Joe D'Amato was an Italian jack-of-all-trades director who seemed to spend an inordinate amount of his career making pornography. This isn't one of his sex flicks, but it comes close at times to being so, given the director's obsession with female nudity and endless scenes of couples making out in various locations. Plot-wise, it's a low rent riff on LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, although it's careful to avoid any kind of nastiness whatsoever. There's barely any violence in the film – and the stuff which does exist is kept off-screen – and all of the sex taking place is consensual, so at least the sleaze factor is low. But the humdrum script and slow paced nature of the narrative make this a real chore to sit through.
Admittedly, D'Amato is careful to cast attractive actresses in the film, but their acting ability is something else. The guys are another story – what's with casting ugly or forgettable guys in these films all the time? When the smooth Ray Lovelock showed up in a role like this in LAST HOUSE ON THE BEACH, his innocent features made his violent acts all the more shocking. Here, the guys just look scummy.
Nothing happens at all, other than a lame twist ending, and I was twiddling my fingers for much of the production. The only thing that interested me were the authentic grindhouse street scenes in New York which are the background of the film's opening. We witness the pimps and prostitutes, heavy traffic, sex shops and cinemas, and run down store fronts that New York was well known for, all for real. It's a fun look back but it doesn't make this a good film. Instead it's a boring, lethargic, pointless would-be thriller.
Admittedly, D'Amato is careful to cast attractive actresses in the film, but their acting ability is something else. The guys are another story – what's with casting ugly or forgettable guys in these films all the time? When the smooth Ray Lovelock showed up in a role like this in LAST HOUSE ON THE BEACH, his innocent features made his violent acts all the more shocking. Here, the guys just look scummy.
Nothing happens at all, other than a lame twist ending, and I was twiddling my fingers for much of the production. The only thing that interested me were the authentic grindhouse street scenes in New York which are the background of the film's opening. We witness the pimps and prostitutes, heavy traffic, sex shops and cinemas, and run down store fronts that New York was well known for, all for real. It's a fun look back but it doesn't make this a good film. Instead it's a boring, lethargic, pointless would-be thriller.