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Razor
Blade Smile review by Lee Peterson
Jake Wests feature film debut is a goofy, sexy, bloody fusion of genre elements, ranging from the Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter-inspired (or is it maybe Blood and Roses-inspired?) black-and-white opening sequence to the Hong Kong-flavored fight scenes. Theres even a healthy dollop of lesbian lovemaking straight out of a Jean Rollin film. The budget was low, but director West (who also wrote, produced and edited) has made the most of his limited resources with dazzling camerawork, lush visuals and fast paced action sequences. Theres even a generous amount of (well-done) optical FX and, of course, geysers of gore. Daly is well-cast, contributing an appropriately dry and indifferent acting style to the role. The soundtrack includes the Goth anthem "Bela Lugosis Dead" by Bauhaus and a cool end credits song by Hazel Fernandez ("shell fuck you up with her razor blade smile"). The surprise ending is not a cop-out, which is refreshing and, well, a surprise. The 1.85:1 (non-anamorphic) widescreen DVD presentation (no pan-and-scan version is included, thank you very much) is very nice, if a wee bit cramped. The, ummbootleg tape that I originally viewed shows a bit more information on the top and bottom. The Dolby Stereo 2.0 sound is great. Extras are slim, with a video trailer and trailers for other A-Pix titles (Bleeders, Jack Frost, Killer Tongue and Uncle Sam), plus an article from Femme Fatales magazine. An audio commentary track with Jake West would have been very welcome, but alas, this is what we get. It may not be the most original film in the world, but it sure is an affectionate tribute to the genres that West obviously loves. The clever, satiric script and lush production values make it a hundred times better than the direct-to-video vampire crap youd be watching otherwise.
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In
1850, Lilith Silver (Eileen Daly, the vampire chick from the Redemption
Video intros) interrupts a duel between her lover and the sinister
Sir Sethane Blake (Christopher Adamson, one of the henchmen in Judge
Dredd). When Lilith is shot dead, Blake "saves" her by biting
her and turning her into one of the undead (hes a vampire, see).
After a great James Bond-ish opening title sequence, the action
shifts to present-day London, where Lilith spends her bored eternity
hanging out in a Goth bar and working as a hired assassin (with
the furtive fringe benefit of snacking on her victims after dispatching
them). Clad in skin-tight black rubber (Emma Peel as dressed by
Catwoman) and toting a coffin full of guns (a nod to Django,
perhaps?!), Lilith now finds herself in deep shit for offing members
of an organized crime sect named the Illuminati, whose leader is--surprise--Sir
Sethane Blake. The late, great David Warbeck (Lucio Fulcis The
Beyond; Russ Meyers Blacksnake) makes his final film
appearance, as a forensic scientist nicknamed "The Horror Film Man"
(?!), who is assisting a cop whos hot on Liliths trail.