ebossert
I'm a newbie when it comes to Japanese exploitation films from the 1970s, but what little I've seen has underwhelmed me. "School of the Holy Beast" (1974), "Wife to be Sacrificed" (1975), "Tattooed Flower Vase" (1976), and "Angel Guts: Nami" (1979) were all decent in terms of soft core sex, but weak in terms of everything else. "Holy Beast" probably had the most entertainment value because of a few memorable torture scenes, but even that film wasn't very good. And this is coming from a guy who enjoyed "Entrails of a Virgin" (1986), "Flower and Snake" (2004), and "Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend" (1988), so I'm most certainly capable of enjoying depraved exhibitions of gratuitous sex and violence. That said, I was particularly excited about "Assault! Jack the Ripper" after reading the glowing IMDb reviews. Unfortunately, I find myself (yet again) scratching my head at the overblown reputation of a silly, middling movie.First and foremost, the death scenes are incredibly lame. This was quite a surprise given the IMDb reviewers who pointed out the "extreme and nasty violence" that is "shown raw and uncovered." If you're looking for shots of torn flesh, look elsewhere. The majority of the stabbings here use camera angles that obscure the point of contact. What results is a dull, repetitive series of killings that look more like a guy punching some girls in the stomach. The cumulative amount of visible blood in "Assault" could probably fit inside of a ketchup bottle. I kid you not. Even the minority of scenes that actually show something are mediocre at best. The stabbings executed in Lucio Fulci's "The New York Ripper" (1982) are about 10 times better than the ones shown here. It's not even close.All the more reason for my perplexity after watching "Assault." Where the heck was all of the shocking violence that I was promised? To my surprise, it's nowhere to be found. Even more astounding is that some reviewers actually attempt to defend "Assault's" death scenes by asserting that the "inference" invoked by "sound and FX" are enough to make it disturbing. If this isn't an unintentional admission of failure by an exploitation film, I don't know what is.Sure, the premise of a pastry chef and waitress who stab people in the genitals for sexual gratification is a great idea, but if you're gonna skimp on the red stuff you had better set up convincing characters or construct effective suspense sequences that don't rely on graphic violence. On the contrary, the characters sucked, the victims were cardboard cutouts, and there's not a lick of suspense to be found here. The dynamic duo kidnap someone, then punch them in the stomach (uh, I mean kill them) a few seconds/minutes later. That's about it. There's little to no torture and nothing at all to raise the viewer's heart rate. How can a movie possibly make a murder/"bang" session in a graveyard boring? Well, "Assault" somehow did it. Given the poor execution, the best part of the film is the plot synopsis.Yeah, there's nudity here. Woopdee doo. The lead actress has nice boobies, but I'm gonna need a little more than that to sustain my interest over the course of 70 minutes. Even the sex scenes were pretty tame, barely reaching the low heights of Cinemax Late Night. As much as I criticize the Korean director Sang-soo Hong for his foray into dull art-house pornography, his direction of body motion during sex is much better than anything seen in "Assault." What I found especially disappointing is that the intercourse between the couple was not appreciably different before and after a murder. The entire film is reliant on how killing gets them off, but it doesn't take the sex to another level when necessary. I expected some real bed-denting after the murders, but all we get is soft spooning. In short, I was never convinced that the murders resulted in more gratifying sex.Everything that "Assault" allegedly offers is done more effectively in non-exploitative genres. "Strange Circus" (2005), "Tetsuo: The Iron Man" (1989), "Moonlight Whispers" (1999), and "The Isle" (2000) are way better at portraying sexual perversion. The sex scenes are good in completely different ways, but most importantly every one of these films held my interest throughout much of their running times with a mix of effective characterization, stylish technical qualities, and/or mind-numbing insanity – all things that are absent in "Assault." I keep reading all of these rave reviews from persons who have earned my respect for their sheer knowledge of unorthodox cinema. Almost all of the heavy hitters gave "Assault" high marks: Fertilecelluloid, Evol666, HumanoidofFlesh, ElijahCSkuggs, Obscure 437, BaHarrison, Soucriant, and Coventry. This makes my disappointment all the more confusing. I even gave this film a second chance with lowered expectations, and it still failed to impress me in any way. Not only are all of the formulaic standards of conventional film-making absent (e.g., good acting, storyline, etc.), but all of the exploitative elements are feeble and forgettable.My initial impression on 70s exploitation films in general is that they're much like a dog with bark but no bite, or a sheep in wolf's clothing. I certainly hope that my future experiences are more satisfying.
chuck-219
We start in a restaurant where a patron hits up on a waitress. Let me tell you, I've seen surly before, but this chick "takes the cake" (if those who have seen it will pardon that one there).Anyway, things start a bit slowly, with our waitress and her somewhat cowering pastry chef, until a hitchhiker stops them dead in their rain splattered tracks. After stowing aboard aft, she proceeds to strip and cover herself with his confectionery creations (which she augments with his pastry knife to her arm). She then goes for a "space walk" alongside the car and becomes a visceral experience (sexually) for the both of them. Foreplay is yet invented for this couple. The story goes on with our happy couple discovering pleasures anew with victim after victim (all beginning with some "sharp to the carp" for them all). Our chubby waitress is the dominant factor in the opening, but our knife wielding chef soon takes matters into his own hands. His freelancing only fuels her fire to keep them together.This one has some "roughiness" that is somewhat nasty as Formula-1 cars are just a bit fast. There are carvings galore in this one with one getting "upped" Don Ciccio style to her sternum. The sex is single "X", but it's definitely a great experience (with good production values and acting alike). Highly recommended.Charlie.
ElijahCSkuggs
Assault! Jack the Ripper! is a movie the average person will never forget, or actually, will never see. It's a rare, brutal Japanese film that includes rape, sex and murder. For fans of pinky films it's a leader in the genre. And I can see why. It's a well made film with very nice acting from all members of the cast. For anyone who's into video games, there is some great music in this that is very similar to a game called Katamari Damacy. Which is a fantastic game by the way.The movie is about two restaurant workers who realize that the only way they can have hot sex is through killing someone. Good enough reason for me. But things begin to go seriously wrong for this Japanese Mickey and Mallory.AJR! is definitely not for everyone. It's a very sexual and violent flick that will most likely only appeal to extreme cinema fans and brave souls willing to widen their horizons. I personally think this film kicks ass in it's depiction of no holds barred sex, violence and mayhem.
EVOL666
ASSAULT! JACK THE RIPPER is one of those films that just ain't gonna be everyone's cup of tea. It's brutal in it's depiction of rape and murder and has pretty much no redeeming value in terms of "entertaining" cinema - and that's exactly why it is such a "classic" of the pinky genre. At a time when many other pinky films dealt with sleazy subject matter in a more "fun" and tongue-in-cheek manner, ASSAULT! went straight for the jugular, or more appropriately, crotch...Two restaurant co-workers realize their penchant for brutal rape and murder after a mishap with a whacked-out hitch-hiker. As the two find that murder is their only aphrodisiac - things get out of hand. They continue to "feed" off of each other and pick up random strangers to do their "business" with. Homeboy finds that he has a thing for stabbing the victims in the cooch - this appears to be his major "turn-on". Homegirl starts to get a little to clingy and jealous when she realizes that he's been doing some "moonlighting" on his own. This all results in the end of their relationship, among other things...There's nothing really comical or fun about ASSAULT! (except for the strange disco soundtrack...). It appears that the main goal of this film is to shock and disgust, which it does appropriately enough - especially for it's 1976 time-stamp. Although the crotch-gouging is not "graphically" shown, the sound FX and inference of what's going on is enough to be disturbing. This is a rare film as it predates a lot of more sadistic films that became notorious throughout the late 70's through today. Again, not a film for all tastes, but for those that are looking for something a little "rougher"...this may be the one. 9/10
