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Kinjite - Forbidden Subjects

Kinjite - Forbidden Subjects

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: NOT FOR CHILDREN!
Review: Bronson destroyed his career with the movies he did in the '80s. Death Wish and this one is the best of the two, but the brutality and child prostitution plot is a little too-much to take. If this theme bugs you, do not watch.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It's Dirty Bronson v Scum Prostitution Ring.
Review: Charles Bronson plays a rage-aholic, Japanese hating cop that, ironically, has to search the LA under belly for a Japanese businessman's abducted daughter. Typical fist and gun fights follow. Some shallow attempts at character complexity fail to lift this J. Lee Thompson directed thriller above the average mark, but fans will find it entertaining enough.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It's Dirty Bronson v Scum Prostitution Ring.
Review: Charles Bronson plays a rage-aholic, Japanese hating cop that, ironically, has to search the LA under belly for a Japanese businessman's abducted daughter. Typical fist and gun fights follow. Some shallow attempts at character complexity fail to lift this J. Lee Thompson directed thriller above the average mark, but fans will find it entertaining enough.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Kill 'em all, Chuck, kill 'em all!
Review: Every few months I find myself lamenting the passing of Charles Bronson. He died in 2003, and it is only in the last year or so that many of his memorable films have started to arrive on DVD. I suspect most viewers will consider that a bad thing, especially concerning his "Death Wish" films and the other low budget boilerplate actioners he made under the Cannon banner in the 1980s. Not me; I love watching the stone faced Bronson mow down waves of street scum in a vain attempt to rescue America from the forces of decadence within. Arguably the apogee of this type of Bronson film is "Death Wish 3," an almost cartoonish romp that finds Chuck running through the streets of a New York City slum spraying rounds from a belt fed machine gun. You'd be hard pressed to find a Clint Eastwood film that tops any of the later "Death Wish" entries. They are all out on DVD, along with an even sleazier albeit slightly less violent film called "Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects." Arriving on the scene as the 1980s closed, "Kinjite" was the last film Bronson made with Cannon. It's also the final film lensed by Hollywood veteran J. Lee Thompson. Talk about the end of an era!

Bronson plays architect turned vigilante Paul Kersey...er, I mean a Los Angeles cop named Crowe who simply cannot stomach his job as a vice cop anymore. It's tough to blame him after witnessing the opening scene, a scene that involves a young teenage girl named DeeDee (Nicole Eggert) and a much older man at a swank hotel. Crowe and his partner Eddie Rios (Perry Lopez) burst into the room just in time to prevent a sordid activity from taking place. DeeDee's companion unwisely mouths off to Crowe and receives a beating as a result. Then Bronson does something so repulsive to this guy that the movie can't even show it. Afterwards, Crowe goes home and whines to his wife about the horrors of the job. He even talks about quitting. I should think so, Lt. Crowe! What you did in the hotel room at the very least spotlights the need for an early retirement if not a few years in prison. Anyway, Bronson's character has witnessed so many depravities on the job that he assumes an overprotective stance regarding his attractive young daughter Rita (Amy Hathaway). He doesn't like her messing around with boyfriends, wearing suggestive attire, or even posing for pictures in her bathing suit after a swim meet. Crowe's wife Kathleen (Peggy Lipton) thinks he's overreacting. But she hasn't seen the things her husband has seen.

The man responsible for most of Crowe's horrific visions is Duke (Juan Fernandez), a guy who runs the harridan ring that ensnared DeeDee and plenty others like her. Bronson's character knows who Duke is, but he can't secure enough evidence to keep him behind bars. Duke's luck runs out, however, thanks to a subplot involving a Japanese businessman named Hiroshi Hada (James Pax) moving to Los Angeles. Hada has his own issues with young girls, but when Duke abducts his young daughter and turns her out on the street the businessman comes into contact with Crowe. Doesn't sound like a big deal, right? Well, it turns out that Hada is none other than the stranger who accosted Rita Crowe on a bus one night. Obviously, Lt. Crowe has no idea that the man he is helping is the same bloke responsible for terrorizing his daughter. What a complex web "Kinjite" weaves for us! While we try to sort out the numerous interweaving subplots, the movie treats us to lots of over the top antics that beg for Bronson to pull out a machine gun and start blasting. He gets around to that eventually, thank goodness, in a finale with lots of explosions and cartwheeling bodies. We can never get enough cartwheeling bodies. In fact, every movie could benefit from more of them.

"Kinjite" is a personal favorite for many reasons. I first saw the film on cable back in the early 1990s and never forgot the part where Bronson makes Duke swallow a Rolex watch. That scene alone makes this movie a winner, but there's a lot more going for Bronson's final Cannon film. For instance, I completely failed to remember how hilarious Perry Lopez is as Crowe's sidekick. His humor has little to do with throwing out funny lines or mugging for the camera and everything to do with his total lack of presence. The guy stands around like a lead weight, usually looking at something off camera while remaining utterly silent. It almost seems like he thinks he's in another film! Maybe he can't believe his agent got him a job in a movie this sleazy. Even funnier is Bronson, whose facial expressions and body language achieve heights of ridiculousness. Be sure and watch for the scene at the swim meet where Bronson tries to express exasperation. I've seen better acting at a dinner theater. An important message about Crowe's prejudice towards Asians goes almost nowhere in a film that repeatedly emphasizes child abuse, murder, extralegal killings, and torture. In fact, the movie never even resolves the most significant subplot.

Why waste time watching such a vile piece of trash? Because "Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects" is a film in the grand tradition of Bronson's other depraved revenge flicks, and I for one lament the passing of this remarkable tradition. The only bonus feature on the disc is a trailer, sad to say. Surprisingly, MGM released "Kinjite" on disc in anamorphic widescreen, something they often failed to do with several of the "Death Wish" films. Not as memorable as the "Death Wish" films but just as seedy, "Kinjite" is a must for sleazy cinema lovers and Bronson completists alike.









Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Bronson is intense, believable, and pushin' 70
Review: This is a very amazing movie that is made by J. Lee Thompson, and is stared in by Charles Bronson. There is a very complex man that is portrayed by Bronson in this film, and it is not as easy for the average viewer to understand why. You can see him change his mind as the movie goes on, kind of in a way like an old man who thought a certain way for a long time then started to think a different way. Steve McQueen is not in this movie. The only kick out is that it's all shown by unordinary cyphers and all that. The part where he makes the pimp swallow his watch is good. The part where he burns the pimps car after he makes him swallow the watch is also good.

This is not for everyone. This movie is very strong, and the viewer must also be strong to not get upset but that might still happen if you are not all the way prepared. However, Charles Bronson is good so this movie is good too.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Bronson is intense, believable, and pushin' 70
Review: This is a very amazing movie that is made by J. Lee Thompson, and is stared in by Charles Bronson. There is a very complex man that is portrayed by Bronson in this film, and it is not as easy for the average viewer to understand why. You can see him change his mind as the movie goes on, kind of in a way like an old man who thought a certain way for a long time then started to think a different way. Steve McQueen is not in this movie. The only kick out is that it's all shown by unordinary cyphers and all that. The part where he makes the pimp swallow his watch is good. The part where he burns the pimps car after he makes him swallow the watch is also good.

This is not for everyone. This movie is very strong, and the viewer must also be strong to not get upset but that might still happen if you are not all the way prepared. However, Charles Bronson is good so this movie is good too.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Paaarrrrrty......Don't Let Your Momma Know!
Review: This is an extremely ugly film. Extremely ugly. I'm surprised that Bronson himself wasn't a little leery about doing this. This film shows us an all too real, filthy business that goes on right under our noses, in many cities throughout the world: Child prostitution. My only gripe with this film is that the problem is there, but the film doesn't seem to have any message or solution, but merely uses child prostitution as new subject matter for a Bronson action flick. This makes the film seem much, much sleazier because the subject matter is treated so cheaply. I mean, I cannot believe the stuff that happens to the young Japanese girl in the film! But all in all I like to view this film in the mindset that I view all Bronson films, and that makes it much more enjoyable. I give this four stars alone for the scene where Bronson makes a pimp swallow his wristwatch, then casually sets fire to his car. I'm not sure if I've ever laughed harder. He does have some great lines too. There's a great scene where he storms in on a porno film being shot and just beats the snot out of everyone. Bronson's about 70 years old here! It's great! Do I recommend? Yes, just know what you're going to see in this. The only solution this movie has to this horrible problem is that you can kill a pimp with a giant claw hanging from a crane.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Paaarrrrrty......Don't Let Your Momma Know!
Review: This is an extremely ugly film. Extremely ugly. I'm surprised that Bronson himself wasn't a little leery about doing this. This film shows us an all too real, filthy business that goes on right under our noses, in many cities throughout the world: Child prostitution. My only gripe with this film is that the problem is there, but the film doesn't seem to have any message or solution, but merely uses child prostitution as new subject matter for a Bronson action flick. This makes the film seem much, much sleazier because the subject matter is treated so cheaply. I mean, I cannot believe the stuff that happens to the young Japanese girl in the film! But all in all I like to view this film in the mindset that I view all Bronson films, and that makes it much more enjoyable. I give this four stars alone for the scene where Bronson makes a pimp swallow his wristwatch, then casually sets fire to his car. I'm not sure if I've ever laughed harder. He does have some great lines too. There's a great scene where he storms in on a porno film being shot and just beats the snot out of everyone. Bronson's about 70 years old here! It's great! Do I recommend? Yes, just know what you're going to see in this. The only solution this movie has to this horrible problem is that you can kill a pimp with a giant claw hanging from a crane.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Trash
Review: This movie has to be the low point of Charles Bronson's career. The subject matter in this film is sick and disturbing and the plot is dubious at best.

The characters in this film are either pathetic or dispicable and don't deserve the viewer's sympathy. Bronson's Lieutenant Crowe is an acerbic, manipulative cop who is just as contemptible as the rest of the cast and by the end of the movie, you wish someone would lock him up and throw away the key.

"Kinjite" is a film that some will find offensive as there are a lot of religious, racial and ethnic stereotypes in this film. In light of this, I'm surprised that the movie's producers didn't receive more wide-spread condemnation. I found this movie to be nothing more than vile trash and it really deserves a zero. I would advise anyone with a modicum of decency and sensibility to avoid it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Pronounced: Kin-ji-tae
Review: While being a film of questionable subject matter, this is not a badly made film. Cinematography, editing, score and performances were a bit above average for Bronsons later flicks. I do find it strange that Bronson would take on such a distatseful premise for a plot. Not a whole lot of action in ths one, more of a 'cop investigates crime' plot than the 'blow away punks' that we're used to. This film is mostly for Bronson addicts and completeists. Before watching this one, just make sure that you've seen The Stone Killer, Hard Times, all the Death Wish, Breakout, From Noon till Three, Violent City, The Mechanic and Mr. Majestyk first. Remember, Bronson was never bad, just in bad films...


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