A Chinese Torture Chamber Story

Not being the typical hong-hong film fan (actually I have seen very few HK films) but having seen many of the world's most extraordinary films, I have to say that I loved "Chinese torture chamber story" in a very special way.

Most reviews here, although not losing the point, are representative of the western exploitation-type-of-viewing, with which I cant't really identify with, at least in regard with this film. I actually thought this blending of comedy, horror & erotica resulted in a most magnificent, poetic, weirdly funny, wildly violent result. This is quite unlike everything I have ever seen - I always had a tension to love any original and extraordinary film.

Okay, I admit, I have seen the majority of violent & strange films, so it's quite understandable that I am not offended or shocked by the bold erotic element or the horrific tortures, and so I could dive in deeper in the films story and concept which is by no means shallow. I have the feeling that it's for the most part the filmmakers craft and smart use of humour and the way the story was presented make the violence & erotica a means to a higher end. Yet, extreme violence is not hidden or implied - on the contrary, it's on display every once in a while.

Go after this film, if you can tolerate some violence, this is one of those one-of-a-kind films which can make the difference....

This film revolves around the plight of the oddly named Little Cabbage, a servant girl who finds herself in a heap of trouble after she takes up voyeurism. Through a series of plot twists too long to summarize here, she ends up accused of murder and facing a judge with some rather unpleasant methods for extracting confessions.

This is Hong Kong Category III cinema at its weirdest, a grotesque mixture of sex, comic sex, sexual violence, torture, and even a comedic rape scene meant to challenge the viewer's limits. It will either have you laughing aloud or running for the bathroom with your hands over your mouth. It also has an ending that will have you pounding the table and yelling "Now THAT'S justice!"

In seriousness, the film does have a certain level of misogyny. The torture scenes involving females are shown very graphically, and there is a somewhat disconcerting theme of sexual pleasure being fine for a man while totally unacceptable for a woman. However, the film itself is so broad and over the top that it is difficult to be too offended by it.

My favorite part of this bizarre movie, aside from the graphic violence and sex, was the poorly translated and wholly inappropriate sub-titling. The entire film already had me precariously balanced between disgust and hilarity, but the way they presented some of the dialogue pushed me over the edge into falling-out-of-my-chair laughter. What sticks in my mind the most (apart from the exploding phallus and aerodynamic coitus) was a scene where a woman in the midst of seriously pounding and fairly graphic sex moans something that was translated as "So comfortable... so comfortable..."

When I got this movie I assumed by the title that it would be ALL about torture. This is not the case. Within all the comedic scenes with the kung-fu sexaholics and the invisible guy, I did find satisfaction in knowing that the two main characters did seem to love each other. As I was sitting there watching, I thought, "Oh, what a horrible movie." I am a huge fan of the actress Gong Li (who does not appear in this movie) but a new interest has sparked within me for the young Yvonne Yung. I will be looking up some more of her movies. As far as a recommendation for you, I would say, it's twisted, funny & weird with lots of titties. If you can stomach that kind of stuff, then you should be able to get through this. Yvonne Yung makes it worth the watch. Beware: It's subtitled, so pay attention!

I've seen so many Hong Kong movies now that when I eventually came to watch this notorious Category III melodrama I took it all in my stride, but thinking back on it now, it has to be one of the most startling viewing experiences available to any viewer unfamiliar with HK cinema. Its part of a string of CAt III movies seeking respectability through use of historical settings (Sex and Zen, Sex and the Emperor, Lover of the Last Empress etc.), and for all its horrors, its not as sickening as Escape from Brothel or Eternal Evil of Asia. Yvonne Yung-Hung has perfected a set of wounded facial expressions that render her a perfect victim/fantasy figure, and feminist critics will find much to deplore in films like this, finding as they do eroticism in sadistic beatings of defenceless women - when one couple is executed, we only hear about the man's horrible death, but we see a graphic depiction of the woman's killing by wooden horse/dildo contraption. This movie is packed with ideas of how to find sexual grotesquerie in contortions of the human body, and the motif of escalating levels of torture is perfectly apt for Wong Jing's style of producing imaginative variations on his favourite preoccupations of sex and violence. He's only the producer, but his presence is tangible - I guess his closest Western equivalent might be Roger Corman. Fans of historical Cat III films will be pleased to see that the great Elvis Tsui once more steals the show with some spectacular sexual wirework.