Razor Blade Smile (1998) Reviews

• Biting and Bloody

  valdyr1999-07-29

  Probably my favorite vampire film after Blade & FDTD (so you can see where I'm coming from). An irreverant, entertaining and bloody film, full of nifty gunfights, amusing dialogue and FUN. If you're stuck up about low budget films, don't waste your time - you won't get anything out of it. If you like black humor, mayhem by bullet, sword, fang, and the stake and outfits purchased from the local fetish boutique - this is right up your alley. And unlike some of the other reviewers, I LIKE the acting :)

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• An excellent film for the right audience.

  Unnur2001-03-14

  Yes, this film is silly. Yes the script is badly written, the plot far from convincing, the acting mediocre...etc. But as a silly film, this film is highly entertaining. It is one of the best bad films I've ever seen (I would place it on a level with Commando), and you can even take it to a higher level by interpreting parts of it as a parody on the goth-culture and on traditional serious modern-vampire films. I don't think this film is meant to be taken seriously, just consider all the cheesy one-liners and how the characters never step outside the sterotype. I pressured a group of very sceptic people to watch this movie with me and within a few minutes, these people, who had just been threatening never to let me decide on a film again, were laughing out loud. I would watch this film again, no doubt about that :-) So, relax people, it's perfectly o.k. to enjoy silly things, it won't make you any less an intellectual!

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• Razor Blade Style

  Scarecrow-882007-04-14

  Lilith Silver(Eileen Daly, fetching in the lurid, sexy role)is so overcome with boredom she takes on the role of hit-woman-for-hire, labeled by the media and police as the "angel of death." She murders certain chosen subjects who are part of an ancient secret sect known as The Lost People, or the Illuminati..they wear a seven-pointed-star necklace and eyeball ring. Lilith is told that it is imperative to collect the eyeball rings from her victims as part of her finishing the kill by her source(..and lover), Platinum(Kevin Howarth). The Illuminati's leader, Sethane Blake(Christopher Adamson), is the one responsible for turning Lilith into a vampire centuries previous. The Illuminati are a powerful group with many of their members deeply en-routed in the fabric of London such as the government and police. Inspector Price(Jonathan Coote), of the Scotland Yard, is part of the group but doesn't understand that his leader is indeed a vampire such as the one murdering those of the case he has been investigating. Price will take it upon himself to hunt down Lilith as a modern-day Van Helsing wannabee, but has no clue that those myths such as crosses and stakes have no effect on vampires whatsoever(well, the stake can make you bleed, but isn't a major factor as in myth regarding it stabbing you in the heart with instantaneous death). What we do understand, through Lilith's narration is that decapitation and major blood-loss are what do the trick in killing their species. With the group hiring Lilith wanting their stash back because of her failure to retrieve the eyeball ring of a recent victim, Platinum's life will be in grave danger. Lilith cares for him and will risk her life in order to save his. It all leads to a confrontation between Lilith and Sethane as expected. Clad in tight leather with an ax to grind, Daly is quite easy to watch just by her sheer sex appeal alone. There's an overall Gothic tone, with lots of heavy breathing, hissing, and an abundance of theatricality. The film is a low-budget affair which took director Jake West 3 years to complete with the cinematography mostly shot on 16 mm film stock which actually gives it a grimy, grungy kind of appeal that works. West uses an assortment of framed shots assaulting the viewer with his camera calisthenics. The cast is lively, especially Adamson as the animated villain who loves to stretch out his dialogue with a sort-of hammy delivery and Coote as the rather uninformed, constantly-duped inspector make for an entertaining diversion from the usual vampire norm. Full of blood and feeding with Daly just relishing the role of vampire with the camera just embracing her figure and how it fits in the suit she wears on duty. Very British with an amusing ending.

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• Cheerful fun

  hfheller2006-11-29

  Yes, the acting is broad (I think this is deliberate), and not all the characters act logically, but it was fun. Gorgeous women (I really can't judge as to the men in this film), blood and guts, sex and kink, interesting art direction, plot twists, and the good time enjoyed by the cast transmitted into my living room. I have always thought that Bram Stoker was a shill for the "real" vampires, providing false information about their abilities, weaknesses, and what would be fatal to them. This movie gives a much better story for these things, although there are a few analogies to other movies and TV shows which shall here remain nameless. If/when I write a vampire or werewolf story this film will be an inspiration to me. I love the locations, too, especially the manor for the beginning and ending, and the rock formations for the hostage resolution. And London, of course, is London. Overall I enjoyed this; if you have a sense of irony you will too.

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• Fangs but no fangs

  Dodger-92000-02-19

  One of the problems with the vampire genre is that it's great as long as the director has a fresh angle on things. While Interview with the Vampire may have been a sombre affair, it was at least original by being The Gone with the Wind of vamp flicks. RBS is the Nikita of the bloodsucking field with the gorgeous Eileen Daly squeezing into a spray on cat suit and embarking on Emma Peel-like shenanigans. While writer director Jake West is obviously trying to be hip by saying that we know f*** all about real vampires, he shoots himself in the foot by trying to be a little too cocky. Some great visual effects are marred by a tendency to stray into Ken Russell/Lair of the White Worm territory with yawnsome scenes of the undead protagonists hissing at one another. Any attempt to portray the vampires as primal beings who resort to cat-like screeching at moments of confrontation merely comes across like someone with toothache whose fillings have just come into contact with silver foil. One the plus side, there is at least plenty of sex and bloodshed for those who fancy a take out and a few beers on a Friday night so it's not a complete write off. Daly is also well worth a look as the gun-toting anti heroine who keeps her arsenal in a coffin. Alas, the pay off when it eventually does come, really wasn't worth waiting for. Her lover is a dreadful character who seems to take great delight in stretching his dialogue to breaking point in the vague hope that it might seem more important. Sorry mate, it wasn't worth the effort. Is it worth the price of rental of admission? Not really. Better off dusting down a copy of Nikita and Near Dark then watching them back to back or if you want a sexy vamp flick which is more style than substance, then The Hunger (1983) should do the trick. However, keep an eye on Jake West. With a few more years in the business and a little more time spent on his script, he should deliver the goods admirably. After all, look at James Cameron's debut: Piranha 2: Flying Killers. A lot less engaging than this.

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