Wow! Such a good movie.
... View MoreIt's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.
... View MoreThis movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.
... View MoreIt is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
... View MoreRed Nights is a mysterious tale of death, seduction and sadomasochistic torture, oriented around the contents of an antique box which contains an ancient skull-vial that is filled with a powerfully intoxicating poison. Death seems to follow those who possess it...Thematically, it's about the pleasure in pain...and the whole film has a sexual aura that manages to make the brutally atrocious acts contained within it, erotically alluring...in a De Sadian sense.In the first part of the film there are two femme fatales who are at odds with one another.On the one hand we have Catherine- a blonde, French woman- who is on the lamb in Hong Kong, after having killed the man who extorted the box from the man she is trying to get it back for; and the only one who is able to survive her original spate with death following her initial contact with the artifact.On the other hand, there is Jade, who is the only one who can harness the dark powers possessed by the contents of the box. Her fate even seems to revolve around it, as if she was the one it was meant for. She seems to be something along the lines of a demonic reincarnation of whatever evil presence was the original owner of the ancient poison- which renders it's victims paralytically incapacitated, whilst remaining conscious and aware, as their sensitivity to both pleasure and pain is heightened. She is a downright vicious seductress who wields an intriguing jade claw and thrives on the pleasure derived from pain...of others.Jade and her beloved believe they are living out a legendary curse. One that is reflected in the storyline of a stage play interwoven throughout the film. This drives the plot, which slowly reveals itself like layers shed from an onion.The film has tons of great, realistically gory, special effects (though the blood does seem to look a little painty in parts), and culminates with an eerie tension driven battle sequence.It's always comforting to know that sometimes evil prevails...When all is said and done, Red Nights is a sexy, dark, and mysterious cult film, whose sadomasochistic gore will definitely win over the horror fan in you. It has a great blend of tension, subtle humour, and stylish deviance that make it one hell of an attention grabber. You should definitely check it out. Highly recommended.6.5 out of 10
... View MoreWhen I finished watching "Red Nights", I did something that I very rarely (maybe once a year, if that) do: I threw the DVD in the trash can. I just did not want to have this movie as part of my collection anymore. It is made with a certain sense of style, the performances are competent, the culture mix (France - Hong Kong) is intriguing and at first the film appears to be creatively kinky. But as it goes on you're beginning to realize that there is really no plot and no point here - it's just an exercise in cruel, sadomasochistic violence. Characters to whom you've invested viewing time get unceremoniously dispatched for nothing more than shock value, and the film devolves into a cat-and-mouse game about the survival of the sickest. For torture porn fans only. * out of 4.
... View MoreI don't believe I'm spoiling anything by saying the violence in this film is extremely graphic.I'm very ambivalent about this film. It is very ambitious, and technically exquisite. The sound and visuals are stunning, and it is a rich dish for the senses. That said, there is a fair amount of extremely graphic violence, which, while I marveled at the technical skill of the filmmakers at creating these images, I found them quite over the top for my tastes. This is an individual taste issue. If you thought "Silence of the Lambs" had too much Hannibal & Clarise and not enough Buffalo Bill, then maybe you would enjoy Red Nights more.I had no trouble following the plot, but I wonder if another rewrite or two may have smoothed the overall story a bit. In some ways, it seemed like rather disjointed scenes from a bigger story. The end of the film, seemed more like the end of a scene. I didn't get any sense of the story being wrapped up. It could have just as easily continued, yet did not have any kind of dangling end that hinted at a sequel. It just seemed that the filmmakers shot as much of the story as they wanted to and stopped.Maybe I totally missed the point of the film. I found it a rich audiovisual experience, but never really got wrapped up in the narrative. That said, the cast is superb and completely inhabited their characters.If you don't have an problem with the graphic violence, you may enjoy the cinematic experience of this film. It's likely you have not seen anything quite like it. But if you're looking for a captivating story line, you may go away somewhat restless.I notice the film was shot - appropriately enough - with a RED camera. If not for the nature of some of the images, it would make an excellent technical demo.
... View MoreThis 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
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