se7en45
21-08-2005, 10:39 AM
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y197/se7en45/brotherd.jpg
Well, we're back in the hands of the notorious Billy Tang. It's official, in my books he's the Chinese equivalent of Abel Ferrara. He is the undisputed king of sleaze, violence and nastiness. Nobody comes close.
This story is supposedly based on a true story. It's about two brothers, one good and one evil, and how their lives impact upon one another. The good brother is constantly bullied and eventually he learns martial arts and he turns the tables on bully-boy. The End. In between The Beginning and The End you have loads of rapes, cigarettes being snuffed out on bare buttocks, knifings, stabbings, swearing, sex in front of the elderly parents, etc. It's another regular Sunday in Church then.
The main players from DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS and RED TO KILL are back and this time the performances are very good indeed. Gone is the slapstick humour and in comes a sombre tone. About damn time. The film is technically very good, the lighting, music and camera angles are all very professional and slick. Tang choreographs the rape scenes in such a way as to identify the rapist with the viewer. This is both disturbing and irresponsible and will probably never get past the BBFC.
The Universe DVD has optional English subtitles that are, for the most part, more than acceptable for this type of fodder. The transfer is good and showcases the Bava-esque cinematography very well. However, there are some scenes that suddenly drop in quality. This, I think, is where the editors have spliced in the uncut stuff. This extra footage has not been restored and the re-insertions are glaring and badly inserted. At these moments the sound also takes a dive for the worse. Still, you can't complain too much because the film is a cheap bargain and will probably never get another release.
It's a crazy film but one that I have to recommend because it's the type of film that has become a rare entity in this day and age. Then again, there seems to be some kind of mini-resurrection going on. You only have to take a look at THE DEVIL'S REJECTS and WOLF CREEK.
Roll on more.
* * / * * * * *
Average.
Well, we're back in the hands of the notorious Billy Tang. It's official, in my books he's the Chinese equivalent of Abel Ferrara. He is the undisputed king of sleaze, violence and nastiness. Nobody comes close.
This story is supposedly based on a true story. It's about two brothers, one good and one evil, and how their lives impact upon one another. The good brother is constantly bullied and eventually he learns martial arts and he turns the tables on bully-boy. The End. In between The Beginning and The End you have loads of rapes, cigarettes being snuffed out on bare buttocks, knifings, stabbings, swearing, sex in front of the elderly parents, etc. It's another regular Sunday in Church then.
The main players from DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS and RED TO KILL are back and this time the performances are very good indeed. Gone is the slapstick humour and in comes a sombre tone. About damn time. The film is technically very good, the lighting, music and camera angles are all very professional and slick. Tang choreographs the rape scenes in such a way as to identify the rapist with the viewer. This is both disturbing and irresponsible and will probably never get past the BBFC.
The Universe DVD has optional English subtitles that are, for the most part, more than acceptable for this type of fodder. The transfer is good and showcases the Bava-esque cinematography very well. However, there are some scenes that suddenly drop in quality. This, I think, is where the editors have spliced in the uncut stuff. This extra footage has not been restored and the re-insertions are glaring and badly inserted. At these moments the sound also takes a dive for the worse. Still, you can't complain too much because the film is a cheap bargain and will probably never get another release.
It's a crazy film but one that I have to recommend because it's the type of film that has become a rare entity in this day and age. Then again, there seems to be some kind of mini-resurrection going on. You only have to take a look at THE DEVIL'S REJECTS and WOLF CREEK.
Roll on more.
* * / * * * * *
Average.