The Assassin Next Door

Original title: Kirot
Israel, 2009

Director: Danny Lerner
Starring: Olga Kurylenko, Ninette Tayeb, Liron Levo
IMDB: 6.2

A while back there was a media buzz surrounding Olga Kurylenko due to her stint as a Bond girl in Quantum of Solace. Bond movies are not my bag, so I never really knew what the fuss was all about. However, I did catch her in a few smaller roles, none of which left a particularly lasting impression.

That all changed with Kirot, which I decided to check out based purely on the fact that the storyline centred around an ass-kicking revenge-fueled female assassin. Bring it on! The first lasting impression gleaned from Kirot is that Ms Kurylenko is quite nice looking. Closely followed by the second lasting impression - she is one terrific actress.



Both of these details are important here, because Kirot is undeniably the Kurylenko show. She eats up the vast majority of the film's screen time, and the rest of the characters are little more than bit-players in this gritty revenge flick.

We first meet Galia (Kurylenko) in an Israeli whorehouse, struggling to fix a smile on her face for the paying customers, much to the chagrin of her 'owner' Roni (Levo). He paid top dollar for her, and as far as he is concerned he owns both her pussy and her soul. But Galia is no wallflower, and spying an opportunity to escape, she takes it.



Unfortunately she does not get very far, and is savagely beaten on capture. With her owners realising they'll need to recoup their investment another way, they press her into service as a contract assassin. With no money and no passport - she has little option but to agree, being strung along with the promise of her freedom once the 'next' job is completed.

She is given her own apartment, and its not long before she strikes up a friendship with the Jewish girl next door, Elinor (Tayeb), who suffers constant physical abuse from her asshole husband. In fact, almost all the men in this film are very violent to women, and its no wonder that the two women seek solace in each other. Well ... not *that* kind of solace - not explicitly at least. Although it certainly seems to be simmering close beneath the surface of their outwardly platonic relationship.



Which brings us to the tone of the film - distinctly neither exploitational nor escapist, despite the subject matter. Aside from the unlikelihood of a 100lb supermodel taking down a group of Israeli gangsters, the film grounds itself in a gritty reality. The violence is brutal, and the characterisations, motivations and actions of the characters are given a distinctly human aspect.

Although to be fair, the 100lb supermodel comment is not really justified. Sure, that's how she looks - but Kurylenko brings a fierce and determined steel to her character that results in no jarring incongruity with her ass-kicking exploits. And while there is certainly action and brutality aplenty, there is also equal parts human drama, allowing Kurylenko to show she's far more than just a pretty face.

Colour me totally impressed ... Kurylenko is a star on the rise.



The dialog is spoken in Hebrew, Russian and stilted English ... meaning practically everyone will be watching this with subtitles. Consequently it may well struggle to find wide exposure, and the dramatic aspect may not suit the average action fan. Nevertheless, the film is well worth checking out for Kurylenko's star performance.

Rating: 7/10

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Trailer

Hannie Caulder

USA, 1971

Director: Burt Kennedy
Starring: Raquel Welch, Robert Culp, Christopher Lee, Ernest Borgnine
IMDB: 6.3

Hannie Caulder is a little-known rape/revenge flick from 1971 starring Raquel Welch. At least those are the attributes I picked up on - it's actually more of a Western with a splash of ribald humour thrown in. It also features Christopher Lee (Dracula) and Oscar-winner Ernest Borgnine, so there's definitely pedigree in the cast. Even though Westerns are not my bag, the cast and synopsis piqued my twisted sensibilities enough to give it a shot.

The film starts promisingly with a hand-drawn title sequence featuring distinctly psychedelic visuals that clue you in to the time period the film was made. I especially like the 2nd screencap below ... it would make a great poster!

 

Three down and dirty bandits, all brothers, are roving from town to town looking for horses to steal, banks to rob, or any other mischief they can find. It seems these guys were meant to be funny in a three stooges kind of way, but any comedic value from their performance was lost on me. They just seemed stupid, and were a weak aspect in a film otherwise blessed with some great performances.

However, they provide some nice scenic shots of cowboys and the wild west, as we follow their travels.



After killing the owner of a ranch in order to steal his horses, the boys get lucky when they find a bonus waiting for them in the homestead. Yup, its the voluptuous Hannie Caulder (Raquel Welch) in the flesh, heaving bosoms and all ... and predictably enough they have their filthy way with her.

But not before brother Rufus adds a little 'rape humour' to proceedings by announcing that he's found supper. Yup, the misogynist tone of the film places it firmly in the 70's!



To top things off they also burn her house down, leaving poor Hannie in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a blanket and a dead husband to bury. What bastards.

Luckily for her, lone bounty hunter Tom Price (Robert Culp) comes along looking for water for his horses. And although they get off to a rocky start, Hannie soon sees how he could help her get revenge on those that have wronged her, eventually persuading him to teach her how to shoot a gun.




Hannie hits the road with him, and we follow them as Hannie proceeds to hunt down the three brothers - a journey that takes them to Mexico and various saloons and brothels. We also meet lecherous townfolk, enigmatic gunslingers, and mexican bandits along the way.

Considering that Raquel Welch was one of the most famous sex symbols of the day, it's not surprising that she is given every opportunity to flaunt her looks. With her flowing mane and sculpted cheekbones, she certainly looks the part.

As a badass babe bent on revenge she is perhaps less successful, at least when judged within the context of the 'girls with guns' genre. Although she cuts a suitably striking figure gun in hand, her soft sexy voice, very feminine figure, and perfectly groomed appearance worked against her in this regard.




There is also quite the preoccupation with her ass ... both in the script and in the cinematography, making it fairly clear where the Director felt the audience appeal lay. Tom comments that its 'the prettiest one I ever saw", and the sheriff also helps himself to a grope (although she has a great comeback for the occasion).

There's even a strangely exploitative scene where a soaking wet Raquel is obliged to massage her new britches in order to get them to fit properly! Of course the camera makes sure that we watch this intimate domestic scene, as she cups and squeezes her butt cheeks into shape.

It's no wonder that Hannie laments later on "Every man I meet is thinking the same thing" - ironic really, as its probably what at least half the audience is thinking too.



Back in 1971 this must have been a fairly controversial film, featuring a multiple rape scene as it does. However you see more skin on the DVD cover than in the film itself, and the vile act concerned was mostly off-camera, as you'd expect with a major star such as Raquel Welch in the title role.

The copy I watched was not the best quality in terms of sound and picture. However, I suspect that if properly restored this could be a good-looking film. There is a new widescreen edition available in the UK which I have not seen. (Edit 24/7/2010 - And a new Region 1 DVD now too.) I have linked to them below for those that are interested.

As an exploitation flick, the film offers little - it's much too tame to be of interest in that genre. However strong performances from Robert Culp, Christopher Lee, and Raquel Welch make the film worth a watch for fans of the lead actress, or for anyone that might appreciate an exploitation-tinged Western.

Rating: 5.5/10

Sex & Fury

Japan, 1973
Original title: Furyô anego den: Inoshika Ochô

Director: Norifumi Suzuki
Starring: Reiko Ike, Tadashi Naruse, Christina Lindberg
IMDB: 7.1

From Japan's illustrious Toei Studios comes this early-70s pinku revenge flick based in Meiji era Tokyo (early 20th century). I've seen one other Norifumi Suzuki film so far, the very impressive School of the Holy Beast, and if I can generalise based on just two of his works, he has a penchant for nuns, whipping, rape, and naked women - combined with an eye for stunning visuals. This makes for a sleazy exploitation flick with style.

As a young girl, Ocho (Reiko Ike) witnesses her father's murder while they're visiting the Fushimi Inari Shrine. His last act is to pull 3 blood-splattered Hanafuda cards into his hand bearing the designs of boar, stag and butterfly - clues to those responsible for his murder.



Cut to 20 years later. Ocho is grown up and determined to get revenge for her father's death. The convoluted story follows her as she tracks down each of them one by one, her quest getting her involved with prostitution, gambling, and even a British ploy to start another opium war. This last plot point allowing the introduction of Euro exploitation star Christina Lindberg to the mix.



Despite its rather intricate plot, make no mistake - this is a pinky film after all, and as such there is rather too much exploitative material, which unfortunately hinders the flow of the film. There are a few forced sex scenes, a lesbian scene, and even a scene of Lindberg whipping our bound heroine in a church while nuns look on!

This film is about as misogynistic as it gets in all honesty. The women here are generally treated as little more than slaves or sex objects, although it does redeem itself in some sense by portraying the two female leads as rather powerful women who nonetheless manage to get their own way.



Personally, I found the western characters, especially Lindberg, to be wooden and uninteresting. It felt like Lindberg was there solely to provide the 'naked western chick' titillation factor for Japanese viewers, evidenced further by the fact that she had a Japanese lover, and at one point is seduced by a Japanese maid for her master's enjoyment. But fair is fair, this does counter-balance the 'naked Japanese chick' titillation factor that I have no problem with at all.

Her performance is eclipsed by the nuanced and expressive Reiko Ike, who almost single-handedly saves the film. One standout scene involves her taking on a group of enemies in the snow, armed with just a sword while completely naked. Tarantino has made no secret that this scene influenced his work on Kill Bill, and it informs my favourite scene of that movie, where the Bride kills Oren Ishii in a similarly snow covered garden.



Our heroine, often naked and covered in blood, provides much of the iconic imagery of the film. There's even some squirty arterial blood geysers, later to be used and amplified to great effect by Japanese directors such as Takashi Miike and Yoshihiro Nishimura, and of course the aforementioned Quentin Tarantino.

As an early and influential progenitor of exploitation classics to come, Sex and Fury undoubtedly deserves its status as a cult classic of the genre. However as a film I found it a little dated and marred by some sub-standard acting.

On the plus side, there's some excellent early 70s rock music to beef up the score, and its interesting to see a few sights of Tokyo in the early 70's, especially of the Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa. Fans of Japanese exploitation should track this one down, if only to see an early example of the genre, and to enjoy Suzuki's iconic imagery. For anyone else, it would best be avoided.

Rating: 6/10

Trailer