Wit's End

There's so much wrong with this film but your enjoyment of it really depends on how bad you like your films....And i loved this one.I can't argue with the poor acting,rubbish sets,exotic but grubby locations or the cheapness of it all,but it has a certain quality that lovers of "poor" films will find in perfect viewing.Some of the situations and characters that Dave Deerborn gets involved with are pure exploitation cinema and intentional or not amusing as hell!..Throw in(a naked)gun toting Angelique Pettyjohn and that screechy soundtrack song and it's all good in my book!DVD picture quality from Troma Films could be a lot better unfortunately.

I only saw this movie because of the alternate title, "Wild Dragon Lady". Well, there is one character referred to at one point as Dragon Lady, but she's not nearly wild enough. Apparently the film was picked up and distributed by the (in)famous Troma company, but you have to wonder why: even the few attempts at camp (the gay villain) are dull. It's pointlessly talky, the "plot" makes no sense, and there is hardly any action or excitement to be found. The only "redeeming" features of the film are the location shooting in Singapore, and the brief but high-quality female nudity. In fact, the only reason "Wild Dragon Lady" will remain in my collection is because it contains a scene of a nude woman shooting a gun. 0.5 out of 4 stars.

My review was written in February 1985 after a screening at Selwyn theater on Manhattan's 42nd St.

Though purportedly in its New York debut (hence this review for the record), "The G. I. Executioner" is actually an entertaining low-budget vault item, having been rated by the MPAA way back in 1971 under the title "Wit's End" (that tille is retained in a theme song played twice). Picture was previously handled under the title "Dragon Lady" by Joseph Green Pictures for distribution, apparently quite limited, and is now a Troma pickup with new moniker.

Falling comfortably within the Far East, Soldier of Fortune format, pic toplines Tom Keena as Dave Dearborn, an ex-Marine who later excelled at undercover journalistic assignments in the 1960s in Saigon and elsewhere. Now running a restaurant aboard a junk in Singapore, he is tapped to track down a defecting Red Chinese nuclear scientist (experimenting with antimatter) who may have been kidnapped by the Triad Tong. Key suspect is gangster Lim Tok Sing whose current Chinese concubine Foon Mai Lee (Victoria Racimo, is a ex-girlfriend of Dearborn's. Also helping out on the case is sexy stripper Bonnie (Angelique Pettyjohn), while the oversexed Dearborn dallies with his current main squeeze (Janet Wood) whom he calls his "niece".

Nutty foreign intrigue plot (sue enough, the bd guy turns out to be Deaborn's old nemesis from Saigon) is hampered by use of stiff, nonactors in minor roles, but "Executioner" develops a certain charm with its old-fashioned B-film cliches, to which modern ultra-violence and sex have been added. Weird plot turns and melodramatic elements in later reels prove to be entertaining in campy fashion, though dance scenes, hairstyles, etc., have become dated.

Keena, who combines John Garfeld's chip-on-shoulder attitude with a voice resembling that of Gene Kelly, is an interesting, tortured film noir hero, though he hams up his injured and death scenes laughably in the final reel. The cast's leading ladies are beautiful, in and out of clothing, but Victoria Racimo is not in the least bit Chinese in a role played straight ahead with no makeup. In an odd coincidence, statuesque costar Angelique Pettyjohn has a new film of hers "The Lost Empire" open the same day as this one on 42nd St. In New York, nearly bookending a career which ranges from guest starring on "Star Trek" to hardcore porn.

Location lensing in Singapore ofers plentiful local color, but tech credits are subpar.

G.I. Executioner (1971)

1/2 (out of 4)

Awful "action" film has a journalist (Tom Keena) in Singapore getting asked to investigate a Chinese scientist and soon he runs into some dirty agents and mobsters.

This film was originally released as WIT'S END but I seriously doubt too many people saw it until Troma released it over a decade later under the current title. I'm not exactly sure why Troma bothered with it but I'm going to guess that they were trying to cash-in on director Joel M. Reed's name since he became quite infamous after BLOODSUCKING FREAKS. This movie here isn't nearly in the same league and this here can only be called a flat-out disaster from start to finish.

I'm not sure where to start but I guess we'll begin with the plot, which never makes any sense and you go from one scene to the next not really knowing what's going on. There were countless times within the first 30-minutes where I was confused so I just turned my brain off but things never got any better. The editing and performances are all rather bad as is the direction, which just lacks any flair. The worst thing is that there's really no action or fun sequences to keep you entertained. The highlight is one sequence where a nude woman shoots some bad guys and we get some hilarious slow-motion deaths.

Those wanting to check out what Reed was doing before BLOODSUCKING FREAKS might want to check this out but the rest will want to stay clear.

GI Executioner is a low budget, pretty boring and forgettable action movie shot on location in Singapore. The director is Joel Reed, who directed one of my favorite cult horror films( Bloodsucking Freaks). While still a pretty sleazy movie, this movie is mostly a snooze fest, low on action with a convoluted plot that's all over the place. GI Executioner later got picked up by Troma for the home video market and I am sure only because this is a Joel Reed film. The overall quality of the film is low, the leading actor is alright, but there is little in the way of excitement. I would not say that this is unwatchable, but I wish I chose a better movie to end my day.