Red to Kill

RED TO KILL is tied for #1 (with THE UNTOLD STORY...) as my favorite Cat III HK shocker that I've seen so far. Though extremely violent by nature of the films brutal subject matter, RED TO KILL still beautifully, thoughtfully, and compassionately relates the child-like innocence and loyalty of the mentally handicapped. RED TO KILL is the story of Ming-Ming, a mentally retarded girl whose father is killed in a car accident. Ming-Ming is then taken to a home for mentally handicapped kids by Ms. Lok, a compassionate and kind-hearted social worker. Ming-Ming is also greeted by Mr. Chan, a seemingly benevolent and considerate caretaker at the home. Soon Ming-Ming begins to make friends and falls into the daily life at the home, and all seems well, until... And this is where RED TO KILL really takes off. Mr. Chan turns out to be a psychopathic rapist who goes completely out of whack at the sight of any woman wearing any red clothing. After seeing Ming-Ming perform a very innocent dance routine adorned in a red dress, Chan flips the f**k out, and brutally rapes Ming-Ming. Chan is hauled into court but let off due to a technicality. Ms. Lok, who by this point has grown very fond and protective of Ming-Ming, decides to take matters into her own hands and bait Chan into coming after her, in hopes of seeking revenge for the rape of Ming-Ming. Unfortunately, this scheme sorta backfires, leading up to one of the most incredible climaxes in film history. Anyone judging this film solely on the violent nature of RED TO KILL is missing the point entirely. Of course, due to the graphic portrayal of rape and violence, this film is not for all tastes, by any means. But unlike other reviewers who insist on classifying this as violent, gory, exploitation cinema - I feel that in many ways this is a beautiful film that works on many levels. All of the actors are dead-on, whether it be Lily Chung as the lovable, innocent, victimized Ming-Ming, or Money Lo as the compassionate and fiercely loyal Ms. Lok, or especially Ben Ng as Chan, the friendly-care-taker-by-day and psychotic-rapist-murderer-freak by night (whose performance is one of the best that I've ever seen on film, period). The film never tries to portray the mentally handicapped as weak or inferior and really goes out of it's way to shed a pleasant light on those individuals that have mental disabilities. One scene in particular has Ming-Ming sitting in a corner after the trial of Mr. Chan; she is shocked and catatonic due to the nature of the preceding incidents that she obviously can't truly fathom. The other handicapped children are offering her gifts and support to help bring her around, but to no avail. All this while Ms. Lok looks on helplessly with tears in her eyes. The compassion shown in that one scene alone was more touching than pretty much any Hollywood drama bulls**t that I've ever seen. This could have been a truly exploitative film, but I feel the director handled all of the situations with care and compassion, to faithfully tell a story of lost innocence. Now that I've raved about RED TO KILL for so long-I do have one gripe...My copy comes from a company called Universe who did THE WORST SUBTITLING JOB, EVER!!! I see another reviewer quoted the "Crash your Penis" line, so I guess he got the same copy I did. The subtitling is so disjointed in parts (if you speak English, that is...) that a few scenes are almost unintelligible, or unintentionally funny. It doesn't really impact the overall impression of the film, but it can be confusing at times. Overall, I love this movie. There are definitely some intense and graphic scenes of rape and violence that casual film-goers would probably be repulsed by. This film is in my opinion not as gory as THE UNTOLD STORY, THE GUINEA PIG films,etc... but still only recommended for those who enjoy "extreme" cinema. A beautiful, compassionate, horrifying, disturbing film. Highly recommended 9/10

"Red To Kill" is a controversial Cat III film from Hong Kong's "Billy" Tang ("Run and Kill", "Dr. Lamb"). It's uncompromising stuff - the treatment of its subject matter is bordering on being extremely tasteless but I found the director managed to keep the film on the right tracks thanks to moving and realistic performances by the main actors.

Briefly, the movie tells the tale of a psychopathic rapist who just happens to be a doctor in a home for people with learning difficulties, and a girl, Ming-Ming, who is living in the home. The sight of the colour red sends the mad doc' into a murderous, sex-crazed rampage and the results are pretty strong and not for those of a nervous disposition.

"Red To Kill" isn't a "feel good" movie and you may indeed feel like a hot shower after viewing it. I felt more than a little dirty that I had enjoyed the film...be warned - it doesn't pull its punches....

Worth checking out if you're a fan of the harder-edged HK productions.

"Red to Kill" is one of the classic Category III psycho-sicko flicks.It is about the teacher of retarded children who goes completely crazy in front of color red because of one trauma.He falls in love with one of his students,a childlike teenage girl but soon discovers her red underwear.What follows is an unspeakable acts of terror,rape,self mutilation and very disturbing violence."Red to Kill" is extremely strong and disturbing piece of horror.This is the kind of film even 'jaded' HK cinema fans seem to dislike and judge as sick and repellent.Of course it's gratuitous but has also some interesting points and thoughts about society's care for retarded people who can,and sometimes are much more 'human' and kind than the normal ones.The scene after he brutally raped one of the retarded girls where she is standing alone in the shower traumatised and hacking away at her pubic hair with a razor blade whilst murmuring "dirty...dirty...dirty!" is a jaw dropper.So if you're a fan of extreme cinema give this little gem a look.9 out of 10.

RED TO KILL (Ruo Sha)

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Sound format: Mono

Though Chinese filmmakers have long been fascinated with images of violence and bloodshed - from the vintage horror films of Ma-xu Weibang through to Chang Cheh's splattery kung fu pictures of the 1970's - it wasn't until the early 1990's that Hong Kong horror movies found a new and unexpected foothold within the cultural mainstream, due to a wave of 'true crime' dramas spearheaded by DR. LAMB (1992) and THE UNTOLD STORY (1993), both helmed by Danny Lee (Chow Yun-fat's cop nemesis in John Woo's THE KILLER). For a brief period, the former colony played host to a wave of confrontational 'Category III' (Adults Only) movies, dominated by the work of controversial director Billy Tang. Already notorious for a scene in RUN AND KILL (1993) in which a little boy is burned alive in merciless detail, Tang proceeded to scale the heights of calculated outrage with RED TO KILL, arguably one of the most harrowing films ever made.

Orphaned by the death of her parents, a mentally handicapped young woman (Lily Chung) is remanded to the care of a hostel for the disabled, where she falls prey to 'benevolent' caretaker Ben Ng, a musclebound hulk whose charming demeanour belies his true nature: Traumatized by a childhood incident in which his mother slaughtered his father and brother with a meat cleaver, drenching him in blood, Ng is prompted to murderous psychosis whenever he sees the colour red, resulting in horrific explosions of rape and murder. Unable to control himself when confronted by Chung wearing a long scarlet dress, Ng assaults her and is promptly arrested, but his indictment is later dismissed on a technicality, and the three main characters (including Money Lo as a sympathetic social worker) converge on the workshop beneath the hostel for a climactic showdown which closes proceedings on a note of ABSOLUTE SCREAMING HYSTERIA!!

Judged alongside similar Asian atrocities, such as MEN BEHIND THE SUN (1987) or the infamous "Guinea Pig" series from Japan, RED TO KILL is either a fearless challenge to established cinematic limits or a reckless descent into the abyss, depending on your point of view. Photographed with stunning visual flair by Tony Mau and expertly edited by Choi Hung, the movie alternates scenes of naive sentimentality with eruptions of graphic horror, taking time to establish Chung's beauty and innocence before unleashing the forces of hell against her. But while Chung and Lo are dignified in adversity, Ng plays the villain as an unstoppable force of nature, literally throbbing with uncontrollable rage; his descent into complete psychosis during the hair-raising finale provokes a devastating rampage which is truly frightening to behold. Unsurprisingly, Ng has been typecast in villainous roles ever since.

But the filmmakers' bravura technique, coupled with an obstinate lack of moral restraint, makes it difficult to defend the film's worst excesses. The protracted rape scenes are designed as a visual spectacle, showcasing the humiliation of vulnerable female characters. Worse still, following the sexual assault on Chung (the movie's pivotal set-piece), the actress is involved in a shocking episode of self-mutilation which not only degrades the entire production, but seems deliberately contrived to test viewers' patience to breaking point. However, despite its questionable motives, the film is executed with such breathtaking cinematic gusto, it compels attention in a way that few other horror movies have managed before or since.

Director Tang continued his one-man assault on the boundaries of taste and decency with such inferior offerings as BROTHER OF DARKNESS (1994) and SEXY AND DANGEROUS (1996) before going 'legit' with a number of socially conscious dramas, beginning with Chinese MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (1997), featuring Ben Ng and HARD-BOILED's Tony Leung Chiu-wai.

(Cantonese dialogue)

Red to Kill is about a mentally retarded girl who is brought into a home for the handicapped after her father dies in a car crash. She's welcomed with open arms by all the residents and staff. Well, to add some spice to the story one of the staff is a psycho killer who goes absolutely nuts when he sees the color red....or whenever he takes off his glasses. Will the mentally challenged girl wear the color red? Find out in Red to Kill.

Now I've seen four Cat 3 flicks, Ricky O, Untold Story, Ebola Syndrome and now this, and each one doesn't disappoint. The dude who plays the maniac does an awesome job. I'm not sure if I've seen a crazier portrayal of a psychopath ever before....he was definitely the best part of the film. If you're looking for a unique, crazy flick, Red to Kill definitely fits the bill. 8.5 outta 10