Dr. Lamb (1992) User Reviews

Call me jaded, but I was expecting more...

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 12 April 2006]

Dr.Lamb's narrative structure bears more than a passing similarity to that of another infamous category III shocker, The Untold Story. Both deal with 'true-life murders', both show the police investigation and apprehension of the murderer, the subsequent interrogation (ie. beating) of the prisoner, and the retelling of the crimes in shocking flashbacks. And both have seemingly out of place comedic moments.

But where The Untold Story was unashamedly OTT sleaze and gore, Dr. Lamb is a more stylish affair. The cinematography is beautiful (maximum use is made of creative lighting with many scenes swathed in blue and red), the acting is great (Simon Yam and Danny Lee give solid performances and even the actresses playing corpses are convincing) and the direction is well handled by both star Lee and Billy Tang.

Simon Yam play serial killer Lam Gor-Yu, who prowls the streets at night in his taxi, looking for 'bad' women (mostly foul mouthed drunks) to strangle, dismember and then photograph. After he takes some of his more 'risqué' snapshots to the equivalent of his local Boots Chemists, he is arrested by the police, who wish to know the truth behind the disappearance of several women who they suspect Lam of reducing to a pile of spare parts.

30 minutes into the film, and Lam confesses all, finally giving fans of Cat III horror what they were waiting for – well almost...

I know that Dr.Lamb has suffered at the hands of the censors, and that the Winson Entertainment DVD I saw is missing some seconds of strong gore, but I was surprised at how relatively bloodless this film was, especially considering that it is often mentioned in the same breath as The Untold Story and crazy shocker The Ebola Syndrome. Blood is sprayed around during the first dismemberment and we get the odd severed breast thrown in (quite literally during one 'funny' moment!), but I had been hoping for a higher 'yuck' factor.

As if to make up for the lack of gore, we get a fair amount of unsavoury action in the form of Lam's predilection for messing with the bodies of his victims, prior to cutting them up. Lam poses them for photos, uses them like puppets, and in the case of the final victim, he 'marries' her and then humps her corpse for a solid 40 minutes in front of a video camera.

For me, Dr. Lamb's mix of classy production and lurid subject matter is its main stumbling point; is this meant to be a serious study of a psychotic killer or an exploitative sleazefest? The film ends up being an uncomfortable mix of the two – too much sleaze for those wanting a stylish thriller and not enough sleaze (and gore) for those wanting a memorable slice of extreme cinema.

Decent Cat III Sickness...

[EVOL666 · 7/10 · 9 October 2005]

DOCTOR LAMB is another HK freak-show - this one is about a sick freak who kills chicks and videotapes and photographs the after-product. That's really all there is to this one. Not as memorable or as sick as THE EBOLA SYNDROME or THE UNTOLD STORY -in fact, DOCTOR LAMB plays out very much like THE UNTOLD STORY as it is told in flash-back sequences, where Yam tells the cops of his "misdeeds" after being caught, interrogated and tortured. Some decent scenes of necrophilia, dismemberment, etc...not a bad film if ya dig this sort of thing, just not as memorable as the aforementioned films. Simon Yam puts on a great performance as a psycho whack-job, but this one left me a little cold, so-to-speak...Worth a look as far as HK Cat III stuff is concerned, but don't expect too much. 7/10

P.S. - thanks to "extreme" film guru EMBALMER for alerting me to my Simon Yam/Anthony Wong mix-up that has since been corrected in this review - I've been watching too much of this stuff lately ;)

Graphic, brutal crime thriller that was much-imitated in its day.

[dave13-1 · 7/10 · 3 May 2012]

The 'crime confessional' story device used here was much imitated over the next few years but this was the one that started the cycle. A taxi driving serial killer is caught and then, as he details his litany of crimes, the bulk of the movie plays out in flashback.

Most of the crimes take place at night and in the rain, and the reflected glare of wet windows lends everything an eerie Vaseline sheen of ickiness which accentuates the horror. The killer revels in the gory details of his crimes and the movie wallows right along with him, making a spectacle of every flying blood spatter. This is a gruesome exploitation movie and not for the timid, but quite compelling for its type.

Watch at your own risk.

The sensual blues of dying

[chaos-rampant · 4 February 2012]

As with many other viewers who commented here, I have to report a little baffled by the film's ungodly reputation as a virulent, nasty shocker. I was likely treated to the cut Hong Kong version but it's easy to spot out the trimmings: various scenes of our titular serial killer dissecting with a scalpel his deceased victims. We see a breast being surgically removed and stored in a jar. Incisions across different body parts. There is repeated strangulation and a tame bout of necrophilia as depraved closure. Presumably these are extended in the uncut version for added effect.

The point remains however: this is nothing like say The Untold Story if that's what you're looking for. Simon Yam exudes a petulant insanity that veers closer to clingy and pathetic than Anthony Wong's brutal monstrousness. And a lot of the film, given Danny Lee's daft involvement, is another awkwardly comedic policier about unorthodox cops matching the killer in senseless violence.

So if you are in it for brutality's sake, you will know where to find it elsewhere. But if you have cinematic stakes in the films you watch and moreover have been developing an aesthetically preoccupied eye, you may be strangely fulfilled.

Our killer is a night shift taxi driver and every night seems to rain hard, which means we get a lot of latenight city blues played on nocturnal asphalt.

The kills are a treat to watch: inside the car parked nowhere and every glass panel drenched with rain and illuminating flashes from faraway neon, hands and bodies convulsing as though a sexual sauna is going on.

And back in the killer's apartment, rays of light piercing through calligraphy painted on a blue wall.

And once the last victim makes a getaway, a frantic chase through pouring rain across a park like straight from a giallo.

Everything that has to do with violence and dying is sensual blues, purely stylized in a way that is erotic to watch. In film terms, this will remind you of the rain-soaked/ neon-bled yakuza films of Takashi Ishii in Japan. A bit of 80's Mann and Wong Kar Wai, minus too much urbane poetry.

So as far as gruesome nastiness goes, this is Category II at best. Watch as a stylized crime flick.

Dark and depressing, nice and gory!

[The_Void · 7/10 · 26 October 2006]

Dr Lamb is only my second Cat III flick, and while it's not as good as the first (the generally well regarded The Untold Story), it's still a decent example of Asian sickness. Directors Danny Lee and Hin Sing 'Billy' Tang do an excellent job of presenting a bleak and depressing atmosphere, which bodes excellently with the style and content of the film. Dr Lamb certainly isn't for the feint hearted, as we get treated to scenes of mutilation and necrophilia, along with various other atrocities. The plot is paper thin, and simply follows a manhunt which results in the arrest of a taxi driver. After his capture, he reveals his crimes and the rest of the film is made up of flashbacks where we get to see what he has done. There's plenty of blood and guts on display (which, let's face it, is the reason we're watching), and the film doesn't hold back at any point - which is pretty much what you'd expect from this sort of film. Simon Yam does well in the lead role as the psychopathic taxi driver, and receives good support from Danny Lee and Kent Chang; a fat actor whom I recognised instantly from a Jet Li film called 'The Bodyguard', which I saw on TV late one night; while drunk. Overall, I can't comment on how this film stands up to other genre entries; but it's not bad in its own right, and comes recommended to my fellow sickos.

Pretty good movie within its genre.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 25 April 2009]

This is one of those typical violence filled Hong Kong movies, that is about a taxi driver on a killing spree and features lots of gore and profanities. It takes you into the mind of the serial killer and shows how he got to his deeds. As an Hong Kong genre movie this one is pretty good and it features some nice storytelling.

The movie isn't being told chronologically, which seems a bit redundant and perhaps even annoying at first but as the movie progresses it becomes obvious that this way and style of storytelling was the best one to pick for this movie. The gore and killings are only being shown in the second halve of the movie, when we've already met the movie its serial killer. He seems like a normal guy but as the movie progresses it becomes more and more obvious what a sick man he actually is beneath the surface. It's of course also thanks due to Simon Yam's acting performance that his character- and therefore also its storytelling works out.

It's a pretty effective and intriguing character study of a seemingly normal person, who is fed up with the society, as he sees it from his cab night in, night out. It's obvious that this movie got somewhat inspired by Scorcese's "Taxi Driver" but don't worry, the movie as a whole is quite different really and more a typical Hong Kong movie than a "Taxi Driver"-wannabe/rip-off.

It of course features lot of typical Hong Kong movie humor and violence and gore, that is a bit over-the-top. Guess some people might find it disturbing and tasteless but those who are able to appreciate a good typical genre movie like this will not be disappointed by the movie.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Doesn't live up to the hype

[sevdah · 3/10 · 13 March 2007]

And why do I think it doesn't ? Well , here's the explanation : This movie is described as infamously sick , twisted , depraved , gory and whatnot . You will find a lot of websites that review " Dr Lamb " as if it was one of the meanest movies ever made . But it's not , or at least - it depends on who you ask .A " Scream " fan might see it as the nastiest possible piece of carnage since WWII , but then again, a person that finds this Craven's nonsense anywhere near scary , shocking or gory is -in my opinion - somewhat confused . " Dr Lamb " is not very gory either. There are only few murders and very little blood . You have a couple of dismemberment and mutilation scenes , but they are not too elaborate or long ( and the SFX are nothing to write home about ). Most of the movie consists of boring , almost comical dialogs , interrogations , unconvincing attempts at making some parts of the movie look like drama , cheesy humor , grimacing , yelling , beating up and so on . In other words - it's not very interesting .

The acting sucks . That is , most of it . The main actor is decent , it's just that his character is underdeveloped , vague , almost two - dimensional . There is one part of the movie where the killer establishes some sort of connection ( at least that's what he thinks ) with one of his victims that he , for some unknown reason , sees as " pure and innocent " - but kills her anyway and has sex with her corpse . I suppose this part of the movie is meant to show us the sensitive side of a ruthless psychopath , but miserably fails at it . It's too unconvincing and melodramatic, not because of the actor ( well ... )but because of the lousy screenplay , poor dialog , shallow characters . OK , you might say , but this movie is just a low budget exploitation , no one should expect too much here .That's right , but the truth is it's not too exploitative and might leave jaded gore hounds unsatisfied .

I have to mention that certain moments are dubbed in English in a manner of Bruce Lee movies , which makes the whole experience even more ridiculous .

So my verdict is : unimaginative , somewhat boring ,lousy acting , not enough gore , not enough murders , cheap looking SFX , unconvincing characters , lame story ... 3/10 . If you want a strong dose of movie violence and depravity , check out " August underground's mordum " or " Guinea pig " movies . They are far better than " Dr Lamb " .

Surprised

[Gravendal · 7/10 · 10 March 2024]

I went into this movie without any expectations exception from that when i am watching older Chinese horror movies they pretty much have some kind of other genre in it like drama, comedy or a bit of fantasy action. They can be a bit cheesy but a happy tone in it. And then we got this one, a really unique Chinese movie.

This one is dark, it's twisted and sexually graphiced with gore. This is something that you barely see on the Chinese market. This is a gruesome story of a serial killer and some of his victims and the police force investigating him.

It's a well made movie with good scenes and dialog, they can capture a great dark atmosphere and you get to learn the murderer and about his life.

Very recommended for someone who want to see a movie about a Chinese serial killer? Watch this one, you won't be disappointed.

A breast mutilation instructional video

[Groverdox · 4/10 · 28 July 2017]

"Dr. Lamb", despite being one of the better known Category III movies, is actually pretty tedious. It is a movie made for one reason: to show the graphic mutilation of dead women's breasts. It does this in detail, so if that's what you're looking for, look no further.

All the movie has to offer besides that are some scenes with hilariously inept policemen, who manage to make torturing a suspect look funny, so ineffectual are their torments. And when the suspect finally confesses, they throw their hands up and say, "It's useless! We need evidence!" If they knew they needed evidence, why did they bother with all the police brutality that led up to it? It seemed to bother them worse than it did the suspect/victim.

The rest of the movie is just Simon Yam sitting in a taxi on rainy days giving lifts to women he then murders in a surprisingly non violent way for a CAT III flick - he strangles them. As has been said, the only real nastiness in the movie happens after the women die.

Also, the only sense of dramatic tension happens there as well, leaving little doubt that the filmmakers' intentions were simply to shock and titillate the audience, with the stuff with the police and Yam's family just serving as padding. The funny thing is, though, that this dubious "tension" gained from the increasingly graphic mutilation scenes actually fails to pay off: the climax scene shows an act of necrophilia which is handled so unconvincingly it fails to be shocking at all. The actress does a pretty good job of staying still, but someone should have paid a makeup artist to actually make her look like a corpse.

There are a couple of other inexplicable details I'd like to add: for one, the movie begins with a head-scratching flashback scene which shows the killer as a child, spying on his sister having sex. That he was a peeping tom at this age is mentioned constantly throughout the film, as though this fact is in any way relevant to his later activities; are the only facts the filmmakers gleaned from the life of the guy the movie is based on that 1. he drove a taxi, and 2. he spied on his siblings? It seems like it. The movie does nothing with either.

The other thing is that the movie is called Dr. Lamb, which is weird because 1. he's not a doctor, he's a cabdriver, and 2. his name is spelt Lam, not "Lamb".

More CAT 3 movie based on real Hong Kong serial killer

[phanthinga · 7/10 · 10 December 2018]

If you like your CAT 3 movie with a lot of sleaze and disturbing violence that also based on real event like The Untold Story or fiction but just as good like Diary of a Serial Killer then Dr.Lamb directed by two veteran of the genre Danny Lee and Billy Tang will satisfy your need.The charismatic Simon Yam as the main character Lam Gor-Yu is the best aspect this movie can offer and he fricking killing it (No pun intended).Although the movie not always fill with violence but the wacky police gang lead by Danny Lee with their brutal method of interrogation definitely make you chuckle.There also one thing I want to point out that is the police gang and Danny Lee character "Inspector Lee" are basically played the same role in next year CAT 3 masterpiece The Untold Story so in a way Dr.Lamb is a sequel to that movie maybe ?

The sickest film I ever seen

[unk-6 · 1/10 · 12 May 2005]

To 'enjoy' this film you have to be mentally defective, full stop.

If you like realistic and graphic depictions of a corpse being violently raped and then sliced and sawn up afterwords, then this may be for you. Enduring the film is something different. I watched it because I was exploring "category III" HK cinema and Dr.Lamb was pointed out as being a good example. I also have seen "The Untold Story" and whilst being quite equally repugnant, it didn't seem to be as exploitive as 'Lamb'.

"The music industry is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run wild and good men die like dogs. There is also a negative side" Hunter S. Yhompson

A disturbing and haunting Hong Kong thriller - even darker and more harrowing in its uncut form

[Bogey Man · 8/10 · 5 November 2002]

Acclaimed and charismatic Hong Kong actor Danny Lee made his directorial debut with this influential film from 1992. DR. LAMB is based on the true life murders that took place in Hong Kong in 1982 during several months. A taxi driver Lam Gor-Yu committed grisly murders on females he thought were "bad and filthy" and it was revealed that he thought he got his instructions and orders from God. He was caught after developing some photographs which concerned the workers in that camera shop who actually saw the photos. Lam (or "Lamb") photographed all his victims in various positions while he mutilated them or even raped after the killing. He was sentenced to prison (a life sentence) and at least in the film, everybody turned their backs on him, even his parents and relatives, and that is also one important point and theme in the film.

The film opens showing some kids play. Of course it is a short depiction of Lam's childhood as he grew in seemingly happy and safe family, but still he was very silent and had some abnormal habits like used to peep on his parents who made love at night (it is said in the opening that his real mother had left him or died and that he didn't live with his real parents, and that Lam missed his mother a lot as a child). He also secretly watched her sister taking bath and so on but still no one in their family did anything about it until the horrible photographs were found by accident. The family said to police that they never saw him and he was always alone in his room doing something, and driving the cab at night time. The film is told as a flashback as the film opens (after the kids scene) with the arrest of Lam in the camera store. Soon he starts to tell the police about his past and victims, but what he goes through before that isn't too nice or human.

The film is written by Law Kam Fai, who has written at least Kirk Wong's GUNMEN (1988), and co-directed by Billy Tang Hin Sing, who has made some depressing, nerve-shredding and ultra pessimistic (horror related) thrillers like RED TO KILL (1994) and RUN AND KILL (1993), the latter also starring Simon Yam in a perhaps even more frightening psycho performance than in LAMB. Billy really knows how to shoot atmospheric scenes and how to use light and darkness, and how wonderfully that shows in DR. LAMB! Easily the greatest thing in this impressive film is the cinematography by Kin Fai Miu, who has also photographed Tang's over-the-top dark RUN AND KILL. The scenes in Lamb's apartment shown as a flashback are really haunting and creepy due to the huge talent of the cinematographer, the directors and their visual style. The dark and intrusive blue and strong light coming through the window blind to Lamb's room really starts to live and become one important character to the scenes, adding a menacing and dreadful, but also fascinating feel to them. Also the submissive and very low camera angles make the flashback scenes uniquely powerful. Lee and Tang move their camera restrainedly and every angle and movement is carefully considered. The scenes in Lamb's room are as fantastic and stunning as the storehouse finale in Ringo Lam's crime thriller CITY ON FIRE (1986), and that film uses exactly the same technique by using darkness and blue color to the maximum effect. Of course these films would require the big screen as Cinema in general, too.

Music and soundtrack by Jonathan Wong is the second most effective thing in the film and together with the photography they stand out in this film. The soundtrack consists of different menacing, gently pounding and waving voices and sounds which really can raise the hair of the viewer, because soundtrack can be very mean and sudden towards the viewer because it strikes straightly to the brain and fills the whole room where images are only in the screen and not so "dominant" when compared to music and soundtrack. DR. LAMB is again one movie to prove the power of sonic elements in cinema.

The film is pretty depressing film and almost as much as those of Billy Tang's. Lam is horribly abused by the authorities and also by his own brothers, sisters and parents. Everyone wishes death and revenge for him and they just can't notice when they have become themselves as bad as the one they're attacking. The police brutality is taken even further in Herman Yau's harrowing THE UNTOLD STORY (1993) when the (again real life) murderer is played by Anthony Wong who also won the actor award for this role in Hong Kong Film Awards. Only person who seems to feel little empathy and compassion for Lam is Inspector Lee played by the talented actor and this film's co-director that is, Danny Lee. The final image in DR. LAMB really stays in mind and that is also the first time we see Lam visibly reacting to the care he receives by Lee, so there is really things more human and larger between them than what the other characters managed to do. Lam's crimes are horrible and never justified but that doesn't mean everyone must react the same way towards the criminal.

Only negative things I find in this film are the sometimes irritating and unintentionally comic acts and voices Lam does in his room while playing with the bodies. I don't think the "howling" voice isn't too clever or effective and it should have been left out. The film has also some of the usual Hong Kong cinema comic elements which really are not any problem for these film makers to add to any film. It doesn't matter whether or not it's serious horror or action, there can always be a sudden scene of slapstick or goofiness if the makers wish so, but fortunately this film lacks them almost completely. The "breast in the back" and other of the few pretty tasteless jokes and happenings are not as irritating as they could be, but still they are on the limit. Good point is also that the film is pretty well written and the characters (especially Lam and Inspector Lee) become interesting and human, and none of the characters say unnecessary things and thoughts which is too often the case in many Hong Kong films, and that is just a sign of a more or less bad screenplay and dialogue.

DR. LAMB suffered also pretty badly in the hands of the Hong Kong censors and it couldn't get the highest rating, Category III, until several scenes of extreme nature were removed or trimmed. The current Hong Kong VCD and DVD releases are both naturally cut, and at least the old and nowadays hard to find Spanish videotape is the uncut and original version. I have both the HK version (English subtitles) and the uncut version (no subtitles) and the original version is approximately just 15 seconds longer than the Hong Kong Cat III version but the scenes censored are pretty gruelling and graphic and also add to the effect of the film. Director Lee naturally didn't like at all that their expensive prosthetics body used in the goriest scenes was so badly abused by the censors, but still the current Category III version is very watchable and the film definitely doesn't lose its impact unbearably too much.

DR. LAMB is among the most noteworthy Hong Kong films of the nineties, and despite its graphic and shocking nature and imagery, it is not mere exploitation and has many things which are lacking from so called "better" or accepted films from Hong Kong and elsewhere. The film never becomes gratuitous or laughable explicit which can naturally be expected by the talented makers behind this. 8/10

Depraved CAT III, Not a "Taxi Driver" wannabe!

[samxxxul · 7/10 · 9 May 2020]

Dr. Lamb is CAT III psychological crime horror film, Shot in 1992 by Danny Lee and Billy Tang is a mixture of true crime procedural and gore movie based on the true life murders that took place in Hong Kong during several months. The film follows cab driver Lam Gor-Yu (Simon Yam), who chops up victims and engages in the odd necrophiliac action. He is a twisted psychopath who spends his spare time killing, mutilating, and raping women. The movie is quite different, most notorious films from the golden age of Hong Kong horror than trying to be a "Taxi Driver"-wannabe/rip-off. For those interested to check out Category III rating, which is equivalent to the old X's or current NC-17's in the U.S, then Dr. Lamb is a good start followed by 2 of my favourites Untold Story (1993) and Ebola Syndrome (1996).

I wonder if this embarrasses Simon Yam and Danny Lee

[BeyondHardBoiled · 5/10 · 17 April 2015]

Now I'm normally quick to defend movies in the "serial killer" sub genre. There are some great films to come out of it, such as Kim Jee Woon's "I Saw the Devil" and Sion Sono's "Coldfish", but this film just seems like Category III gore trash.

I watched this mainly to see Simon Yam and wasn't expecting a masterpiece, but I was shocked. This was severely underwhelming.

The plot's very cliché, nothing that stands out to make it really interesting. It's laid out terribly, there is a scene that goes on for minutes of cops playing poker, which is hardly relevant. It gets very repetitive by the end.

The acting is horrible, including Yam's, which is unfortunate. This is almost embarrassing. I guess it has to do with the dialogue. Some lines are written for some dark comic relief, but it's hard to distinguish from the regular dialogue.

Finally, the ending is very unsatisfactory.

I suggest you avoid this, even you Yamster fans.

I killed them! I Killed them! I killed them!

[lastliberal-853-253708 · 17 November 2011]

I have had the pleasure of seeing Simon Yam in more than a few films: My Left Eye Sees Ghosts, Election, Triad Election, Exiled, and more. Seeing him as the psycho serial killer in a Chinese true crime adventure was a real pleasure.

I have also seen many film's with Danny Lee: John Woo's The Killer, with Simon Yam and Kent Cheng in Run and Kill, and with Chow Yun-Fat in Code of Honor. As the detective in charge of this case, he puts forth another very good performance.

Lee also produced and directed this film along with "Billy" Tang.

This is a Cat III film, so the violence is extreme. There is a lot of blood and gore as he dismembers his victims. There is also nudity and necrophilia.

Based upon a real story, this taxi driver, who was excited from the rain and thunder, was a real psycho. Yam was perfect in the role.

definitely not a CAT III flick.

[trashgang · 4/10 · 30 May 2012]

I had this flick on my shelves for years, bought full uncut on some Hong Kong label but I never took the time to give it a go. But an interview in Darkside magazine with Simon Yam did me decide to give it a go. But what a mistake it was, it is a perfect example of a much over-hyped flick. Don't get me wrong, the acting is okay but where was all that gore that people were talking about.

Flicks that are based on true events concerning serial killers that's what I like to watch. Dr. Lamb is based on the true life murders that took place in Hong Kong in 1982 during several months. A taxi driver named "Lam Gor-Yu" committed murders on females that were sluts in his eyes, hookers as we know them. He killed them because God told him so. Taking pictures of the naked girls in all kind of positions and mutilations he had to develop his pictures. He was caught in the shop he was working by his colleagues. He was sentenced to prison for life. All those things were actually in this flick.

But Dr. Lamb fails due the long scene's with the cops. One is trying to give some English sentences but it doesn't work at all. The problem is that it even becomes a bit funny while seeing those coppers at work, especially the female one. I guess that that wasn't supposed to happen. The only moments that are worth watching is once Lam is talking to the police how and why he did all his atrocities. We see him perform his killings but it never becomes gory even as it is a CAT III flick. Even the necrophilia looks a bit dull. In fact this flick had nothing to offer when the killer isn't on-screen. A joke here and there with the stupid coppers like the throwing of a breast but for me it just wasn't funny.

I can't understand why this is so much hyped. I found it overall boring with a few scene's that are worth watching. But for me not a CAT III worthy. A bit of nudity here and there but the blood was left out. Luckily the acting by Simon Yam was okay.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 2/5 Effects 2/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0,5/5

Boring attempt at a crime thriller...

[paul_haakonsen · 4/10 · 17 March 2024]

When I stumbled upon the 1992 Hong Kong crime horror "Goh Yeung Yee Sang" (aka "Dr. Lamb") here in 2024, which was by blind luck, there was no doubt about me sitting down to watch it, given my love and admiration of the Hong Kong cinema. Sure, I had never even heard about the movie prior to now, so I didn't know what I was in for.

And of course seeing that the movie was starring Simon Yam, well that just sweetened the deal. So of course I had to watch directors Danny Lee and Billy Hin-Shing Tang's movie.

The storyline and script in the movie, as written by Kam-Fai Law was not really anything overly outstanding. It was a somewhat confusing storyline, and the fact that it was somewhat slow paced just didn't help make it more watchable. And there was just too much repetition of things, despite it being with different victims, and that just felt like lazy writing.

The acting performances in the movie were good, and there were a couple of familiar faces on the cast list as well, which just helped to make the movie all the more enjoyable. There were the likes of Simon Yam, Kent Cheng, Danny Lee and Parkman Wong on the cast list.

For a murder crime thriller then "Goh Yeung Yee Sang" was a bit too boring, bland and lacking thrilling elements, and actually lacking an interesting and compelling storyline. And the acting performances could only do so much to alleviate for the shortcomings. And the movie was listed as a crime horror, but was in fact was it was a crime thriller, just made it a bit more disappointing.

"Goh Yeung Yee Sang" is not a movie that will find its way back to my screen a second time. It was a struggle enough to sit through the first time.

My rating of directors Danny Lee and Billy Hin-Shing Tang's 1992 movie lands on a disappointing four out of ten stars.

Disturbing shocker with great Simon Yam.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 9/10 · 28 June 2005]

In August,1983 a photo lab technician complained to his manager about disturbing photos of a mutilated female body on a customer's roll of film.This was the second time the manager had noticed this particular customer's unusual photos and this time he called the police.The photo was of a severed human breast.This was approximately the 700th such photo his store had processed for this customer.The cops took the customer,Lam Go-wan into custody and after sweating him for two days he confessed to murdering the woman in the photographs.Then he kept on confessing...In 1992,Danny Lee and Kent Cheng Jat-si teamed up to film the true crime biopic of Lam Go-wan,Hong Kong's first and maybe only serial killer."Dr.Lamb" is an excellent III Cat. shocker that offers some gruesome imagery including cold-blooded murder,necrophilia,dismemberment and breast mutilation.I own uncut DVD-R composite with English subtitles that has all the scenes of sexual violence intact,so if you want to see this uncensored try to find ultra-rare Spanish Manga Video release.Simon Yam's performance as the Taxi Cab Killer is truly haunting and out-of-control.One thing that I found pretty impressive were the actresses that played the murder victims,they had to lay around as corpses while the serial killer mutilated them.So if you want to see a chillingly horrific piece of horror give "Dr.Lamb" a look.9 out of 10.

One of the earlier (and noteworthy) CAT III films

[Bogey Man · 8/10 · 21 May 2002]

Dr. Lamb is directed by Danny Lee (co-star of The Killer and the cop in The Untold Story) and Billy Tang (director of Red to Kill and Run & Kill) and this film is one of the earlier Category 3 movies with Sentenced to Hang and Story of Ricky. After these films, brutally violent and sexually explicit horror thrillers began to be made and that highest age limit was invented.

Dr. Lamb is not as superb as The Untold Story or Run & Kill but it is still very chilling and stylish true crime film but I don't know how close this is to truth. Anyway, a disturbed young man drives a taxi in Hong Kong and he has very bad traumas from his childhood. Murdered and mutilated women start to appear and the police investigation begins..The horrific truth is about to be discovered..

Simon Yam is among the greatest psycho actors in Hong Kong (and world!) and only equivalent for him is Anthony Wong. The acting in Lamb is once again very professional and unforgettable, and when he "freaks out" it sure is scary and horrific to watch. At times, it makes me wonder how these gentlemen can act like that, no matter how professionals they are! Yam's motif for these killings is that he is on a mission from God and he has to kill all the bad women. Prostitutes and addicts are for instance "bad" women and due to his traumas and awful childhood he thinks that he has to purify and clean the streets out of this scum. But the main point and theme in Dr. Lamb is exactly the same as in The Untold Story: the power and behaviour of police. How far can police go in order to get info and answers? The police no longer is the "good" guy and they are no better than the victims. The message is not as powerful as in Untold Story which is at times almost unbearably hard to watch due to the acts police commits. But the same problems are discussed in Dr. Lamb and this can be described very important issue and no-nonsense film.

The film is also pretty stylish and professional, as we can expect from these film makers. The use of blue and dark colours and light is gorgeous and the film looks fantastic. The rain is always there and so is depressing atmosphere. This looks as wonderful as the finale in Billy Tang's Red to Kill. Dr. Lamb is almost hypnotic at times, so this is once again unforgettable cinema from the great Hong Kong and has no equivalents in Western cinema. The music is also important element here and I can't point out many technical flaws in the film. There are couple of "funny" scenes which should have been left out, but fortunately they are only very few.

The violence and sex is always the thing which alienates people from this kind of cinema and Dr. Lamb is not easier to watch than any other of its kind. The violence and gore is not as extreme as in Untold Story but it is still too much for mainstream audiences. Dead bodies are abused and body parts are cut off. The imagery is occasionally off-putting, but then we have to remember, what actually led the protagonist to commit these horrific acts. The difference between Western and Orient (horror) cinema is as clear as crystal: subject matters and imagery which is definitely a no-no in West (necrophilia, brutality towards women/children etc.) are by no means taboos in Orient. I am not too familiar with the Chinese culture, but watching Chinese films definitely shows that there are many cultures in the world and our Western is just one of them. And when the Chinese/Orient film makers show in their films such a horrific acts mentioned above, it definitely means NOT that they accept these things and don't think they're bad. They are bad and the Orient films say they're bad, so only thing the viewer has to be able to do is to INTERPRET these difficult films and see though them and analyze them. This is too much and too hard for most of the people and that's why the films are considered just sick, disgusting, pointless and so on. Orient films as seen through Western eyes are difficult and require a lot from the viewer, and I like difficult cinema which require brains.

Dr. Lamb is one of the greatest achievements in this field and absolutely worth seeking out for Hong Kong fanatics. Too bad that the newly released DVD from Hong Kong is cut for violence and reportedly the uncut print doesn't even exist anymore, or at least is not likely to be released anywhere. The Spanish VHS tape is the only uncut version I know but it is dubbed into Spanish. Some old HK versions may be uncut too but I don't know about them. But the new DVD is still OK because the cuts are not as bad as possible and there are no any substitutes, especially for English speaking people.

8/10 and recommended for the lovers of Eastern cinema.

Great Category III classic with the great Simon Yam

[dworldeater · 10/10 · 12 December 2012]

Dr. Lamb is a classic Category III true crime shocker produced , co directed and starring Danny Lee (as inspector Lee ).The real star of the show is Simon Yam and gives a tremendous performance as Dr Lamb (the name given to him by the media )a taxi driver who killed and photographed 4 women in Hong Kong in the early 80's. Based on a real case this movie was very controversial when it was originally released and heavily censored . Even so the film is really well done and depraved . Simon Yam gives a convincing and creepy performance few actors can touch. The cops minus inspector Lee bring black comedy to this otherwise savage thriller . Even if the sex and violence is not at its most extreme, there is strangulation, bodily dismemberment, necrophilia and gore . This is real well done and disturbing film that generated a wave of Category III sickness that spawned much depraved Hong Kong cinema throughout the 90's decade. Dr Lamb is mandatory viewing for fans of the genre and one of my personal favorites.

Category III Cinema: Doctor Lamb.

[Captain_Couth · 9/10 · 19 February 2005]

Doctor Lamb (1992) was another dark and depraved film from Billy Tang. This time he's aided and abetted by police drama film maker Danny Lee. Like his other Category III film, Lee directs the police scenes whilst Tang films the other scenes. The movie is mainly lit with blue lighting (A Billy Tang trademark) and is filmed in the shadows. The movie is also based upon a true case.

Simon Yam plays a taxi driver who has a dark side. He likes to carve up women in his spare time and keep pieces of them as mementos. He's given the name Doctor Lamb by the police and the media. Lamb is caught one day when he takes some photos to a local film developer. Danny Lee and his crew of cops hunt down the Doctor and bring him to justice. After interrogating him for several days, he finally confesses in gory detail about all of the murders he committed. In his sick ind he feels that every one of those murders (except one) was justified because they were bad women. He even video taped a couple of his crimes. The film follows his eventual trial and his sentence to a nut house for life.

This police procedural drama has been several cut ever since it was release. The swear words (in Cantonese) were deleted but the English swear words were kept in. Like all of these Category III films, several out of place comical scenes were added (for no other reason except to shock the viewers even more). If you enjoy the category III genre then this one's right up your alley (if you can find a copy).

Highly recommended!

Gore galore!

[Megagynocallipygiophile · 10/10 · 5 October 1999]

I've just recently viewed this movie and found it to be a very disturbing character study. The title character (played chillingly by Simon Yam, my soon-to-be-favorite film psycho) has some parallels to Jeffrey Dahmer (necrophilia, cannibalism, etc.), only his victims are "dirty women".

This movie is slowly paced, but when it's killin' time the chills are there! There are a few scenes of slap-stick(!), that seem inappropriate, but they will get a bellylaugh or two if you're watching this with the sqeamish!

Worth seeking out!

Top notch terror trip

[fertilecelluloid · 30 December 2003]

What struck me immediately while watching this delicious trip down terror lane was its gorgeous cinematography. We get glistening mixes of neon and glass and rain and shadows and they really add up to something special.

It's the same genre as THE UNTOLD STORY, but I really like this film more than that. Simon Yam is as good as Anthony Wong and the comic relief is not as irritating in this. It's still there and it's more integrated, (a severed breast tossed around, for example), but it doesn't detract much from the horror at hand.

The climax is very Argento-esque, almost SUSPIRIA-like as Lam's victim is pursued through the woods in a rainstorm. The rain motif is ever-present and reminded me of Hong Kong's RAINY NIGHT KILLER, perhaps another film "inspired" by Lam's modus operandi.

But directors Billy Tang (RUN AND KILL) and Danny Lee produce magnificent cinematic grande guignol in this amazing little shocker. And the photography and design is ably supported by a gorgeous score and superior production design.

The scenes of necrophilia are, at once, erotic and repugnant, and the visualization of Lam's madness is thoroughly authentic.

Unfortunately, I have not seen the Spanish "uncut" of this, though I can guess exactly where the cuts were made because they are obvious in the Cat 3 Hong Kong print and DVD.

Gorgeous horror.

A gruesome and generally brutal Cat III classic

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 8/10 · 2 August 2022]

After receiving a call about a strange case, a group of police detectives is alerted to a strange case involving a deranged taxi driver running around the streets of Hong Kong brutally killing and dismembering prostitutes which forces them to make him reenact his brutal crime spree.

Frankly, this one was quite the dark and brutal genre effort. Much of that comes from the story that allows for such an atmosphere to exist. The fact that we get to see who he really is with the series of exploits into his personality shines a light on how he became a killer. The psychological insight gained from a small kid who openly enjoyed pulling up young girls' skirts, spying on his parents having sex, and watching his younger sister bathe herself sets him up as a sexually-repressed deviant capable of the various acts he commits throughout here. This continues later on as we see how they treat him as an adult with a series of utter disdain and outright cruelty that is a part of the dysfunctional family relationship at the core of the film setting his stage of depravity to come. Being able to engage in the cruelty and sexual deviance that gets brought to bear on the bodies here with the type of uncomfortable setpieces that wallow in grime and sleaze. Given the amount of influence and highly effective detective work that goes on with how the investigation goes along showing the police officers beating and attempting to brutalize him for a confession with all of the evidence they have against him, all give this setup a great touch into his psyche. On top of that, the excess provided here during the death scenes provides the film with its most notable and overwhelming aspects. The unhinged nature displayed here during the various scenes of him abducting women off the streets unsuspectingly and taking them back to his room offers up a slew of brutal and generally graphic content. The full-bore nudity featured while he strips the bodies naked, sexually assaults and molests his victims before discarding them into smaller chunks for disposal creates a perverse environment that is ripe for this kind of sexual-based violence. Since these actions are built incredibly well off the psychological profile established earlier which paints him as the kind of figure to engage in such actions, we get to see several of these instances recreated and played out as they are in lengthy sequences creating a sleazy series of scenes. Moreover, that they're as detailed and lengthy as they all allow for that kind of gruesome and graphic energy to emerge as we watch the systematic carnage unfold and how he goes about getting away with it for as long as he does, and when added alongside an atmospheric stalking scene of him chasing down a victim in a driving rainstorm to add a little variety into the mix all combine together for an enjoyable experience. There are several issues here with this one that brings it down. The biggest factor holding it back is the rather uneven tone that emerges from how the film mixes together the sleaze with the high-end thriller features here. That the film's in-depth psychological examination of his urge to kill and the resultant police investigation to find the truth about how he pulled everything off comes at the expense of really delivering the sleaze the way it could've. While the actions themselves are generally brutal and gruesome enough in concept, that there's little in the way of overtly over-the-top bloodshed here makes it feel somewhat restrained in comparison to what it could've been. The sole splatter scenes here are reserved for bloodshed sprayed onto the surrounding walls and fishtank of his room while skipping the angles of him chopping and dismembering the bodies that are nowhere near as graphic and intense as the action depicted in the reports. It ends up far too classy with these recreations that try to delve deep into the ability to understand who he is that there's a rather jarring feeling that comes along with these sleazy aspects integrated into the story. As well, that also includes the utterly out-of-place comedy that comes about here from the police officers, often coming across far too slapstick to make an impression. The goofy jokes and physical gags that involve dismembered body parts being flung about are just quite odd and don't have any real purpose being here. Beyond that, there's not a lot to hold this one down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Extreme Graphic Violence, Full Nudity, and strong sex scenes.

The Silence of Dr. Lamb.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 8/10 · 6 June 2020]

When I first heard of CAT 3,I got three DVD's which I kept meaning to watch,but somehow always missed the chance to. Joining in the latest ICM viewing challenge,I finally went to meet the Dr.

View on the film:

Operating in front of and behind the camera,co-director/ (with Billy Tang Hin-Shing) actor Danny Lee gives a meaty performance as Inspector Lee, whose blunt approach to policing is rolled up by Danny in beatings Lee gives to the suspect,in the hope of kicking the truth out of him. Making a killing driving his taxi in the rain, Simon Yam gives a slithering,slimy performance as Lam Gor-Yu, whose thin smile Yam holds as Gor-Yu describes the precision he placed in dissecting his latest victim.

Partly based on real life murderer Lam Kor-wan, the screenplay by Kam-Fai Law dices clinical Crime tension from the interrogation by Lee unravelling the identities of Gor-Yu's victims, with wacky CAT III odd Comedy, which brings out a sleazy atmosphere, as the investigators joke around with evidence slipping out of their hands,in the middle of visiting the scene of the crime! Episodically tracking Gor-Yu with his next victim, Law smartly keeps things measured in building up Gor-Yu's level of depravity, reaching a peak with the last victim.

Investigating a category infamous for being down & dirty, directors Danny Lee and Billy Tang Hin-Shing are joined by cinematographer Kin-Fai Mau in snapping Gor-Yu's crimes with a crystallised stylisation,recording Gor-Yu noting down his crimes with inferred blues and reds photographing Gor-Yu's murders, whilst pelts of rain tap on the windscreen in wide-shots,as screams come from within the car. Smashing the windscreen, the directors unload Gor-yu's crimes with a sleazy Grindhouse CAT III atmosphere tossing body parts and grisly photos,taken by Dr. Lamb.