she not only has the prisoners against her but also another inmate Katagiri who is out to kill her, and the sadistic guards who are set on breaking her. A riot breaks out giving Nami the perfect chance to escape and get her revenge.

Despite the rape and abuse Nami is less a victim than a kind of anti-hero. She stays determined and defiant at all times and no matter how hard the prisoners and guards try to break her she stands strong and perseveres. The most amazing thing however is that she utters barely a single word (in fact this is true for the entire series of films) and instead displays her thoughts and feelings via strong facial expressions. And Meiko Kaji does a great job playing the strong, silent lead. She is beautiful and cruel, fragile and strong all at the same time. She also happens to sing the film's theme song which was later used by Quentin Tarantino in his strong female / martial arts homage KILL BILL.

The most unusual angle (and one of the highlights) is the way that SCORPION manages to so brilliantly combine the elements of trashy exploitation with a surreal arthouse style. One of the best examples is when Nami is being chased through the showers by a demonic looking Katagiri wielding a shard of glass. The experimental camera angles and lighting used throughout the film are not what you'd expect from such a movie, but they are very welcome indeed. FEMALE PRISONER #701: SCORPION is arguably the best film in the series and is a fantastic example and introduction to the WIP subgenre. For exploitation fans this one is a must see.

SEX AND FURY (1973) Review

Directed by: Noribumi Suzuki

Starring: Reiko Ike, Christina Lindberg, Ogin Shitateya

I'm not altogether familiar with Pinky Violence films and I'm sure a lot of other people are in the same boat. But I've found a nice explanation on Listal which seems to sum up the genre fairly well.

"Pinky Violence is a film genre that developed out of the Japanese New Wave in the late sixties and blossomed into it’s own during the early seventies. The term came from the way the films mixed the erotic elements found in Pink Films (a.k.a. Roman Porno) with the action and violence found in Yakuza crime films. They are often grouped in with sexploitation films because of their excessive nudity, over the top gore and low budget production. 
These films have influenced many Western directors such as Russ Meyer, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez"

So in the most basic of terms Pinky Violence films are "sexed up, bad girl action films" punctuated with lots of nudity, erotic scenes and strong female leads. I stumbled upon Grindhouse Database's "Pinky Violence: A Beginner's Guide" and as suggested I checked out SEX AND FURY for an introduction to the genre. By this point it's still the only Pinky Violence flick I've seen, but if it's representative of the genre then I am most definitely a fan.

The general outline of SEX AND FURY is simple. It's a revenge flick. A young girl witnesses the murder of her detective father by three men who escape with some important evidence. With the last of his strength the dying detective provides a clue to the identity of his killers by arranging three gambling cards with the images of a deer, a boar and a butterfly upon them. The young girl grows up and takes on the name of Inoshika Ocho (played by the lovely Reiko Ike). What the English subtitles failed to mention however is that this name is taken from the Japanese words for wild boar (Inoshishi), deer (Shika) and butterfly (Chou) which I thought was a little too important not to mention.
As simple as the revenge story is, there is enough subplot going to make sure that the movie is never boring. Ocho encounters the idealistic young man Kurokawa who is intent on seeking his own revenge upon the corrupt politicians responsible for his father's downfall. Another player entering the story is the spy Christina (Swedish import and cult favorite Christina Lindberg) who has to choose between her important work and her love for the young rebel Kurokawa. Kurokawa's past also intersects upon Ochu's as he knows of her father's murder and can help her find the men responsible.

For a movie I had never heard of before I honestly wasn't expecting too much. I decided that if I saw a good amount of boobage then I would at least be satisfied if not impressed. What I didn't count on however was just how much I would love this movie. From the opening title sequence right through until the end SEX AND FURY is a gorgeous looking film with a great soundtrack, plenty of nudity and some nice action sequences. Reiko Ike is nice and easy on the eyes and seeing her fully nude and wielding a katana against a throng of bad guys in a snowstorm is truly a sight to behold. Lindberg unsurprisingly gets naked more than once also and gives us the film's only lesbian scene.

As for the violence there is plenty of it although it's not overly gory. Having said that though there is plenty of blood spraying all over the place particularly in the final sequence which was obviously a big influence on Tarantino and KILL BILL. Although SEX AND FURY sits easily inside the genre it is so well made that it would be unfair to view it simply as a Pinky Violence flick. The cinematography is great, the fight choreography is well done, the acting for the most part is good, the sets are nice and elaborate and the entire film is a visual treat. The only qualms I had were minor. There probably could have been a little more violence particularly near the middle of the movie, and also Christina Lindberg's acting isn't exactly what you'd call great. Getting to see her naked is always a plus though.

Apart from those very minor problems SEX AND FURY is definitely a film I would recommend not only to fans of sexploitation, grindhouse and pinky violence but to movie lovers in general.

THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS (2012) Review

Directed by: RZA

Starring: RZA, Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu

As far as Tarantino-directed movies go I fucking love them all (definitely looking forward to DJANGO UNCHAINED) but the films with 'Quentin Tarantino Presents..." plastered all over their posters and dvd cases are an entirely different story. HERO? Loved it. HELLRIDE? Complete crap. So I was a bit wary in the lead-up to watching IRON FISTS. What eventually won me over was Eli Roth's name and even though I'm not a Wu-Tang fan at all, I know of their affinity with all things kung fu and so I was pretty sure RZA could at least craft a half decent throwback film. As for his acting ability... well that's a different matter entirely.

The plot is fairly simple. RZA plays a blacksmith who lives and works in a small village in feudal china. This village is also home to several warring factions including a group of warriors known as the Lion Clan. The leader Gold Lion is betrayed and killed by Silver Lion. Gold Lion's son X-Blade understandably wants revenge and along the way joins up with the blacksmith and Jack Knife (Crowe) a British emissary for the Emperor.
There's also a ton of gold being fought over, a brothel full of assassin whores and a beefcake who can change his skin into bronze. Add in a cast of eclectic characters, some wacky weapons and an assload of fight sequences and that pretty much wraps things up.

I'm confused as to why I've been hearing so much bad feedback in regards to this film. What exactly do people expect from a kung fu movie directed by one of the Wu-Tang clan and a tagline which reads 'You can't spell Kung Fu without F and U'? The trailer itself is enough to inform you that what you're going to watch is an homage to all of the old chop socky flicks of the 70s. It's not supposed to be a serious film so nobody should take it seriously.

IRON FISTS does definitely have its issues though, the biggest I think being that the movie focuses on RZA's blacksmith character. It's almost as if an old kung fu movie has been taken and the blacksmith character has been spliced in. I would have preferred if it focused on X-Blade and his quest for vengeance rather than RZA and his emotionless performance for an hour and a half. His narration isn't any better either.
The story is quite disjointed too although this may be due to the fact that the original cut was four hours long and they've decided to slice it down to a mere 90 minutes. That's a lot of missing footage. Russell Crowe's character didn't really add much to the film either and most of the time I was wondering why the fuck he was even there.

On the plus side however the movie looks fucking great. The costumes and sets are really nicely designed and detailed, the weapons are inventive, there's plenty of blood and dismemberment and the fight choreography is great. The dialogue isn't the best but whether this is done purposely to reference those cheesy kung fu flicks of old I can't be sure. There are also a heap of film references in here to if you keep an eye out. The overall style of the film is heavily reminiscent of some of Tarantino's work especially KILL BILL (the inclusion of Lucy Liu doesn't help) as well as classic kung fu films and anime. The fight scenes involve a lot of that physics-defying action that you see in a lot of martial arts films and the crazy hair and eyebrows bring back memories of watching that cheesy fucking TV show MONKEY MAGIC.

So the story may not be great, the dialogue and acting may be sub-par and the main character is an emotionless bore, but personally I think the entertainment factor and the sheer ludicrous fun easily make-up for these flaws. If you're a fan of classic kung fu films you're in for a treat, as long as you don't take this movie too seriously. It's far from the best movie I've seen this year but it's far from the worst as well. Would I watch it again? Probably. Would I recommend it to my friends? Easily.

THE EXPENDABLES 2 (2012) Review

Directed by: Simon West

Starring: Every big, burly, badass, beefcake action hero ever

If testosterone ever decided to write, star in and direct a movie you could probably expect to see something similar to THE EXPENDABLES 2. The simple premise behind THE EXPENDABLES was to try and make THE AVENGERS of action movies. Basically gather the baddest motherfuckers together to create an unstoppable force of bullets and muscle. Although the first film didn't quite deliver on what it promised, the sequel has taken everything and cranked it up to 11 and in doing so has created an infinitely entertaining piece of mindless and destructive action.

Barney Ross (Stallone) and his team of tough as nails mercenaries are approached by CIA agent Church (Willis) and tasked with recovering some sensitive cargo which was aboard a plane when it crashed. It's supposed to be a quick and easy paycheck for the Expendables but of course things don't go to plan and one of their crew ends up being killed by the ruthless villain (who coincidentally is named Vilain) played by Jean-Claude Van Damme. It seems a bit of revenge is in order. Expendables style.

Joining the cast from the first movie are the living legend Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude as mentioned, Liam Hemsworth as crack sniper Bill the Kid and Nan Yu as the innocent looking but totally capable Maggie.
Jet Li drops out early in the film which I had no problems with at all with because along with Jason Statham I never really thought he fit in that well. Unfortunately Statham is in for the long haul. But the combined forces of Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Norris, Lundgren and co. creates more than enough awesome to cancel out Statham's douchiness.

The movie get straight into the action, skipping the usual opening credits and indeed the film's title doesn't appear until around the 14 minute mark. The fast-paced introduction has explosions, bullets flying every which way, bodies piling up and finally the Expendables making their narrow escape. It is a pretty epic beginning and acts as a sign of what's to come.
The next mission which is the main focus of the movie has them run into Vilain and his vicious militants and introduces us to the Jean-Claude and his portrayal of an all round bad guy which I think he did a pretty good job at. It's the second villain he's played this year, the other being in the latest UNIVERSAL SOLDIER film.

When the Expendables lose one of their own to Vilain all hell breaks loose and Barney and his gang will stop at nothing to get revenge for their fallen comrade in addition to recovering the cargo they were hired to collect in the first place.
What follows is a huge war between the two groups with plenty of guns, bodies, explosions, zip-lines, an array of locations and a truckload of cheesy one-liners and terrible but hilarious jokes. The jokes and one-liners might seem downright stupid to a lot of people but I for one think that they added a lot more humor to the film and showed that the filmmakers and actors alike weren't taking themselves too seriously. There are references to DIE HARD, RAMBO, THE TERMINATOR and there's even a Chuck Norris joke thrown in for good measure.

This may all just sound like a lot of mindless, violent fun - but that's exactly the point! Nobody should be taking this movie too seriously, all you need to do is sit back, strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. Nobody here is in danger of winning a best actor award any time soon, but the explosive fun and fast pace and film references here are exactly what fans of these ageing action heroes want to see. This is ten times more fun and enjoyable than the first film and a must see for action fans. It is lacking in a few departments and some of the new characters didn't really add much to it, and the big finale between Barney and Vilain isn't as climactic as it could have been but apart from those few problems this is non-stop action and fun from start to finish. I wonder how THE EXPENDABLES 3 plans to top this?

AMERICAN MARY (2012) Review

Directed by: Jen & Sylvia Soska

Starring: Katherine Isabelle, Antonio Cupo, Tristan Risk

After arriving at Monster Fest’s closing night and watching Isabel Peppard’s beautifully crafted stop motion short BUTTERFLIES, Monster Pictures’ Neil Foley assured the audience that the next film to screen would be unlike anything we’d seen before. I have a habit of not taking these types of claims too serious because more often than not they turn out to be complete bullshit. However in this instance I’m glad to say that Neil was right on the money because AMERICAN MARY turned out to be not only an incredibly unique and unconventional horror movie but also easily one of my favorite films of the year.

AMERICAN MARY is the latest feature from Canadian directors Jen & Sylvia Soska who broke onto the scene a few years back with their incredible indie film DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK which has since become a firm favorite for genre fans. But as good as that movie was AMERICAN MARY is such a huge step up in almost every way. I’ll go over the plot and then get to the rest of what makes this film so brilliant.

Mary Mason (Isabelle) is a young woman making her way through medical school with hopes of being a surgeon. She is doing well with her schooling but finds herself in financial trouble so applies for a job at a seedy club in a bid to make some fast cash. Midway through her interview there’s some trouble and the club owner invites her downstairs to do some impromptu surgery. At first she resists but eventually succumbs to the temptation of five thousand dollars cash in hand. This backroom surgery opens a door to Mary through which she discovers the hidden world of extreme body modification.

As much as the plot might suggest otherwise, AMERICAN MARY does not dwell too heavily on gore. That's not to say there isn't plenty of up close and explicitly graphic scenes, but the Soska sisters know when to hold back so that the main focus is upon Mary and her story'. A story which not only includes some extreme body modification but also a rape & revenge thread and a police investigation and so much more. AMERICAN MARY is indeed an intricate and multi-faceted film but not so much that it becomes too difficult to follow or enjoy.

One of the most interesting and pleasant aspects of the film is the way that the body modification culture is treated with dignity and respect rather than revulsion and unfair judgement, indeed one of the messages the film seems to convey is the idea that people could be accepted and accept themselves for who they are. And this doesn't just apply to her patients but to Mary herself who while she may not have the most stable and conventional lifestyle seems to embrace her new-found identity.

Technically AMERICAN MARY is easily one of the more impressive movies I have seen all year and in particular with regards to its use of cinematography and lighting to create atmosphere. The make-up and practical effects are also top notch thanks to the award winning efforts of Masters FX. And of course I cannot fail to mention Katherine Isabelle's acting which was even more impressive than I would have expected, now there's an actress who deserves a lot more recognition.

Put simply I have not seen a genre film (or film of any kind) in years which I have found this impressive, enjoyable and original and especially with it being only the second feature from a pair of film-makers. The Soska sisters are definitely a pair to look out for in the future and AMERICAN MARY is in my opinion a must see film for genre fans.

THRILLER: A CRUEL PICTURE (1974) Review

Directed by: Bo Arne Vibenius

Starring: Christina Lindberg, Heinz Hopf, Despina Tomazani

THRILLER is one of those movies I've heard a lot of things about and have been meaning to see for quite some time but never got around to it until now. I'd mainly heard about it in reference to it's influential and controversial aspects, but did it live up to my expectations? Well I'm glad to say that it actually exceeded them.

THRILLER is one of the many films which deals with rape, abuse and revenge like the more well known LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, although it isn't quite your conventional rape & revenge thriller. The film starts of with a young girl who is raped by an old bearded creep. We are then introduced to the girl Frigga (Lindberg) all grown up and living with her parents in a quaint farming community. We also learn that because of her traumatic experience as a child she is completely mute. After missing the bus Frigga is offered a ride by a seemingly nice guy named Tony (Hopf) who takes her out to dinner and then back to his place for a couple of drinks. After drugging the girl and shooting her up with heroin he gets her hooked on the drug in order to work for him as a prostitute. After attacking her very first client Tony slices up her eye with a scalpel to keep her in order and for the remainder of the movie she wears a patch over one eye. But Tony isn't a complete monster because he gives her Mondays off work and she decides to use these days to her advantage. By putting away money she organizes classes to teach her how to shoot, fight and drive as she prepares a plan for revenge.

This is far from the most disturbing and extreme rape & revenge films and in fact there is not really a whole lot of gore at all, although there is the close-up scene of an eyeball being popped with a scalpel which might make some people a little uncomfortable especially since it is a real scalpel and a real eyeball. But the way the story is told is really creative and it must have been interesting to get around the fact that the main character cannot talk. The close-up shots of sweaty, grunting clients and the hardcore penetration scenes add a real gritty and dirty angle to the film and seeing the way Frigga is treated by both Tony and her clients really helps you hope that she gets the revenge she seeks. A lot of the shots used in the movie are very different and artsy and some of them work while others don't. The super slow motion death scenes were kind of neat at first but by the end they began to lose their charm.

One thing I can really give the director (and his actors) credit for is how far he has gone to add some realism to the film. Apparently the producers had to take a hefty insurance policy out of Christina Lindberg because live ammunition was used in the action scenes and for the heroin injection scenes her veins were actually injected with a saline solution. Non simulated sexual penetration was also used (I'm pretty sure they were spliced in later on) and a real cadaver was used for the eyeball scene. Some people might find using a real body for the purposes of disfigurement on film to be in bad taste but there's no arguing that it does give the movie an extra bit of realism. Also I'm sure a lot of people will be put off by the hardcore scenes but I personally thought that they were an important addition because they help portray the level of abuse that Frigga is put through.

As for its influence on other movies it is pretty obvious where Quentin Tarantino got his inspiration for the KILL BILL character Elle Driver, and I'm pretty sure the final death scene played some part in inspiring HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN as well. Also when I saw Christina Lindberg wielding a shotgun and driving a cop car around while dressed in black I couldn't help but think of MAD MAX. And I'm not quite sure but the whole rape & revenge scenario coupled with the victim being mute has to have influenced Abel Ferarra's MS .45 in some way.

There really isn't much I didn't like about THRILLER apart from perhaps a few drawn out and overused scenes but that's basically nothing. Christina Lindberg is super attractive and a great choice for a sexy and strong female lead and her transformation from innocent farm girl to brutal avenger is really well done. The cinematography is artistic and some of the shots a brilliant, and the soundtrack is quite bizarre but I loved it. If you feel you might be put off by some of the sex or even the eye scene then I suggest you hunt around for one of the other releases. The movie was released under a few different titles including THEY CALL HER ONE EYE and HOOKER'S REVENGE which have different running times although I'm not sure which parts exactly have been removed. If you want to see the movie with all of the sex and violence intact however I suggest you look for the 107 minute long THRILLER: A CRUEL PICTURE. Very highly recommended.