The reflexive urge to label any film that flaunts its own sense of willful ambiguity as "in the vein of Lynch" is an overused cliché in the realm of armchair film criticism. And it's all too easy to overstate the paranoid influence of Polanski on films that take a maddeningly subjective approach to their characters. And it's easier yet to label a movie released in 1990, yet utilizing gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, as a satirical-noir counterpart to Billy Wilder's "Sunset Boulevard" and the black-humored psychological horror of "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" But "Singapore Sling," true to its alcohol-blended title, cribs all of these seemingly disparate influences into a bizarre original that, while not yielding the most emotionally resonant result, offers a hypnotic descent into a gradually escalating nightmare. Greek writer-director Nikos Nikolaidis offers a simple setup, revealed through the title character's voice-over narration: for three years, he has been searching for a woman named Laura, and an injury (for which no explanation is given) finds him on the doorstep of a deranged "Mother" (Michele Valley) and "Daughter" (Meredyth Herold), who proceed to torture and degrade our protagonist in all manner of revolting ways. "Singapore Sling" is well aware of its capacity to disgust and provoke, but what keeps the proceedings fascinating (and watchable) are performances (particularly Valley's and Herold's) that take on an inspired madness that convinces the viewer that their actions are consistent with their unglued personalities (and not mere showy torture fodder in the "Hostel" mold). Complementing Nikolaidis's madhouse aesthetic is the black-and-white cinematography, where one beautifully-conceived shot follows the next, and gives the proceedings a paradoxically classy look, despite the sharp contrast with the subject matter. While not without pretension, "Singapore Sling" straddles the line between "arthouse" and "grindhouse" with gleefully mad abandon, its unapologetic weirdness a breath of fresh air.
44 Reviews
Shock value
kosmasp3 November 2020
So while we don't get certain things explicitly shown (some may feel they saw certain things, like with Reservoir Dogs and the ear scene), the movie is quite mental. And it is tough rating it ... it is black and white, it has violence, a lot of (forced) sexual situations, a lot of depravity in general ... and a lot of despicable and very crazy people in it. An insane Asylum should be the place for them to be - although I would fear for the sanity of the other patients ... jokes aside, this really goes far out.
And it is consistent about it. So the movie sticks to its guns (or whatever you want to call it) - you almost don't feel the nearly 2 hours running time of disgusting episodic tortures/fun times happening. It's all in the eyes of the beholder/viewer. Can you dig this? Can you "enjoy" the madness? I can't answer the question for you ... you have to decide for yourself. "Good times"? Bad times? It feels like an insane play - and playing they do! Acting as some would call it - and no matter if you approve or not, the job they're doing is phenomenal
And it is consistent about it. So the movie sticks to its guns (or whatever you want to call it) - you almost don't feel the nearly 2 hours running time of disgusting episodic tortures/fun times happening. It's all in the eyes of the beholder/viewer. Can you dig this? Can you "enjoy" the madness? I can't answer the question for you ... you have to decide for yourself. "Good times"? Bad times? It feels like an insane play - and playing they do! Acting as some would call it - and no matter if you approve or not, the job they're doing is phenomenal
demented sickness
dopefiend8314 December 2003
This flick was frowned upon (to say the least) even from the those willing to sit down n watch in an objective viewing. Right. As if you can. It's the story of a private eye obsessed with the finding of a (probably dead) woman he had met before. His clues lead him to a house where he is enslaved by two women, mother n daughter (or so we d like to believe), whose actions can best be referred to as unspeakable. Nikolaidis is the master, he really delivers with fierce power a movie that is sick, yet sexy in its own perverted way. Definitely not for the light-hearted.
Perverse, bizarre, nonsensical. A darker, more erotic film-noir experience.
mpfossick10 December 2011
As this is my first review for IMDb, I decided to choose something obscure and potentially difficult. Art-house stylistics with Euro-centric sensibilities is what is evident in Singapore Sling. A film-noirish tendency envelopes this production in a attempt to deviate away from the twisted intents of the main characters. Yes it is filmed entirely in black and white, but the aforementioned film noir elements derive not just from this but also through the foreboding qualities of the narrative, the sensual erotica of the deviant femme-fatales that are thrust before us like they were doyens of Marquis De Sade scriptures and the pseudo-psychological revenge/redemption plot that lies within. Make no mistake this is not easy watching, convention is not permitted. It is exceedingly macabre, yet also allowing sexual pleasure to derive from many levels of disgust. The processes of consuming food in this film will indeed disgust you. If that doesn't then the "disgust" will capture you in many other ways. If you are a fan of Transformers or Shreck then stay away, but if you like unique visual experiences then please indulge.
Twisted psycho-noir will be too much for most...
EYEboy6 November 1998
What do you get when you cross Preminger's LAURA with the Kuchar/McDowell brain-frier THUNDERCRACK!? Something that looks a lot like SINGAPORE SLING, one of the more demented European films of, well, ever. The story of a gut-shot Greek detective in search of a mysterious "Laura" who stumbles upon the house where she's living with her "mother" (who's probably neither that or female, for that matter) gets stranger by the turn, and does not shy away from bizarre sex, ultra-violence, and regurgitative gross-outs in the process. Filmed in beautiful black-and-white, it's a one-of-a-kind film, more purely noir than most noir retreads of recent years, yet far too demented to be considered merely noir. Viewers with strong stomachs seeking the ultra-outre will find this to their delight; all others had best shy away.
Transgressive and interesting but ultimately rather slow
samclarke5318 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
The main "story" in Singapore Sling is quite openly taken from Otto Preminger's film noir movie, Laura, only interpreted as some kind of bizarre erotic torture fantasy with some pissing and vomiting thrown in for good measure. The "mother" character, played by Michele Valley, reminds me of Isabella Rosselini's performance as Dorothy Valance in Blue Velvet, whilst Meredyth Herold looks a lot like Elisabeth Shue.
The lighting and cinematography are fantastic and the performances, though not exactly convincing are somewhat mesmerising in their own right. Ultimately the pace is rather slow and the satisfying twists and turns of Preminger's film are eschewed. Rather, Nickolaidas chooses to languish in the perversely decadent world of torture and sex for the duration and the story it references is pushed into the back ground and barely evident. It is safe to say, however, that the "plot" is hardly the point. It is my intuition that this reference serves only to further establish the noir world in which the director wishes the film to be situated.
Though it won't grip you like a true film noir would, it is enjoyable enough if only for the tits and ass, great cinematography, and the transgressive moments of erotic weirdness and disturbing sexual violence.
You should see it, if only to say that you have! A guaranteed pleasure for anyone who ever dreamt of seeing Dorothy Vallance make out with Jennifer Parker. :)
The lighting and cinematography are fantastic and the performances, though not exactly convincing are somewhat mesmerising in their own right. Ultimately the pace is rather slow and the satisfying twists and turns of Preminger's film are eschewed. Rather, Nickolaidas chooses to languish in the perversely decadent world of torture and sex for the duration and the story it references is pushed into the back ground and barely evident. It is safe to say, however, that the "plot" is hardly the point. It is my intuition that this reference serves only to further establish the noir world in which the director wishes the film to be situated.
Though it won't grip you like a true film noir would, it is enjoyable enough if only for the tits and ass, great cinematography, and the transgressive moments of erotic weirdness and disturbing sexual violence.
You should see it, if only to say that you have! A guaranteed pleasure for anyone who ever dreamt of seeing Dorothy Vallance make out with Jennifer Parker. :)
Just Stupid
realvedmak18 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of those movies where main character is supposed to be about 9 or 10 years old, but due to morality issues they make her 20 and retarded, behaving like she is mentally 9.
At this point there are numerous reviews that state this movie is a masterpiece. IMDb rating for it is 6.4. And people who chose to rate it that high are walking around freely among rest of us. Reason I chose to see it is because it is classified as COMEDY. Unless you are into necrophilia and child molestation (or sexual intercourse with mentally deficient people) this movie offers absolutely nothing.
The most annoying thing in entire movie is the way actress Meredyth Herold chose to deliver her lines. Sadly, I think she probably nailed her role and did precisely what was expected of her, to role-play retarded 9 year old, sexually abused, little girl. Since I am not amused by watching retarded people speak, I did not find it entertaining at all.
Comedic value of this film is right up there with finding belching, farting, and poking dead animals with a stick funny. Except replace dead animals with almost dead people.
For those of us that are closer to sanity, to whom edge of what is acceptable as comedy stops somewhere little bit after American Psycho and before Serbian Film and Hostel, this movie is something better left untouched.
At this point there are numerous reviews that state this movie is a masterpiece. IMDb rating for it is 6.4. And people who chose to rate it that high are walking around freely among rest of us. Reason I chose to see it is because it is classified as COMEDY. Unless you are into necrophilia and child molestation (or sexual intercourse with mentally deficient people) this movie offers absolutely nothing.
The most annoying thing in entire movie is the way actress Meredyth Herold chose to deliver her lines. Sadly, I think she probably nailed her role and did precisely what was expected of her, to role-play retarded 9 year old, sexually abused, little girl. Since I am not amused by watching retarded people speak, I did not find it entertaining at all.
Comedic value of this film is right up there with finding belching, farting, and poking dead animals with a stick funny. Except replace dead animals with almost dead people.
For those of us that are closer to sanity, to whom edge of what is acceptable as comedy stops somewhere little bit after American Psycho and before Serbian Film and Hostel, this movie is something better left untouched.
Poor, Poor Singapore.
ElijahCSkuggs21 December 2006
Going into Singapore Sling I knew almost nothing about it. I knew that it was supposed to be somewhat "extreme" and that's about it. But what was delivered was nothing I could ever have expected. Holy moly was this a strange movie. Let me rephrase that. Holy f@ckin sh!t was this a strange movie! Yeah that's much better.
Singapore Sling is about a mother and daughter duo who have gone completely nuts after father died. Not saying they weren't nuts before, but I'm guessing father wouldn't have approved of everything they're now doing....even though father was a murderer. Haaha, OK, the story revolves around this duo and a man they named Singapore Sling. Singapore is a investigator on the trail of a woman named Laura who is missing and presumed dead. He follows a trail of clues and ends up finding these two whackos. The duo then hold the injured Singapore hostage in their home, while pretty much just trying to make him go nuts. But it's really just they're way of playing and having fun. Having fun for them consists of torture, sex, role-playing, masturbation with fruit, messy eating and the list goes on and on. The movie goes like this for quite a while, just the viewer getting to know these ladies.
Singapore Sling is one of the strangest flicks I have ever seen, and also one of the most well made. Shot in a film noir type way, reminiscent of old style classics and combined with stylish, beautiful shots and fantastic music, the movie looks and sounds incredible. But the high praise should go to the actors involved. They were fantastic. Especially the daughter, talking about a role she was born to play....hot chick too. Singapore Sling's only problem is that it is a little long. It's a movie you definitely should watch more than once to fully digest what they're throwing at you. The acting alone is worth another watch. And it's not really a movie to fast-forward either. It's a movie to soak in. Singapore Sling should be a must see for any serious film lover out there. It's too unique not to be. 9 outta 10
Singapore Sling is about a mother and daughter duo who have gone completely nuts after father died. Not saying they weren't nuts before, but I'm guessing father wouldn't have approved of everything they're now doing....even though father was a murderer. Haaha, OK, the story revolves around this duo and a man they named Singapore Sling. Singapore is a investigator on the trail of a woman named Laura who is missing and presumed dead. He follows a trail of clues and ends up finding these two whackos. The duo then hold the injured Singapore hostage in their home, while pretty much just trying to make him go nuts. But it's really just they're way of playing and having fun. Having fun for them consists of torture, sex, role-playing, masturbation with fruit, messy eating and the list goes on and on. The movie goes like this for quite a while, just the viewer getting to know these ladies.
Singapore Sling is one of the strangest flicks I have ever seen, and also one of the most well made. Shot in a film noir type way, reminiscent of old style classics and combined with stylish, beautiful shots and fantastic music, the movie looks and sounds incredible. But the high praise should go to the actors involved. They were fantastic. Especially the daughter, talking about a role she was born to play....hot chick too. Singapore Sling's only problem is that it is a little long. It's a movie you definitely should watch more than once to fully digest what they're throwing at you. The acting alone is worth another watch. And it's not really a movie to fast-forward either. It's a movie to soak in. Singapore Sling should be a must see for any serious film lover out there. It's too unique not to be. 9 outta 10
Bizarre, one of a kind film!
tankjonah27 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
A detective (Panos Thanassoulis) arrives at an isolated villa looking for a missing girl, Laura, and is imprisoned and sexually tortured by a mother/daughter (Meredyth Herold, Michele Valley) duo who have killed Laura, among others, and buried them in their backyard.
This thoroughly bizarre film contains obvious homages to the great film noir, Laura (1944), from the initial plot (a detective in love with a dead girl, whose painting is on the wall) to the beautiful black and white cinematography, to the detective's voice over narration but moves off into directions that are totally unexpected if not downright silly (for example another homage, this time to The Mummy (1932) where one of the main characters is being sodomised by her father who's dressed as the mummy).
Although there's much nastiness and depravity on show (from Thanassoulis being tied down and given electro-shock treatments before Herold urinates on his face, to Valley raping him and then vomiting on his face, to the denouement where Thanassoulis kills Valley with a knife he has strapped on like a dildo), the film never really feels nasty and sick. This is obviously quite incredible and an achievement in itself. How does it pull it off? Well there's a very playful air about the proceedings (some even call this a comedy); Valley and Herold's relationship is almost child like and Valley often speaks to the camera (which is an irritation) in her sweet, pleasant voice discussing what has happened. The whole situation is like a game, albeit fetishistic and depraved games, which, in spite of the fact that we know they're killers, doesn't create any real sense of danger or dread. Interestingly Thanassoulis never really speaks to the ladies, they speak predominantly in English and a little French whilst all we hear from him is the voice over (another common noir technique that the films employs), which is in Greek. Is he consigned to a dreadful fate or does he also not really feel in any real danger? The latter is unlikely but he never really tries to turn the tables on his captors. A truly bizarre film, well made and shot, with excellent and appropriate music in the style of 40s noir. Obviously not for all tastes but certainly worth a look for viewers of challenging and offbeat cinema.
This thoroughly bizarre film contains obvious homages to the great film noir, Laura (1944), from the initial plot (a detective in love with a dead girl, whose painting is on the wall) to the beautiful black and white cinematography, to the detective's voice over narration but moves off into directions that are totally unexpected if not downright silly (for example another homage, this time to The Mummy (1932) where one of the main characters is being sodomised by her father who's dressed as the mummy).
Although there's much nastiness and depravity on show (from Thanassoulis being tied down and given electro-shock treatments before Herold urinates on his face, to Valley raping him and then vomiting on his face, to the denouement where Thanassoulis kills Valley with a knife he has strapped on like a dildo), the film never really feels nasty and sick. This is obviously quite incredible and an achievement in itself. How does it pull it off? Well there's a very playful air about the proceedings (some even call this a comedy); Valley and Herold's relationship is almost child like and Valley often speaks to the camera (which is an irritation) in her sweet, pleasant voice discussing what has happened. The whole situation is like a game, albeit fetishistic and depraved games, which, in spite of the fact that we know they're killers, doesn't create any real sense of danger or dread. Interestingly Thanassoulis never really speaks to the ladies, they speak predominantly in English and a little French whilst all we hear from him is the voice over (another common noir technique that the films employs), which is in Greek. Is he consigned to a dreadful fate or does he also not really feel in any real danger? The latter is unlikely but he never really tries to turn the tables on his captors. A truly bizarre film, well made and shot, with excellent and appropriate music in the style of 40s noir. Obviously not for all tastes but certainly worth a look for viewers of challenging and offbeat cinema.
Quite possibly the worst movie ever made
LaFeeChartreuse5 February 2006
I saw this movie years ago at a film festival, and ended up looking it up here after it came up in conversation with friends last night, partly to prove to them that I was not making it up, and partly to see for myself if there was actually any record of the film's existence, or if it had sunk into some kind of merciful oblivion after doing the festival circuit.
In my festival-going days, I sat through a lot of films that cleared virtually the entire theatre, and usually took a certain pleasure in being one of the last few survivors who made it through to the closing credits. This was the film that caused me to reconsider that practice. Of all the cinematic trainwrecks I've sat through, this was far and away the very worst.
I don't even know if I can fully explain why. It's not just that it's essentially two hours of vomiting, disembowelment and cannibalism, interspersed with about the least erotic sex scenes ever committed to film. It's not even just that the above is shot in grainy black and white at torturously slow art-movie pacing (and I couldn't figure out, even at the time, if that made it better or worse). Or the atrociously bad acting. Or the barely existent plot.
I think more than anything it's the sheer pointlessness of it all. Given how much time, money and energy it takes to make a feature-length film, you've got to ask: WHY? Why make a film like this? What on earth is the point? And 15 years after seeing it, I still have no answer to that.
In my festival-going days, I sat through a lot of films that cleared virtually the entire theatre, and usually took a certain pleasure in being one of the last few survivors who made it through to the closing credits. This was the film that caused me to reconsider that practice. Of all the cinematic trainwrecks I've sat through, this was far and away the very worst.
I don't even know if I can fully explain why. It's not just that it's essentially two hours of vomiting, disembowelment and cannibalism, interspersed with about the least erotic sex scenes ever committed to film. It's not even just that the above is shot in grainy black and white at torturously slow art-movie pacing (and I couldn't figure out, even at the time, if that made it better or worse). Or the atrociously bad acting. Or the barely existent plot.
I think more than anything it's the sheer pointlessness of it all. Given how much time, money and energy it takes to make a feature-length film, you've got to ask: WHY? Why make a film like this? What on earth is the point? And 15 years after seeing it, I still have no answer to that.
Sick and disturbing,yet wickedly funny.
HumanoidOfFlesh2 March 2005
A mother and a daughter live in a large home,playing games of sexual domination and re-enacting the murders of various servants that they have hired and then killed.A private detective called Singapore Sling comes searching for Laura,a woman he is fixated on but whom they have killed.They imprison him,using poor guy as a sex toy and torturing him."Singapore Sling" by Nikos Nikolaidis is easily one of the most demented horror films ever made.This extremely weird piece of film-noir is loaded with erotic regurgitation,cannibalism,incest,lesbianism,bondage,bizarre sex and sadistic violence.The relationship between the mother and her daughter is extremely bizarre to say the least.The acting is absolutely awesome and the performances are incredibly real.The atmosphere is simply insane and wonderfully nightmarish.There is also a good amount of sickening violence and gore including the most nerve-wracking dinner sequence I have ever seen."Singapore Sling" is shot in exquisite black-and-white and classical music plays on the soundtrack and this makes it even more unsettling.In one truly demented scene the male lead is tied down to the bed, ETC paddles jammed against his forehead and he is left convulsing in shock while the mother rides him and then moves up to urinate on his face.So if you are a fan of twisted cinema like "Visitor Q","Salo" or "Sweet Movie" give this gross-out masterpiece a look.10 out of 10.
Transgressive and more than a little bizarre
Red-Barracuda27 November 2014
I think it would only be fair to say that Singapore Sling is more than a little bit on the weird side of the cinematic spectrum. The story in this Greek oddity takes place over the course of one stormy night. A psychotic mother and daughter, who live in a remote villa, imprison a man whom they christen Singapore Sling. Much strangeness follows.
This has to be described as a true one off. In some ways this may very well be a good thing, as this is a movie with some content elements that can charitably be described as somewhat unpleasant. But it's no ordinary exploitation shockfest; it's an experimental art film as well. For starters, its shot in black and white and it's full of strange dialogues, deeply unusual characters, visual invention, genre clashing and an absolute barrow load of transgressive material. Consequently, it's very hard to categorise. It one solely recommended for those with a taste for the bizarre. It recalls film-noir, with its hard-boiled voice-overs from the main character – except this is delivered in Greek, while the mother and daughter speak exclusively in English; ordinarily details like these would raise questions but in this case it just seems par for the course. This man, Singapore Sling, pursues an ex-lover who vanished after visiting these women; her name is Laura which is a nod the 1944 film-noir I think.
But all this film-noir malarkey is juxtaposed with a great deal of extreme material; like two completely differing film genres colliding at random. To that end we have lots of sexual torture and humiliation, which includes, of all things, graphic urination, vomiting and masturbation with fruit. If you think any of its erotic then good luck to you but I think it's only fair to say that this sort of stuff will titillate an extremely small demographic. I personally found a lot of what I encountered in here pretty repulsive to be perfectly honest but the fact is that this is a well-made and acted film, while its sheer originality was impressive. So it does have an impact. Utterly strange and wilfully different, Singapore Sling is a movie that should be approached with some caution but its most likely not going to resemble anything else you've ever seen before. Whether or not that's a good thing I will leave you to be the judge of.
This has to be described as a true one off. In some ways this may very well be a good thing, as this is a movie with some content elements that can charitably be described as somewhat unpleasant. But it's no ordinary exploitation shockfest; it's an experimental art film as well. For starters, its shot in black and white and it's full of strange dialogues, deeply unusual characters, visual invention, genre clashing and an absolute barrow load of transgressive material. Consequently, it's very hard to categorise. It one solely recommended for those with a taste for the bizarre. It recalls film-noir, with its hard-boiled voice-overs from the main character – except this is delivered in Greek, while the mother and daughter speak exclusively in English; ordinarily details like these would raise questions but in this case it just seems par for the course. This man, Singapore Sling, pursues an ex-lover who vanished after visiting these women; her name is Laura which is a nod the 1944 film-noir I think.
But all this film-noir malarkey is juxtaposed with a great deal of extreme material; like two completely differing film genres colliding at random. To that end we have lots of sexual torture and humiliation, which includes, of all things, graphic urination, vomiting and masturbation with fruit. If you think any of its erotic then good luck to you but I think it's only fair to say that this sort of stuff will titillate an extremely small demographic. I personally found a lot of what I encountered in here pretty repulsive to be perfectly honest but the fact is that this is a well-made and acted film, while its sheer originality was impressive. So it does have an impact. Utterly strange and wilfully different, Singapore Sling is a movie that should be approached with some caution but its most likely not going to resemble anything else you've ever seen before. Whether or not that's a good thing I will leave you to be the judge of.
As utterly stupid, meaningless and amateurish a pile of garbage as you're ever likely to see.
Pornography_and_Satori15 January 2012
Let me start off by saying that there is absolutely no similarity between this "film" and the 1944 film Laura, aside from the fact that both films feature a detective, and a character named Laura. Those reviewers who are comparing both films for whatever reason are, confused. Not that there's much to understand about Singapore Sling, but
Being as every reviewer has rehashed the events that take place in this "film" I will not belabor them here. Nikolaidis has created what may well be the most genuinely weird intentionally weird p.o.s ever made. Others (Harmony Korine, David Lynch, Troma, etc) have tried and failed, making only boring dreck that people with worse taste than fans of SS could pretend to enjoy. Others (Pasolini, David Lynch, etc) because of their legal insanity, unwittingly make films that give the viewer a tiny peek at the vast ocean of lunacy that is the Director's "mind" (they don't know any better).
Singapore Sling is a film that succeeds in being intentionally unintelligible, shocking, infuriating and "against the grain" for the sake of it. That's all there is to it. There is nothing more here. Nothing in the idiotic, pointless and cryptic dialogue. Nothing in the spastic, borderline drug induced performances. Nothing in the clunky cinematography, the grade school play level set design, the painfully failed comedy, the tired and poorly staged violence and sex acts .absolutely nothing. It's not good horror, mystery, or black comedy.
It is excellent exploitation trash in the truest sense. There are times when it comes of as typically nauseatingly pretentious, but for the most part it seems like Nikolaidis isn't taking anything seriously. He knew the type of "film" he wanted to make and the type of experience he wanted the audience to have. In other words, he wanted to make the sickest most insane film nobody had yet seen, all else be damned. He comes close.
Though, I haven't read any interviews or anything involving a "director's statement" or what have you, and probably never will, so who knows what exactly his intentions were. I can't imagine why anyone would care anyway
Check it out, if you have absolutely nothing better to do with your life.
Being as every reviewer has rehashed the events that take place in this "film" I will not belabor them here. Nikolaidis has created what may well be the most genuinely weird intentionally weird p.o.s ever made. Others (Harmony Korine, David Lynch, Troma, etc) have tried and failed, making only boring dreck that people with worse taste than fans of SS could pretend to enjoy. Others (Pasolini, David Lynch, etc) because of their legal insanity, unwittingly make films that give the viewer a tiny peek at the vast ocean of lunacy that is the Director's "mind" (they don't know any better).
Singapore Sling is a film that succeeds in being intentionally unintelligible, shocking, infuriating and "against the grain" for the sake of it. That's all there is to it. There is nothing more here. Nothing in the idiotic, pointless and cryptic dialogue. Nothing in the spastic, borderline drug induced performances. Nothing in the clunky cinematography, the grade school play level set design, the painfully failed comedy, the tired and poorly staged violence and sex acts .absolutely nothing. It's not good horror, mystery, or black comedy.
It is excellent exploitation trash in the truest sense. There are times when it comes of as typically nauseatingly pretentious, but for the most part it seems like Nikolaidis isn't taking anything seriously. He knew the type of "film" he wanted to make and the type of experience he wanted the audience to have. In other words, he wanted to make the sickest most insane film nobody had yet seen, all else be damned. He comes close.
Though, I haven't read any interviews or anything involving a "director's statement" or what have you, and probably never will, so who knows what exactly his intentions were. I can't imagine why anyone would care anyway
Check it out, if you have absolutely nothing better to do with your life.
Really extreme & disgusting, yet wonderful & weirdly funny. Recommended for the tolerant
KGB-Greece-Patras10 December 2002
Greek movies generally suck, so it wouldn't be such a tremendous comment to say that this one is my best greek film (as I am greek). I have seen another film by Nikolaidis, also nice, but in no way as strong and pervert as this one. Singapore Sling is in its bigger part in English, having only some narrative in greek.
The director commented for this one that he was thinking something like a comedy in the vein of greek ancient tragedy while shooting, and for that matter, even if must have a pervert sense of humour (like me) to find this mess somewhat funny, the narrative and direction style is really over-the-top, succeeding, if not to approach ancient greek tragedy, in making a unique film.
This is definately only for the few people that can associate with extreme cinema and surely these people will find much in this one-of-a-kind film. I am also sure they will catch the humourous side of this dark, twisted tale. A must-find, if you can and if you dare!
The director commented for this one that he was thinking something like a comedy in the vein of greek ancient tragedy while shooting, and for that matter, even if must have a pervert sense of humour (like me) to find this mess somewhat funny, the narrative and direction style is really over-the-top, succeeding, if not to approach ancient greek tragedy, in making a unique film.
This is definately only for the few people that can associate with extreme cinema and surely these people will find much in this one-of-a-kind film. I am also sure they will catch the humourous side of this dark, twisted tale. A must-find, if you can and if you dare!
just a comment about a HUGE drawback of this film ...
GaggedOceanid4 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
... Singapore Sling has been one of my fav films since many years .... .. .
.... I don't want to say much about it .. just a very important element that everyone who has seen Singapore Sling or will see it must know .. .
.. A movie that I saw last night made me see a HUGE drawback in this beloved film ... . .
. .. The movie that I saw is called " dead reckoning " .. it is a film noir with Humphrey Bogart ( for more about this movie --> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039305/ ) ..
.. So the thing is that the words in the last scene of "dead reckoning" are almost the same with the ones spoken in the last scene of "Singapore Sling" .. !!!!
----.. Nikos Nikolaidis has stolen these lines ...----
( they are NOT put in the film like a "game" between him and the viewer .. to see if somebody will find the "link" between the two movies .. NO .. -->.. the lines are clearly stolen by Nikolaidis )
.... I don't want to say much about it .. just a very important element that everyone who has seen Singapore Sling or will see it must know .. .
.. A movie that I saw last night made me see a HUGE drawback in this beloved film ... . .
. .. The movie that I saw is called " dead reckoning " .. it is a film noir with Humphrey Bogart ( for more about this movie --> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039305/ ) ..
.. So the thing is that the words in the last scene of "dead reckoning" are almost the same with the ones spoken in the last scene of "Singapore Sling" .. !!!!
----.. Nikos Nikolaidis has stolen these lines ...----
( they are NOT put in the film like a "game" between him and the viewer .. to see if somebody will find the "link" between the two movies .. NO .. -->.. the lines are clearly stolen by Nikolaidis )
Nightmarish surreal and bizarre midnight movie
DVD_Connoisseur21 January 2007
It's difficult to categorise the black-and-white surreal experience that is "Singapore Sling". The film probably falls into the midnight movie category with films like "Eraserhead" and "Jungfrau am Abgrund" - nightmarish celluloid journeys that leave you wondering, "Did I really see that?" as you wake in the cold light of the morning.
"Singapore Sling" is beautifully shot; every scene is lit perfectly and looks amazing. From the opening scene where two rain-drenched and mud-caked scantily clad women dispose of the "chauffeur", the tone is set for over-the-top weirdness.
Erotic, sickening, funny and shocking, "Sling" is a taboo-busting tale of incest, murder, fruit abuse and insanity. Acts of sexual debauchery are thrown at the viewer almost casually. The actress who plays the daughter is classically beautiful and delivers some of the most bizarre scenes I've ever witnessed. This is an actress who's trusting the director to deliver a solid film. I would say that this trust is well-placed - Nikos Nikolaidis has produced a unique movie that is impossible to forget and that lingers in the mind like a fever induced bad dream.
For those of a nervous disposition and fragile constitution, this is a movie that should be avoided like the plague. Fans of transgressive cinema, however, will probably love this movie and appreciate its dark slice of perverse comedy.
9 out of 10. A twisted, hellish journey into celluloid madness that is as captivating as it is repelling.
"Singapore Sling" is beautifully shot; every scene is lit perfectly and looks amazing. From the opening scene where two rain-drenched and mud-caked scantily clad women dispose of the "chauffeur", the tone is set for over-the-top weirdness.
Erotic, sickening, funny and shocking, "Sling" is a taboo-busting tale of incest, murder, fruit abuse and insanity. Acts of sexual debauchery are thrown at the viewer almost casually. The actress who plays the daughter is classically beautiful and delivers some of the most bizarre scenes I've ever witnessed. This is an actress who's trusting the director to deliver a solid film. I would say that this trust is well-placed - Nikos Nikolaidis has produced a unique movie that is impossible to forget and that lingers in the mind like a fever induced bad dream.
For those of a nervous disposition and fragile constitution, this is a movie that should be avoided like the plague. Fans of transgressive cinema, however, will probably love this movie and appreciate its dark slice of perverse comedy.
9 out of 10. A twisted, hellish journey into celluloid madness that is as captivating as it is repelling.
Singapore Sling
Scarecrow-8822 November 2008
Warning: Spoilers
A private investigator, obsessed with a woman named Laura he was tracking, leads to the palatial estate and grounds of a very warped mother-daughter team of wackos who like to play out "make-believe" scenarios and murder hired chauffeurs. The film looks like a film noir, gorgeous B&W photography and plays like a depraved version of Otto Preminger's LAURA. PI falls in love with an image which gets him into a heap of trouble. Arriving at their door with a gun-shot wound, falling unconscious, he awakens finding himself bound to a bed, a victim of the crazies, at their mercy and becoming, for a while, a victim of vile torture. For instance, while the daughter pumps him full of juice, the mother is on top, *riding* him because, it seems, that the electric charge rises his member. She subsequently urinates on his face after reaching orgasmic delight. Anyway, the daughter takes her own ride, while "mommy" is asleep. She later self-induces vomit all over his face and the camera rarely moves showing the poor guy getting the liquid food-goo all over his face. It's really gross stuff. The film, though, is so well made, the acting by the women(..they're absolutely bonkers, but their unpredictable nature is so compelling and repulsive)superb and wacky, and there's plenty of S&M for those who enjoy that sort of thing.
I'd say this is meant for a particular crowd. I found the film equally parts amusing, stunning, sick, and icky. The film has the daughter and mother often talking to the camera which might easily annoy those who hate this cinematic technique, although these two are so positively nuts and say some the most darnedest things, I couldn't look away. They're very beautiful, especially the mother who has ways with using her eyes to express her sheer lunacy(..while the daughter twitches, talks off to herself, and makes funny expressions with her hands), so the acts they commit can become startling. There's actual *fruit masturbation*(..I kid you not), vaginal violence with a hunting knife proportioned in a place where the male member is normally located, and other forms of sexual unpleasantness(..or pleasantness if you are into the sort of things which take place).
The filmmakers are so good at creating the noir look that they could've easily made films in the 40's or art films in the 60's. But, this film ups the ante with the stuff I mentioned, and a dinner table scene(s)where the women stuff their mouths with food, shortly after barfing it back out on their plates!
I'd say this is meant for a particular crowd. I found the film equally parts amusing, stunning, sick, and icky. The film has the daughter and mother often talking to the camera which might easily annoy those who hate this cinematic technique, although these two are so positively nuts and say some the most darnedest things, I couldn't look away. They're very beautiful, especially the mother who has ways with using her eyes to express her sheer lunacy(..while the daughter twitches, talks off to herself, and makes funny expressions with her hands), so the acts they commit can become startling. There's actual *fruit masturbation*(..I kid you not), vaginal violence with a hunting knife proportioned in a place where the male member is normally located, and other forms of sexual unpleasantness(..or pleasantness if you are into the sort of things which take place).
The filmmakers are so good at creating the noir look that they could've easily made films in the 40's or art films in the 60's. But, this film ups the ante with the stuff I mentioned, and a dinner table scene(s)where the women stuff their mouths with food, shortly after barfing it back out on their plates!
A rare and worthwhile item (as long as you can stomach it)
Chris_Docker29 February 2008
What happens to good films made totally against the grain? What if Botticelli's Venus was painted urinating into an acolyte's mouth? In cinema, such works can find their way to late night screenings, safely past the bedtime of anyone who might object or find them too 'off-beat'. Such was the birth of films that include The Rocky Horror Show and Eraserhead. Or films openly shocking like Pink Flamingoes. Late nighters may be rubbish or they may be the last bastion of artists that are out of synch with popular and critical tastes. At the time of writing, The Filmhouse in Edinburgh runs seasons of 'psychotronic' film one of the many sub-genres at the midnight masses of secretive cinephiles.
Our film was fittingly introduced by a masked man with a heavy European accent. "How many films," he asks, "satisfy both your voyeuristic and artistic tastes?" He goes on to mention the awards Singapore Sling has won in its native Greece. The promise of kinky sex, even with vomiting, incest and torture, sounds so much more respectable if it has subtitles and a dialogue in Greek, French and English. And a cinematography award so we can make polite conversation about the nice photography.
But before we write it off as art-house exploitation, let me add that the plot machinations and breakthrough acting devices alone (that blend character, voice-over, narrating to the camera and rehearsing to the camera) put it in an exceptional class of movie. And the cinematography would be Oscar-worthy were it not for the subject matter.
Without giving too much away (Singapore Sling is basically film noir with other elements forcefully mixed), the story concerns a dodgy private detective in love with a dead woman. If that sounds familiar, it's meant to be. The woman is Laura cue the plot line from the Otto Preminger classic and she is hauntingly described by the wistful Julie London version of the eponymous song (from a cappella to romantic Glen Miller). Singapore Sling is just the nickname that the detective earns from a couple of female sociopaths, one of whom is worryingly like his dead Laura.
The black and white photography leaves us open-mouthed from the outset. Lush, atmospheric shadows are thrown together as our senses are pounded by a thunderstorm. Rain fights with the flora, ricochets off surfaces, drenches the faces and bodices of two women who, with Hamlet-like grandeur, dig a grave. You feel drenched. And each scene in Singapore Sling is composed with equally mesmerising beauty. Baroque magnificence and delicate taste insulate us from the nastiness to follow. Murder is a parlour game. . . . in the old days, father would murder the servants . . . the girls would only have to plant flowers.
Our female protagonists are mother and daughter. They re-enact murders as a refined sado-masochistic and incestuous ritual. Who is Laura? Was she just a serving maid? Who is in the picture hanging on the wall? Singapore Sling is drawn into their deadly web after knocking on their door, a bullet wound in his shoulder. He feigns a degree of distractedness to give himself time. At what point does the torture make his loss of mental capacity real? While this is not a film to watch if you have a queasy stomach (think, Greenaway's, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Lover), our sense of revulsion is numbed by being drawn into the twisted aesthetics of the protagonists. I am not kidding they tie him up, give him electric shocks, and use him for sex before urinating on his face. Later, his abuser realistically makes herself vomit over him as she orgasms. Are you OK with that? If you're still reading, let's get back to the cinematic technique . . .
Singapore Sling occasionally narrates a voice-over, stoically treating it as 'just another case.' Our other two characters go one further. They will narrate what is happening or about to happen to the camera. At one point, Mom (we never learn their names) rehearses dramatic lines in French and English. For a coming role play or for our benefit? Whichever it is, the barrier between audience, character and actor is broken down. When we are simultaneously being inundated with extremely visceral and unsettling material, the effect is challenging. Cocteau once said that film is a, 'petrified fountain of thought.' We might want to analyse, the plot, the Freudian symbolism, even the techniques. But we are helplessly frozen in the terrible vision, and swept along by a smorgasbord of extreme sexual fetish that makes 'The Story of O' look like 'Gone With the Wind.' This makes it even harder work piecing together the mystery when 'all is revealed' (there are a number of interpretations to the central mystery). One of the first things I did was order a copy of Preminger's Laura from Amazon to re-examine the detailed references.
At the Thessaloniki Film Festival, Singapore Sling won a triplet of Best Actress, Best Cinematography, and Best Director. Although as deliberately shocking as, say, Pink Flamingos or Thundercrack!, it oozes style in equal proportion to perversion. British censors promptly banned it. The director called it, "a comedy with some elements of Ancient Greek Tragedy" but reacted to the ban by realising it maybe depicts an underlying malaise in all of us. A darker side we try to ignore. A side that inveigles without substance. The stuff hidden in dreams. Like Laura 'the face in the misty light . . . that you can never quite recall', as our song says.
Love it or hate it, a policy of late night screenings on rare movies is something that keeps independent cinema alive. Singapore Sling may not be to your taste, but such willingness to dare keeps the doors open for a wider selection of films than can be found anywhere outside of film festivals.
Our film was fittingly introduced by a masked man with a heavy European accent. "How many films," he asks, "satisfy both your voyeuristic and artistic tastes?" He goes on to mention the awards Singapore Sling has won in its native Greece. The promise of kinky sex, even with vomiting, incest and torture, sounds so much more respectable if it has subtitles and a dialogue in Greek, French and English. And a cinematography award so we can make polite conversation about the nice photography.
But before we write it off as art-house exploitation, let me add that the plot machinations and breakthrough acting devices alone (that blend character, voice-over, narrating to the camera and rehearsing to the camera) put it in an exceptional class of movie. And the cinematography would be Oscar-worthy were it not for the subject matter.
Without giving too much away (Singapore Sling is basically film noir with other elements forcefully mixed), the story concerns a dodgy private detective in love with a dead woman. If that sounds familiar, it's meant to be. The woman is Laura cue the plot line from the Otto Preminger classic and she is hauntingly described by the wistful Julie London version of the eponymous song (from a cappella to romantic Glen Miller). Singapore Sling is just the nickname that the detective earns from a couple of female sociopaths, one of whom is worryingly like his dead Laura.
The black and white photography leaves us open-mouthed from the outset. Lush, atmospheric shadows are thrown together as our senses are pounded by a thunderstorm. Rain fights with the flora, ricochets off surfaces, drenches the faces and bodices of two women who, with Hamlet-like grandeur, dig a grave. You feel drenched. And each scene in Singapore Sling is composed with equally mesmerising beauty. Baroque magnificence and delicate taste insulate us from the nastiness to follow. Murder is a parlour game. . . . in the old days, father would murder the servants . . . the girls would only have to plant flowers.
Our female protagonists are mother and daughter. They re-enact murders as a refined sado-masochistic and incestuous ritual. Who is Laura? Was she just a serving maid? Who is in the picture hanging on the wall? Singapore Sling is drawn into their deadly web after knocking on their door, a bullet wound in his shoulder. He feigns a degree of distractedness to give himself time. At what point does the torture make his loss of mental capacity real? While this is not a film to watch if you have a queasy stomach (think, Greenaway's, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Lover), our sense of revulsion is numbed by being drawn into the twisted aesthetics of the protagonists. I am not kidding they tie him up, give him electric shocks, and use him for sex before urinating on his face. Later, his abuser realistically makes herself vomit over him as she orgasms. Are you OK with that? If you're still reading, let's get back to the cinematic technique . . .
Singapore Sling occasionally narrates a voice-over, stoically treating it as 'just another case.' Our other two characters go one further. They will narrate what is happening or about to happen to the camera. At one point, Mom (we never learn their names) rehearses dramatic lines in French and English. For a coming role play or for our benefit? Whichever it is, the barrier between audience, character and actor is broken down. When we are simultaneously being inundated with extremely visceral and unsettling material, the effect is challenging. Cocteau once said that film is a, 'petrified fountain of thought.' We might want to analyse, the plot, the Freudian symbolism, even the techniques. But we are helplessly frozen in the terrible vision, and swept along by a smorgasbord of extreme sexual fetish that makes 'The Story of O' look like 'Gone With the Wind.' This makes it even harder work piecing together the mystery when 'all is revealed' (there are a number of interpretations to the central mystery). One of the first things I did was order a copy of Preminger's Laura from Amazon to re-examine the detailed references.
At the Thessaloniki Film Festival, Singapore Sling won a triplet of Best Actress, Best Cinematography, and Best Director. Although as deliberately shocking as, say, Pink Flamingos or Thundercrack!, it oozes style in equal proportion to perversion. British censors promptly banned it. The director called it, "a comedy with some elements of Ancient Greek Tragedy" but reacted to the ban by realising it maybe depicts an underlying malaise in all of us. A darker side we try to ignore. A side that inveigles without substance. The stuff hidden in dreams. Like Laura 'the face in the misty light . . . that you can never quite recall', as our song says.
Love it or hate it, a policy of late night screenings on rare movies is something that keeps independent cinema alive. Singapore Sling may not be to your taste, but such willingness to dare keeps the doors open for a wider selection of films than can be found anywhere outside of film festivals.
A descent into boredom and tits !
slammerhard19 June 2020
When Singapore Sling first came out it was something new for Greek cinema. There were not many Greek films at that time featuring a pair of demented chicks pissing and vomiting on a tied up fella and engaging in all sorts of kinky sex. For some unexplained reason the dialogue switches from Greek to English to French. At one point, there is a masturbation scene with a kiwi and there is rape by switchblade and cannibalism, but those expecting any decent gore will be disappointed. Much easier to fake a pissing or barf into someone's face rather than create some decent prosthetic f/x.
Watching it a second time after twenty-five years, I discovered the film has not aged well. It's all shot in the director's home and his back yard and this is done in such a bad way you never get an idea of the layout.
The two chicks act in the most spastic manner, spitting out nonsensical dialogue with ridiculous gestures in their attempt to become the next Isabelle Adjani. Worst of all, the film lasts forever. It seems that the director had the impression he was creating high art. That's why it's in black and white and there is a noirish narration by the male character who is definitely one of the lamest characters ever to grace the film screen.
The young chick has nice tits and ass and some of her outfits are very sexy. This is what Singapore Sling amounts to. There is nothing of substance here. You will find more sophistication in the films of Jean Rollin or Jesus Franco.
One more thing: Call it porn, noir or art but don't call it horror. Nothing to do with horror.
Singapore Sling secret revealed (SPOILER ALERT!!!!)
JebbyDiah25 April 2008
Warning: Spoilers
*********Spoiler******************* The Secret of Singapore Sling is revealed! I saw this fine masterpiece of modern post-morbidness and cracked open the perverse brain candy shell to uncover the hidden meaning.
The big clue is when the mother and daughter discuss the rules of servants. If you look up the 3 laws of Robotics established by Isaac Asimov you will discover the similarities between "robots" and "servants."
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
The women talk about "servants" following laws like these. They are really talking about how THEY too are "servants" (aka robots) trapped by these rules.
Now take note of the women's spastic movements and bizarre speech patterns. And the Singapore Sling character.. he spends a lot of time motionless and never speaks.
They are all robots.
They are robots struggling to re-enact the Laura storyline (from the classic movie released in 1944) so that they can learn about humanity.
As robots they do not understand things like nuances in speaking.. natural human movements, and human sexuality.
A further clue is when they are eating. Robots cannot eat! Thus they force food in, and then regurgitate that food back up. Without discomfort except for the regurgitation process itself. And they do not realize how this is not standard eating behavior.
And finally, Singapore Sling "himself" is seen rusting... asking about water supposedly. No he was telling them that he had become wet from the outside and his lips were rust covered. Look closely, those are not swollen lips that need water. Those are rusted lips that needed to be polished and cleaned.
The woman does not pee on Singapore Sling, she tries to kill him with water released from a valve because she does not know what else to do.
If you watch Singapore Sling with this secret uncovered, it becomes a movie that makes sense, and you can delight in seeing a story about robots trying desperately to re-enact a movie they knew about, to try to learn to become human. The water outside and in the pool is the constant threat that keeps them trapped inside.
The tragedy is that a robot cannot become human and thus at the end Singapore Sling decides to bury himself and deactivate instead of living the lie.
Watch it again with your Isaac Asimov books hand, and enjoy it for what it is... a fascinating study of humanity as seen from an alien perspective.
The big clue is when the mother and daughter discuss the rules of servants. If you look up the 3 laws of Robotics established by Isaac Asimov you will discover the similarities between "robots" and "servants."
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
The women talk about "servants" following laws like these. They are really talking about how THEY too are "servants" (aka robots) trapped by these rules.
Now take note of the women's spastic movements and bizarre speech patterns. And the Singapore Sling character.. he spends a lot of time motionless and never speaks.
They are all robots.
They are robots struggling to re-enact the Laura storyline (from the classic movie released in 1944) so that they can learn about humanity.
As robots they do not understand things like nuances in speaking.. natural human movements, and human sexuality.
A further clue is when they are eating. Robots cannot eat! Thus they force food in, and then regurgitate that food back up. Without discomfort except for the regurgitation process itself. And they do not realize how this is not standard eating behavior.
And finally, Singapore Sling "himself" is seen rusting... asking about water supposedly. No he was telling them that he had become wet from the outside and his lips were rust covered. Look closely, those are not swollen lips that need water. Those are rusted lips that needed to be polished and cleaned.
The woman does not pee on Singapore Sling, she tries to kill him with water released from a valve because she does not know what else to do.
If you watch Singapore Sling with this secret uncovered, it becomes a movie that makes sense, and you can delight in seeing a story about robots trying desperately to re-enact a movie they knew about, to try to learn to become human. The water outside and in the pool is the constant threat that keeps them trapped inside.
The tragedy is that a robot cannot become human and thus at the end Singapore Sling decides to bury himself and deactivate instead of living the lie.
Watch it again with your Isaac Asimov books hand, and enjoy it for what it is... a fascinating study of humanity as seen from an alien perspective.
Too provocative movie for no reason
lydiakaragiannopoulou17 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The trying to disturb and provoke for no reason doesn't make the movie deeper and cooler.i like Pasolini's and lars Von trier's movies but this one in my opinion it Is a mediocre story focusing in sex perversions.Visualy is very interesting though especially if i think is a Greek movie from 90s.if I see it as a 90s porn I would rate it more.i hope the next movie I will see from this director is gonna better!!
Whoa
Voland-426 June 2006
This is one of the most unique films I've ever seen, and I'll probably remember scenes from it till the day I die. Beautiful photography? Check. Non-linear plot line and weird storytelling techniques (talking to the audience, language mixing)? Check. Haunting soundtrack? Check. Black humor? Definite check. Some of the most bizarre erotic scenes ever filmed outside of porn? Oh yeah. A mix of utter revulsion and sensuous, wayward eroticism. Certain morsels of cinema that's classified as seriously weird by most run the risk of being weird for weirdness' sake; I'm happy to say that this is not one of them. Everything adheres to the film's internal logic, which would be my biggest criticism of movies that are considered 'out there'. Goes without saying this is not for the faint-hearted. A serious, deranged noir poem, one I will relish springing upon friends without any forewarning.
One of the most accomplished horror films of the modern era
fertilecelluloid9 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
A beautiful, sexually charged, noirish horror pic from Greek director Nikos Nikolaidis. A mother and daughter, whose modus operandi has parallels with the duo in Shindo's "Onibaba", trick and sexually toy with various gentlemen until Singapore Sling, looking for his lost love, arrives on their scene and unconsciously fractures the mother-daughter dynamic. The two enjoy a very hot sexual relationship that is vividly but not graphically depicted. Other sexual episodes are depicted in delicious detail and the film does not hesitate to go totally hardcore when necessary. For mine, this is an amazingly erotic film that depicts sexual desire as a form of raw anarchy. Various fetishes such as vomiting, urination, sado-masochism and necrophilia are presented honestly and without judgment. Stylistically, the film has a strong, theatrical quality, and it is interesting how Nikolaidis has the actors address the camera at various intervals. The stand-out performance is that of the insane daughter, played by the extraordinary and outlandishly sexy Michele Valley. Panos Thanassoulis, as Sling, has virtually no dialog, but makes his mark in a pivotal but surprisingly neutral role. Black and white cinematography by Aris Stavrou is stunning, as is the splendidly rich production. "Singapore Sling" is an original in every sense of the word and is one of the most accomplished horror films of the modern era.
EXTREMELY Stylish - THOROUGHLY Depraved...
EVOL66629 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
SINGAPORE SLING is one of the strangest films out there. Now, I've watched a good bit of twisted fetish material in my day - but those are typically laid out porn-style, with no plot, and just scene-after-scene of twisted sh!t. This film is different, as it has a full-blown plot, incredible cinematography, excellent acting...and all the twisted nastiness that a true "shock-film" lover could want.
Initially, the audience is introduced to a mother/daughter team of complete whackadoos who "kidnap" a private-dick that they begin to refer to as "Singapore Sling". Singapore enters the picture when he goes poking around the womens' house looking for a woman named Laura who he encountered a while back and has become obsessed with. Captured by the nut-jobs, Singapore is subject to all sorts of fun abuse at the hands of the two freak-o's, and the story begins to get "stranger" as we start to find out a little more about the actual background of the women...or do we???
SINGAPORE SLING is a VERY strange and original film. Shot in striking black-and-white in a very 1940's detective-story/film-noir style, but rife with "extreme" exploitation material - I honestly can say I've seen nothing like it before. The performances by the mother/daughter team are completely believable - same for Singapore (though he's mainly silent throughout the film). The depravity on-hand includes lesbionic incest, bondage, vomit-play, fruit-masturbation, cannibalism, golden-shower action, knife-rape-vag-stabbing - you name it, this one has it. This is one of those rare films that shows that "extreme" subject matter and depictions can still be stylish and innovative, and "viable" in film. Most will be repulsed by this if they aren't a fan of this sort of thing. The rest will appreciate it for being one of the weirdest and most stunning exploit films ever made. My only gripes are that it runs a little long and drags in some spots - and that with all the depravity on display - the sex/fetish scenes could have been more "graphic". Other than that - a fine exploit film indeed...9/10
Initially, the audience is introduced to a mother/daughter team of complete whackadoos who "kidnap" a private-dick that they begin to refer to as "Singapore Sling". Singapore enters the picture when he goes poking around the womens' house looking for a woman named Laura who he encountered a while back and has become obsessed with. Captured by the nut-jobs, Singapore is subject to all sorts of fun abuse at the hands of the two freak-o's, and the story begins to get "stranger" as we start to find out a little more about the actual background of the women...or do we???
SINGAPORE SLING is a VERY strange and original film. Shot in striking black-and-white in a very 1940's detective-story/film-noir style, but rife with "extreme" exploitation material - I honestly can say I've seen nothing like it before. The performances by the mother/daughter team are completely believable - same for Singapore (though he's mainly silent throughout the film). The depravity on-hand includes lesbionic incest, bondage, vomit-play, fruit-masturbation, cannibalism, golden-shower action, knife-rape-vag-stabbing - you name it, this one has it. This is one of those rare films that shows that "extreme" subject matter and depictions can still be stylish and innovative, and "viable" in film. Most will be repulsed by this if they aren't a fan of this sort of thing. The rest will appreciate it for being one of the weirdest and most stunning exploit films ever made. My only gripes are that it runs a little long and drags in some spots - and that with all the depravity on display - the sex/fetish scenes could have been more "graphic". Other than that - a fine exploit film indeed...9/10
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