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The New York Ripper

The New York Ripper

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Recommended for deranged viewers only!
Review: In my opinion, Lucio Fulci's "New York Ripper" is as every bit perverse and deranged as his later "Dangerous Obsession" a.k.a. "The Devil's Honey."

A burned-out New York City cop gets stuck on a case where a madman is chopping and slashing up young, beautful women; hookers, models, athletes, sex-show performers and anything else the blade can touch. If a "normal" director was given this cliche` storyline, this film would be not much more than another murder-mystery. However, Fulci takes "homicide" to a whole new level without his classic use of zombies or the supernatural. Fucli even has a bit role as the Police chief and is dubbed with a rather amusing Yankee accent.

The Anchor Bay DVD print is beautiful and properly letterboxed.

Packed with plenty of S&M, nudity and arguably the some of the most convincing gore in Fulci's 20-year directing career, this is one horror/giallo film that will NEVER make it past the BBFC. Check it out!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Indefensible thriller with plenty of sleaze appeal
Review: It's virtually impossible to defend "The New York Ripper" (Lo Squartatore di New York) on any level - the film's up-front misogyny provides director Lucio Fulci with the flimsiest of excuses for several landmark splatter scenes in which beautiful women are stabbed, slashed and razored to death in graphic, lingering detail. Abandoning the Gothic fantasy of his 'Golden Period' (1979-1982) which spawned such miniature gems as "Zombie" and "The House by the Cemetery", Fulci's grim examination of the sexual excesses of contemporary New York follows a stereotypically hard-boiled cop (Jack Hedley) in pursuit of a psychopathic killer who's been murdering a succession of women in the Big Apple, most of whom are depicted as prostitutes or depraved sluts with a taste for rough trade. Yeah, it's that kind of a movie...

Despite a mild twist near the end which throws the killer's identity wide open, the plot has few of the intricacies normally associated with the giallo thriller and instead relies on splashy set-pieces to maintain forward momentum. Luigi Kuveiller's hand-held camerawork evokes an appropriately realistic milieu whilst also making the film looked rushed and sloppy (this is the same guy who photographed Argento's baroque masterwork "Deep Red"!), while the cast does its best with the ungainly dialogue and amateurish dubbing. The standout is Alessandra Delli Colli, playing the beautiful wife of a rich cripple who records her sexual adventures on audio tape for her husband's pleasure, until she finds herself tied to a bed beside a man who may (or may not) be the killer! Given the frankly unpleasant nature of some of the material she's asked to play, her performance here demonstrates a level of commitment which goes way beyond the call of duty. Overall, the film exerts an undeniably sleazy appeal, and while the target audience will certainly admire its audacity, others will be appalled by its uncompromising scenes of horror. Either response is equally valid. DVD running time: 93m 3s.

Though shot on cheap film stock, Anchor Bay's anamorphic (2.35:1) DVD restores the film to its original cinematic lustre, with very little evidence of wear and tear, and is completely uncut. Sound is Dolby Digital mono. Aside from a brief biography of Fulci, the only other extra is a trailer which revels shamelessly in the film's dubious virtues, one of the last outrageous offerings from a breed of exploitation cinema that was already in decline when this movie hit theaters back in 1982. Fulci's last great assault on the ramparts of taste and decency may not really deserve Anchor Bay's definitive DVD, but fans will be delighted by this quality presentation.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: mickey mouse, DONALD DUCK!!!!!!
Review: NEW YORK RIPPER is Lucio Fulci's 'odd man out' film of his gore stint between ZOMBIE and THE BEYOND. Part Italian crime drama, part paint-by-numbers giallo, NEW YORK RIPPER is effective for being a precursor to the superior Bill Lustig film, MANIAC. The story is relatively simple and if you read the other customer reviews, you can get the jist. I enjoy this film a great deal-my reason being is that NEW YORK RIPPER lies somewhere between the seediness of a Jess Franco film and the sleaziness and misogyny of Joe D'Amato, although some (gasp) XXX scenes would have made this a sick flick. Which is a good thing. The ending is understandable but still remains as that makes one say 'huh' to themselves...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Epitome of Sleaze
Review: New York Ripper is, without a doubt, the sleaziest, seediest, most sadistic film I have ever seen, and believe me, I've seen some filth. Most likely, if you're a Fulci fan, this is one you don't want to miss. It captures the essence of Fulci's madness perfectly. Throats are slashed to ribbons, blood spurts and sprays like geysers, eyeballs are sliced, broken bottles are used inappropriately, and I haven't even mentioned the REALLY extreme stuff.

To my surprise, this Fulci feature actually has a coherent plot. Not the most complex or original plot, but a plot nonetheless. Without revealing too much, I can say that the basic structure involves a deranged killer(duh) who mutilates beautiful girls in the clasic giallo style (all we see is the killer's gloved, knife wielding hand)all over New York City. However, the reasoning behind these murders is actually very interesting, if not a bit contrived. There is also the cliche, hard-boiled, chain-smoking detective who is on the case, with the obligatory interaction between him and the murderer.

What I really like about this movie are the vintage shots of 42nd Street in New York, the seedy locals (run down hotel rooms, live sex shows, vagrant apartments, etc.), and the music, which reminds me of old-school Hill Street Blues mixed in with generic funky rhythms. The camera work is really good, and at times experimental. Often, the color schemes remind me of Dario Argento's work.

If these reasons aren't enough for you to check out this film, what if I told you that the killer quacks and talks as if he or she were a duck?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: FULCI GOES GRITTY
Review: NOT BAD I LIKED IT ESPECIALLY THE PART WITH THE RICH WOMEN LOOKING FOR CHEAP THRILLS AND SHE ENDS UP GOING TO A SEEDY BAR TO MEET MEN NOT VERY GORY EXCEPT FOR A STRANGE EYE CUTTING SCENE WHICH ALWAYS LOOK FAKE

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Vicious and intense
Review: OK - Everyone's heard about this one, claimed by many to be Fulci's grimmest hour etc. However, upon actually viewing it, I was very suprised to find a film that, whilst certainly containing much sadistic violence and gore, is well-made and quite realistic. Fucli's idea of merging the lines between a horror and thriller film have paid dividends in this movie.

It is intense, sometimes not easy to watch and the last victim is litterally slashed to ribbons (including eyes). However, the plot does make sense, it has reasonable acting and the re-mastered release available now, is simply top-notch.

If you want a ride into hell and back, then let Lucio Fulci take you deep into the nightmarish world of a downtrodden New York, with a vicious serial killer on the loose.

One of the only films I've seen that virtually deserves its reputation as a shocking, sadistic and quite disturbing movie.

You have be warned!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: a slasher flick with b@lls
Review: Okay, let's try to remember a time when slasher movies weren't so en vogue that Hollywood cranked out a new one every week. Let's try to remember a time when every slasher movie DIDN'T have a fresh, artificially pretty teenage hunk/starlet in the lead role. Let's remember that Fulci was one of the most underrated Italian horror directors out there, and his work was often misunderstood by the masses.

"The New York Ripper" is a slasher film that--upon initial inspection--is mean-spirited, very violent, and misogynistic. But if you view it few times, the plot becomes clearer and the film feels less contrived. The story is quite simple--psycho killer stalks and kills pretty girls--but there are many complicated details and subtle clues that make the slasher's identity a mystery up until the end.

Out of all Fulci's films, this one probably has the most unsettling violence, and there are spots where things drag a bit. But stick with it, and you'll be able to recall a time when slasher films--and horror movies in general--were much more daring than they are now.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Oooh baby it's a wild world
Review: Okay, the one good thing is that there are no "Gates Of Hell" anywhere in this movie. The film involves a woman-hating, duck-quacking slasher that's leaving behind butchered victims all over New York. You're made to think, for a while, that the killer is this rapist creep with missing fingers that lurks around serving no purpose to the storyline whatsoever. Also, there's a woman with a morbid and pointless need to go around soliciting sex from abusive criminals. As all of this occurs, the protagonist cop of the movie tries to unravel the mystery. Although, the cop himself lives in a glass house too, and this fact is demonstrated when the duck-quacking Ripper murders his prostitute girlfriend. A second protagonist is the girl attacked earlier in the movie that has developed a kind of extrasensory ability. This movie probably would have been better with some zombies, or maybe a killer that didn't quack like a duck when he taunted the cops over the phone.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Donald Duck the ripper
Review: Quack...Quack...Quack I am Donald Duck! Dumb movie...don't even rent it!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Quack
Review: Sleazy best describes this Fulci slasher about a madman running around New York City killing people (especially pretty ladies) in loving, graphic detail.

The killer quacks like a duck. No joke. To be honest, the most disturbing thing about this flick is not the gore or any real scares (there are none) but the story behind the childlike quacking, etc.

Gore? Sure. But you've seen just as good gore in better context and better films. I have to give MUCH credit to the throat slashing scene where the POV is from INSIDE a victim's throat as it is sliced open, so that we see the killer and then the dripping blood. Sounds sick and kind of is, but very stylish. Kudos.

Otherwise, we get Jack Hedley, looking like he's killing time between AA meetings or something walking around New York without any real urgency to catch the killer.

The film is [inexpensive], low budget, and has that sleazy feel--you know, the one where you feel guilty for having spent 2 hours watching something like this. But to be honest, you've seen sleaze in more effective films, most notably MANIAC from a couple of years earlier. At least that film was the story of Joe Spinell and a heck of a creepy performance.

This DVD is for Fulci fans for sure. Otherwise, a rental to the curious. Oh, and of course, it's infamous. Apparently this required a police escort out of Britain years ago(!) So the infamy boosts the interest, and there's your market. Indulge, video-nasty buffs.


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