Naked Killer
Director: Clarence Ford/Fok
Year: 1992
Rating: 9.0
This is a classic
Hong Kong film for many good reasons. Whether you hate it or love it, this
is still a film that can’t be ignored. It is deliriously trashy, high camp,
outrageously seductive, in sublimely bad taste – but it pulses with so much
energy, style and pizzazz that it is impossible to turn your head away. Wong
Jing creates a wildly colored canvass of garish colors, beautiful people,
jazzed up fashions and gaudy death.
Lesbian killers, detached organs, demented rapists, poisoned lipstick, impotency
and kinky sex is mixed together by Wong to create a glossy Technicolor wet
dream. Chingmy Yau looks like a luscious fresh piece of cheesecake in red
hot pants and she just jumps off the screen under your skin and into your
palpitating heart. This film deservedly made her a star. Carrie Ng at her
lipsticked best is delightfully and deliciously evil and perverse. Both of
these are just completely sensual and over the top performances.
The movie centers on a group of professional female killers that take particular
pleasure in killing and emasculating abusive men. They just don’t kill though,
they do it with style and aplomb – its an art form to these women – you just
don’t kill, you have to look good doing it. In their hands hats, scarves,
barbells, high heel shoes are all deadly weapons.
A triad boss (Ken Lo) kills Chingmy’s father and the following day she just
swishes into his office shooting everyone in sight. Twenty or so dead bodies
later, she is rushing away with another twenty gun toting guys in close pursuit.
It so happens that Sister Cindy (Yiu Wai, Kelly) is in the building as well
and she twirls and whips off her dowdy dress to reveal a killer body underneath
– literally – as she turns into a killing machine with various articles of
clothing. She is a professional killer and takes Chingmy on as her student.
Training consists of killing rapists locked in the basement, dressing well
and allowing Sister Cindy to lovingly caress her body. Simon Yam is put on
the case – but he has problems of his own – since accidentally killing his
brother he can’t hold a gun without vomiting and he has become impotent. Chingmy
cures him of both! After passionate love making, Chingmy turns to him and
says, “We have conflicting jobs. One of us must give theirs up”. Good thinking!
Sister Cindy had another student once – Carrie Ng – but now Ng and her purring
spoiled little female plaything, Baby (Svenwara Madoka), have turned against
her and are out to kill both Sister Cindy and Chingmy. Ng and Baby are divinely
insane – making love in a bloody swimming pool after killing someone in it
minutes before.
This film is all fabulous splashes of color and style – images fly by in
stunning fashion – women have never looked so beautiful, so well attired and
so deadly before. It is so kinetic and wild and fun that it is still a landmark
in HK film. It is Wong Jing’s finest work and though he has tried he has
never been able to recapture the vitality and sense of style that this film
has.
My rating for this film: 9.0
DVD Information
There are two versions out there – make sure
you get the Mega Star/Media Asia version that has a picture of the menu on
the back of the DVD. The transfer on this film is gorgeous – Chingmy and
Carrie Ng practically sizzle on the screen. The colors are so vibrant and
in this film that is so essential to fully appreciate it.
This has some additional scenes as well I have
heard – though I only noticed one with Chingmy and Sister Cindy lying on
a chaise lounge with Sister Cindy slowly touching Chingmy’s body. It’s a
great scene.
9 Chapters
Trailers for this film (that alone is fabulous
and has scenes not shown in the film – where are they? – they are great
looking ) plus Black Cat I & II, Moment of Romance and a compilation
of other films. This compilation of stunning images from various films made
me think what a glorious film someone could make of doing nothing but editing
together incredible scenes from different films to a great soundtrack.
Sub-titles in English, Traditional and Simplified
Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese and none.
Received the following e-mail from Philip Morley
with some more information on additions to the Naked Killer DVD.
Just thought I would drop a quick email to highlight
further additional scenes in the FULL version of Naked Killer. I wish to point
out that I draw my comparisons between the original UK video version (same
as original HK version, which was claimed as uncut in the UK) and the FULL
DVD version as mentioned on your site.
Yes, the main difference I noticed is the Chaise
Lounge scene, however, various other violent scenes have gained additional
footage. The opening murder for instance. The video version shows Carrie
Ng bashing the victim’s head with the dumb bells. The DVD version shows the
same but with an additional explosion of blood from the victim’s head.
The scene where the detectives are at the murder
scene has far more footage including the eating of the victim’s penis when
mistaken for a cold sausage.
In the scene where Chingmy goes to the bank to
kill her father’s killer, again additional footage in the ensuing violence
has emerged. The stabbing of Ken Lo's character to the groin is more graphic
showing spurts of blood. Also, missing from the video is when Chingmy is
held on the sofa and kicked several times to the groin area.
As I said the comparison is to the UK video.
This stated on the box as being the original UNCUT HK version, and included
the infamous bleeping on the (Cantonese) soundtrack. The DVD version I believe,
although not stated on the box is effectively a Directors cut.