Les nuits rouges du bourreau de jade

This is a Hong Kong, French and Belgium flick. Just look at the last country, Amer was also coming out of that country and let that be a giallo. I can say the same of Red Nights, it is also a giallo. You love it or you hate it, that's all I can say from giallo's, most of them aren't my cup of tea but this has some extra milk to pour on my tea. It all takes place in Hong Kong and here you will have some extra's on part of Asian movements of hands and rituals.

The way it was shot is a pure ode to the old Italian giallo's, the colours are very brightly and the use of some extra green lighting here and there adds toward that feeling. Naturally we do have a glove, a thing that is necessary in a giallo and the nudity.

The acting is sublime but that lays in the fact of Carrie Ng who we knew from Naked Killer (1992) and Fréderique Bel. Both are known in their own country but I would also praise a newcomer, Carole Brana.

I have heard people complaining about the fact that the story doesn't have anything to offer but that wasn't the case for me. There are a few surprises in it. On the horror factor it also deliver, there are a few gory shots and they also added some bondage to it. I wouldn't recommend it to the feint hearted because the opening scene were a full frontal nude Asian chick is covered with latex gives you a weird feeling. The torturing isn't for everybody too, some things are rather gory. If you like for example Takashi Miike flicks then you will love this one too.

Another giallo gem coming from Belgium with a sweet Asian overtone. I was surprised with it.

Gore 3/5 Nudity 2/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

A woman steals an ancient artefact and flees to Hong Kong in order to sell it. Little does she know that the box contains a vial of poison, a poison that paralyses its victim but heightens their senses of pleasure and pain. The people she is dealing with will go to any lengths to obtain the poison.

This film had potential: an intriguing start, the mysterious woman after the poison, the tough, resourceful thief assailed on all sides, the dark tone of the film, the good production values. Yet, for all this its more miss than hit.

The main problem is the plot: it's clumsy, with some contrived, silly developments. Just because the film falls in the horror category doesn't mean you have to fall back on horror clichés. Even worse, the pacing is all over the place. Some incredibly intense scenes that move at a great pace in among some scenes that are incredibly slow and empty, padding the movie. This all leads to a start-stop sort of journey.

The ending is a bit weak too.

Overall: disappointing.

This movie was so bad it could have been a comedy. The acting was so wooden and the plot, so ridiculous and weak.

I thought I was watching a very poor tv series from the 1960's.

I just got back from this film, as it was screening at the Stockholm Film Festival. Going into it I had no idea what to expect, and the first 20 minutes of the film are not bad, and even give the illusion that the film might be about something or involve an unraveling mystery of some sort with suspense and layers and that sort of thing, you know, content. Nope. The movie is just about a box from ancient times containing an ancient poison, and everyone wants this (can't imagine why) and is ready to tear each other to pieces over it. The film climaxes with an excessively gory torture scene that goes on for a very long time. Absolutely nothing here, if I could go back in time I'd give it a miss and select a movie with content.

On the bright side . . . the movie looks very good. It is well shot.

This is from a critic, which I thing summarize the movie:

Is most certainly not to everyone's taste and yet it's a rather fascinating movie: It's violent, it's perverted, its protagonists are all deplorable one way or another, but at the same time it tells an enjoyably bizarre story in elegant pictures and at a steady pace, it never loses itself in its perverions or bloodbaths but manages to always see the bigger picture, it features some bizarre but fun twists and turns, and it's carried by a very competent cast.

If you're into the grotesque, this is certainly worth a look!