Man, these Hong Kong CAT III films really are a sight to behold! Like this number from 1994, "Red to Kill", which is not only the best CAT III film I've seen so far, but also one of the most solid rape/ revenge flicks I've watched. Now, for those of you who have no idea what CAT III is, it's a rating in the HK film system, basically the equivalent of a hard R/ NC-17 in the MPAA's system. Because it's not technically a genre, but rather a rating, CAT III films are really diverse, but when most people use CAT III to describe a film, they're talking about a particular type of CAT III films that are often filled with rape, gore and other taboo subject matter, often adding a good helping of goofy comedy to the mix. Anyway, the plot to "Red to Kill" is both absurd and absolutely tasteless. It's about a guy who runs a school for retarded people by day and rapes as well as sometimes murders women wearing red at night. You see, when this guy was a little kid he watched his mother, who was wearing red kill his father with the help of her boyfriend. During the struggle, his mother fell on a meat cleaver, killing her as well. Well, flash forward a few years later and the sight of red on a woman is enough to make this guy go bonkers. After raping and murdering a few nameless women at the start of the film he rapes one of his students. She survives and testifies against him in court, but the guy gets off Scott free, so her sister decides to bring justice, HK CAT III style! Any who, "Red to Kill" is a sweet film. It has a very groovy score and well as a solid script for a film like this. Likewise it boasts several strong performances and director Bill Tang brings a lot of imagination to this one, handling all the different elements of this film very nicely. I also dug the scenes where the rapist stalks his victims as it has a very gritty feel that would be right at home alongside two of the most notorious American exploitation offerings of the early 1980's, "Maniac" and "Don't Go in the House". Overall a really solid and enjoyable film, check it out if you like mess up movies, otherwise you MIGHT want to stay clear of this one.
Review of Red to Kill
