Bôkô Kirisaki Jakku

Assault! Jack the Ripper (1976)

** (out of 4)

Original Title: Bôkô Kirisaki Jakku

Perversely sexual and violent, this Japanese film has a reputation as being one of the stronger "pinku" movies out there. The story centers on a cook and a waitress who one night accidentally run over a crazed hitchhiker. The two find themselves being turned on by death and blood so they keep killing women and borrow the trademark of Jack the Ripper by cutting them from their private areas on up. I just recently became aware of these pinku Japanese movies so I' doing research on which ones to start with and this here seemed to have pretty good reviews but in the end I was somewhat let down. The one part of its reputation that it lives up to is the rather bizarre sexual nature of the film. There are quite a few sex scenes here, which come off very perverted and sleazy even though nothing hardcore, or really softcore for that matter, happens. The lead actress, who's name I can't find anywhere, has a rather amazing body so seeing her strip off certainly wasn't a negative thing. Her round face also comes in quite handy because she looks so innocent yet is as deadly as they come. Her performance is quite good as is her co-star but yet again I couldn't find his name among various reviews I read. I think the most disappointing aspect is that the film really isn't all that violent. Yes, the aftermath of a woman being sliced up and down is pretty grim but very little of it is actually shown. Usually we see a minor stab wound and then the rest happens off camera and then we go back for the aftermath. I've read reviews saying the film was ultra violent and downright raw and nasty but I didn't find that to be the case. The biggest problem however is that the film runs 71-minutes and really doesn't have enough of a story to fill that short time. The movie starts to feel rather long because we keep going through the same thing of a murder, sex, a murder, more sex and so on.

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

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.

A shy pastry chef gives a newly employed waitress a lift home. They pickup an attractive, but mentally deranged young woman who is standing in the pouring rain. She gets into the car takes off her clothes and attempts suicide with razor blades. The couple push her out of the car to find she has collapsed and died in the middle of the road. They then hide the body. After the event they find themselves strangely turned on by her death. What follows is Ken murdering men and women using a chef's palette knife and having sex with Yuri afterwards.

The mixture of sex and violence is still strong even by today's standards. The film uses optical censorship, as well as carefully placed objects to obscure the most explicit sex scenes, but there is still frequent nudity and a high number of sex scenes even for a Nikkatsu pink film. The film clearly takes influence from the Italian Giallo films of directors like Umberto Lenzi and Lucio Fulci more so than the "stalk and slash" American horror films of the 70s. The violence is bloody and frequent with much talked about scenes involving a knife being inserted in-between women's legs.

It's all sleazy stuff and aficionados of exploitation films have seen it all before. What elevates this one is nice moody photography, well known faces of Nikkatsu putting in convincing performances and a high level of mayhem.

The DVD from Mondo Macabro features a nice print and some good extras. I'm not sure if this film would pass uncut in the UK.

No matter where in the world, sex and violence in the cinema have always gone hand-in-hand.

Italian giallos; UK Hammer horror; the many films of Spain's Jess Franco; the trashy US gore flicks of H.G. Lewis: every country seems to have made its own contributions that combine the two elements.

Violent 'pinku' movies are the Far East's offering, and many fans of extreme cinema agree that they rule the roost as far as sexual nastiness is concerned, since almost nothing seems to be 'too taboo' to be portrayed. Assault! Jack The Ripper (a misleading title, if ever there was one, since 'Saucy Jack' is nowhere to be seen!), from director Yasuharu Hasebe, is a classic example of the genre and clearly illustrates why no-one does sleaze quite like the Japanese! After a fatal mishap with a crazy hitch-hiker, a pathetic pastry chef and a chubby domineering waitress discover that, for them, killing is a mutual aphrodisiac. They set about abducting and carving up innocent women (more often than not, by stabbing them in the genitals!) in order to fuel their sex life, but, when the chef eventually decides to go solo on his murder sprees, their bizarre relationship begins to crumble.

With umpteen steamy sex scenes, a couple of repulsive rapes, and loads of grisly deaths, Assault! is not a film for your 'casual' viewer. The killers are completely callous and, although the numerous crotch stabbings are not explicitly shown, the sheer offensiveness of the acts (coupled with some suitably yucky sound effects) is enough to upset most 'normal' people. Rabid fans of politically incorrect exploitation, however, will have a field day watching the killers as they indulge in all manner of wickedness, including a marvellously depraved finalé, in which an entire room-full of nurses are rapidly dispatched.

And if all that excess wasn't enough, solid acting, good production values, and a great score all go to ensure that Assault! is an experience that you won't forget in a hurry.

7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.