You’ll never want to hear anyone make the “Donald Duck” voice around you again!
The New York Ripper (1982)
Directed By: Lucio Fulci (Cat in the Brain)
The Prologue
If you don’t follow these things and/or you don’t live in the UK, you may not be aware just how strict the BBFC really are. Think Tipper Gore, only if she had the power to stop things from coming out and being released. So as far as the UK goes, a fully uncut version of Lucio Fulci’s The New York Ripper has never been allowed to be put out. So, the truth is, the Shameless release for the blu-ray version isn’t uncut either. BUT, the parts that had to be cut have been replaced with other things. So don’t frown too much because this film features other stuff that the Blue Underground version doesn’t have, and all in all it makes this THE longest running version of this film to spite a few little cuts being made. But trust me when I say it’s still violent as all hell, and it does look pretty nice to in HD.
The Movie
NYPD’s most jaded cop is taunted by a razor-slashing maniac who carves his way through sexually active young women whilst making deranged Donald Duck voice imitation. The film is very much cooking in a very “giallo” style, and also like those films it packs a nice twist at the end. One of the most notorious films on the UK’s Director of Public Prosecution’s so called ‘Video Nasties’ list; so subversive was it, that on its 1st foray into UK, the print of RIPPER, due for bbfc classification, was legendarily escorted back to the border without ever being screened..
Of course there are times when people are actually not getting hacked up or getting naked on the screen in this film, but unlike most films of this nature, it never gets boring while they build up to each kill (and there’s a good bit of killing). What you get here won’t be for just anyone, and people with a kind heart might want to avoid it as well. Women are hacked up, a guy makes a creepy sounding duck voice, and there’s also lots of nudity tossed in there to make this weird mix complete. I’ve seen a lot of Fulci films, and while I’m a die hard Zombi 2 fan, this may be his most well made film. I loved The Beyond and all that good stuff too, don’t get me wrong. But this seems just more flawless and polished in editing and story than many of his other great and bloody films.
It’s also very interesting to watch this gory cat and mouse game unfold on the screen. People are hot on the trail of our killer, but the killer won’t stop. On top of all that, he’s not dumb either, so he’s one upping and out smarting these people along the way. It’s a fun movie and it’s easy to get caught up with what you are seeing on the screen. I also love the fact that the movie has a pretty good twist to it as well at the end, that you may or may not see coming. I myself kinda seen it, but the cleverness of the film actually makes you second guess yourself on it up until the end. I’m pretty sure this counts as a full on giallo movie, and I’d say it would rank very high up there as one of my favorites of that sub-genre, and that’s saying a lot coming from me because I’ve seen a lot of them.
If you like violence you should for sure enjoy this, because it has some pretty twisted and shocking stuff going down in it. Now of course, the Fulci curse continues and we have at least one scene of gore that looks a bit fake, but come on and give the legend a break. It WAS 1982 after all. Heck, I wasn’t even born yet, so we shall just look over it a bit and just be happy with the gore we get, great plot, and great cinematography that comes with the infamous New York Ripper! While I understand it’s not flawless, and some might actually find a thing or two about it a little corny, I myself enjoyed it greatly. And it’s the type of film I’d show a group of friends, or take to a party and let the whole place watch it. Because clearly I’m the type of guy that just loved to see the shocked look on people’s face, and this has some stuff that will bring on the shocked looks more than once.
The Conclusion
Are you unsatisfied with the Blue Underground version of this film at all? Are you a collector that wants to own different cuts of this film? Would you like to own the longest cut of the film? Well, go HERE to the UK based Shameless Screen Entertainment and get this great blu-ray disc. No matter if you are in the UK or the USA, I’d highly recommend seeing this movie. If you are a Fulci fan it’s a required viewing, but if you just like violence it’s a must see as well.
The Rating (7/10)
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