Macho wisecracking playboy American sex crime expert Adam Rourke (decently played by Robert Winston) is summoned to the Phillippines by jolly and affable police captain Miguel (a typically fine and engaging performance by ubiquitous Filipino exploitation cinema mainstay Vic Diaz) to investigate a baffling series of brutal murders. Director Newt Arnold, working from an overly talky and largely uneventful script by N.I.P. Dennis, sadly allows the pace to crawl along at a sluggish clip and crucially fails to build much in the way of either suspense or spooky atmosphere. Moreover, the infrequent attacks by a rather laughable lumpy faced monster are flatly staged. Fortunately, this film is beautifully shot in gorgeous sepia-tinged black and white by cinematographer Hermos Santos; the various blue, green, and red hues give this picture an exquisitely moody and stylish film noirish look. In addition, the mellow jazzy score hits the groovy spot, there are a few cool secondary characters (my favorite is the crippled, but still highly capable undercover cop who helps Rourke out), the climax is reasonably lively and exciting, and fetching blonde Yvonne Nielson as a sexy exotic nightclub dancer adds a little sizzle to the otherwise pretty drab proceedings. A strictly passable timewaster.
Review of Blood Thirst
