Rating of
2.5/4
Not as Cruel as I Had Hoped
Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/14/09
As revenge flicks go, this was pretty cruel, although I don't agree with Tarantino that it was so brutal. Cult Swedish starlett Christina Lindberg is the heroine hooked on heroin, who plots gun-toting, race-car driving revenge and deservedly so. I can't think of a worse thing to do to a person than get them hooked on drugs and force them into prostitution (well, I can think of worse things, but it's still a vile thing to do).
Now, I have the uncut version. People say this is the version to see because of the very disturbing scalpel-in-the-eye scene. Also, it adds some completely unnecessary sex scenes that add nothing to the film as they aren't in the least welcome and obviously spliced in from a totally different movie. Lindberg is fine on her own, there's a reason she's a cult icon, no need to add any more to it.
The story is pretty straight-forward, but the reason is falls apart at the end is that the so-called revenge scenes are pretty tame. Everything is slo-mo, fights, shooting, etc. and I found it distracting. It goes on forever (especially the "fight" with the cops) and gets to be almost laughable at times. After all the fun training and planning scenes, eye removal, prostitution - it pretty much sputters to a stop.
If you're into revenge films, 70s exploitation or just like Christina Lindberg, then this will be right up your alley. It's a limited audience for sure, but it's a worthy entry into the genre.
