Thriller: A Cruel Picture

Alright, let me begin by saying this is just about the toughest film I have ever had to give an opinion on. It is such a mixed bag of good ideas and poor execution. I think the easiest thing to do would be to give an explanation of the plot, and then hit the pros and cons.

The plot centers around a young girl who we meet at about the age of 5. She is running in the field with an older man who we presume to be her grandfather. Then, a rape is implied, and we see the older gentleman inexplicably bleeding from the mouth, and then taken away by the police.

We meet the same girl 15 years later, and find that that incident shocked her to the point that she is completely mute. One day this now 20 year old girl (extremely cute, btw) is going for a walk and accepts a ride from a sophisticated gentleman. After being wined and dined, the man takes her back to his home and proceeds to drug her up. He then keeps her in a drug-induced coma for the next two weeks, while constantly pumping her full of high quality heroine. She awakens with a full-blown addiction, and is forced into prostitution at the man's home, in order to get her heroine fix, room, and board.

When the girl meets her first appointment, she greats the man by raking her fingernails down his face. In order to show the girl who is boss, the woman's abducter/pimp gouges her eye with a scalpel in one of the more infamous and graphic scenes ever put on film (rumors still persist that an actual corpse of a young girl was used). The girl now wears a patch and is christened "One-Eye" by the pimp.

The middle act of the film centers on One-Eye's reluctant career as a hooker. Of note are the shots of hardcore penetration from these scenes. There are literally close-ups of bothe vaginal and anal penetration, as well as a cum shot. One Eye suffers abuse from both male and female patrons. On the plus side she is able to make alot of money from tips and befriends a fellow hooker.

Making good use of her money, One Eye decides to learn the martial arts, firearms mastery, and stunt driving on her days off, as well as getting some nifty eyepatches that match her outfits. During this time, her friend in the whorehouse is killed violently, and One-Eye vows revenge against all those that have wronged her.

The third act consists of One-Eye seeking this revenge. She becomes a col-hearted, silent assassin, who kills without remorse. Another highlight of the movie, is when she challenges her pimp to a duel (via letter) and arrives decked out in a leather outfit (including matching eyepatch) that would make Neo envious. One-eye is so cold blooded at this point that after shooting the pimp in the leg, she saunters over and shoots him twice more in the same wound, before finishing him off with a very rare Death by Donkey.

Pros:
Great Original Ideas
One Eye's performance
Take no prisoner's style

Cons:
Very awkward - little dialogue and no score with long, extended sequences
The Hardcore sex - obviously inserts, not sure if they add or distract from the final film
The Action - This is where the low-budget shows. Poorly executed and conceived. These sequences rely on cheesy super-slow motion and don't really work.

Grade: On the whole, I am gonna give the movie a B minus. It is not for everyone, but I appreciated it. I think what hurts the movie most is that we have seen alot of ideas ripped off from the movie over the years, most notably in QT's movies.