recommended

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

I'm just recovering from seeing one of the strangest category III releases I've yet clapped eyes on. Red To Kill is an unusual film about a man who rapes a girl from the retarded children home that he runs. Apparently the colour red sets him off and one night, when she comes to his room wearing red after a dance competition, he finally cracks and rapes her in the work area among the toy footballs. Later on he becomes slowly more insane, attempting to rape another co-worker and becomes stronger against the forces that try to smother him like some maddened shaven-headed hulk. He finally meets his demise at the hands of his co-worker while the retarded girl is left with a brain haemorrhage and eventually dies.Red To Kill really is a strange piece of work. The storyline is unrelentingly bleak and the film's pessimistic conclusion with Ming Ming lying dead on her hospital bed actually had me laughing through disbelief. This film start scarily, climaxes through a grim and gory fight scene and ends on an extremely depressing note. I have to hand it to the director for not pulling any punches with this one.It really needs some work on a couple of points though - firstly the soundtrack, which is dreadful. The film is filled with pseudo-poignant Asian songs which seem to go down a treat over there but here in Europe come across as awfully naff. Some of these sound so dated and out of place that it's almost impossible to take the 'sad' scenes seriously. As well as that, something must have gone wrong on the transcription from master tape to DVD since the music drops pitch occasionally, which sounds like someone messing about with an old record player, and it really is very amusing.The second point that needs work it the 'retard' acting which is similarly risible in places. Some of Ming Ming's friends - also retarded - are just bad actors flailing their arms about and making silly faces. Especially in the final scene when Ming Ming dies I noticed one attacking a hospital screen out of grief - retard grief apparently. It really is quite silly.Overall Red To Kill is a good piece of exploitation though miles below other rape films like Irreversible. If you think the first hour is bad then stick with it - the last 20 mins are definitely worth waiting for. If you're a fan of these kind of films I'd certainly recommend taking a look at this, even though you may not be able to keep a straight face all the way through.

Red to Kill (1994) was one of the many Hong Kong films that were produced during the mid nineties to fall under the Category III rating. 1997 was fast approaching and many film makers knew that the heavy hand of censorship from the Chinese government would make these films null and void in the future. Many film makers were making these cheap and exploitive films so they could not only make a few bucks but take advantage of the lack film censorship board. Category III films become a genre all in it's own. Originally it was for films that were to intense for Category IIB. But as these movies got popular, the films began to form a sub genre all there own. When one watches a Category III film they expect two things (strong sex and bloody violence). This film delivers on all accounts and they're for viewers 18 and older!Red to Kill is about a mentally retarded woman (Lily Cheung)who is sent to live in a mental institution when her care taking mother passes away. Her social worker (Money Lo) sends her to a place where she'll learn to work with others. A worker at the home (Ben Ng) has a strong affection for her, but he has a dark side (and a dark one indeed). IL' Ben has a thing for red and it makes in go bonkers. One day poor simple Lily wears red around Ben. Will he be able to contain himself or will he fall to his urges?You'll never see a twisted and disturbing movie like this. It was films like this that defined the Category three genre. Billy Tang has one depraved mind (that's good for film making). This movie pulls no punches in showing the mind of a psycho. Too bad they'll never make movies like these ever again. If you like twisted and gory films look no further because Red To Kill has everything you expect from a movie like this.Hard Core!!!Highly recommended.

I've seen quite a few of Billy Tang's films, and I must say this is the best. The direction is great, Tang's penchant for blue lighting works perfectly with the material. Lily Chung plays a retarded girl who is sent to a home after the death of her father. Ben Ng plays the mild mannered director, who happens to be a psychotic killer and rapist, his violent impulses triggered by the color red. This is an awesome performance, ranking as one of the most entertaining film loony's I've ever seen (and that's no small number). While bleak, there is also plenty of humor, some unintentional, due to the poorly translated subtitles ("Crash your penis, cut it to make soup!"). Fans of HK horror will love this.

An extreme, intense psycho splatter rape horror from hong Kong. the story is about Ming-Ming, a girl with severe learning difficulties, who is spending her days in a home where one of the doctors is a lunatic psycho necro rapist, who goes completely insane every time he sees the color red. All this because he had some traumatic experience in his childhood. Then at some point Ming-Ming is performing a dance number with red panties, and things really start to go wrong.The film is excellent made. The colors are spectacular and the cinematography is superb. Ben Ng is probably one of the most intense screen villains ever, and the violence is brain numbingly nasty. Politically correctness is non existent however, and one thing for sure, this movie would never ever have been made in a western country. right up there with Dr. Lamb, Bunman, and the whole lot.Be prepared, this one could send you into therapy if your not prepared, and you probably feel like taking a shower when your through watching this demented little gem.