Written by: Michael Den Boer on August 23rd, 2008
Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, December 2nd, 1976
Director: Chung Sun
Writer: Kuang Ni
Cast: Ping Chen, Hua Yueh, Wei Szu, Ching Tien, Yang Chiang, Shen Chan, Tse Lin Yang, Feng Lin, Peng-fei Li, Eva Lin, Chien Yu, Lan Mi
DVD released: December 5th, 2003
Approximate running time: 87 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Mandarin
Subtitles: English, Traditional Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian
DVD Release: Intercontinental Video/Celestial Pictures
Region Coding: Region 3 NTSC (Hong Kong)
Retail Price: $12.81 ($100HK)
Synopsis: A young woman named Gao Wan Fei takes the law into her own hands when the police are less than helpful in bringing the men to justice who drugged and raped her younger sister.
The Sexy Killer was directed by Chung Sun who other notable films include To Kill a Mastermind, Human Lanterns and The Avenging Eagle. Visually The Sexy Killer most memorable scene is Kao Wan Fei final rampage of death shot primary in slow-motion. Kao Wan Fei cuts down every one in her path with her shotgun. She even destroys a wall of mirrors and a water-bed. Besides these moments of slow motion director Chung Sun keep’s things visually appealing throughout. The killings and onscreen violence is not as shocking as it could have been for e revenge themed film. The plot for The Sexy Killer bears many similarities to the film Coffy. Most notably how both films feature leads characters who are seeking vengeance against those responsible for getting their sister hooked on drugs.
The simplistic plot revolves around sleazy drug dealers who take advantage of young woman by getting them hooked on drugs. One thing about the plot that sticks out like a sore thumb is a detective that has a thing for Kao Wan Fei the woman who is killing off the drugs peddlers who poisoned her sister doesn’t realize that she is behind the killings even though the evidence is right before his eyes. I guess love is blind at least in the eyes of the law. Story wise The Sexy Killer doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Despite recycle themes prominent in countless revenge themed films the end result is still very entertaining. A lot of what makes this film so enjoyable is the performance from its lead actress Ping Chen (Kiss of Death). All the bad guys in the film are gloriously over the top especially the sadist Boss who runs the organization that is selling the drugs.
The DVD:
The Sexy Killer is given an anamorphic widescreen that preserves the films original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The image looks sharp throughout with colors nicely saturated and flesh tones looking accurate. Even though the transfer is interlaced the image does remain stable throughout.
This release comes with one audio option a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix of the films Mandarin language track. The audio is clean and clear. The audio mix despite being remixed into Dolby Digital 5.1 from its original mono source is not as robust as it could have been with a few scenes were the audio sounds stretched out. Removable English, Traditional Chinese, Malaysian and Indonesian subtitles have been included.
Extras for this release include a trailer for The Sexy Killer and trailers for other Shaw Brothers films currently available on DVD from Intercontinental Video/Celestial Pictures. The remaining extras are a photo gallery and cast & director filmographies/biographies. The Sexy Killer gets its best home video releases to date via Intercontinental Video/Celestial Pictures more than affordable DVD release.