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 ategory III films are often dismissed by
mainstream movie lovers as being mindless, tacky and distasteful, existing
solely for dubious titillation. Although there is a fair bit of truth to
this statement, the genre has produced a number of genuinely good efforts,
including a handful of gritty serial killer films (most notably "The
Untold Story") and several films which succeed mainly through
demented enthusiasm and remarkably deranged plots ("A
Chinese Torture Chamber Story" is probably the best example).
However, for every film like these, there are unfortunately a dozen like
"Suburb Murder".
This really is the bottom of
the barrel, and it's impossible to imagine anyone enjoying a film so
wretched that it fails on every conceivable level. Honestly, I have no
idea what type of viewer "Suburb Murder" was aimed at, as it
will undoubtedly be a let down for gorehounds, sleaze fans, and anyone
expecting to see something that even resembles a competently made film.
This is the kind of trash that gives Category III a bad name, or at least
helps to perpetuate the myth that the genre is incapable of producing
anything worth watching.
The plot of "Suburb Murder" is standard
stuff, following the same flashback structure used by countless superior
films. The story starts with the gruesome discovery of a woman's raped and
mutilated corpse. The police soon have the main suspect, Kang (actor
King-Kong Lam, whose name is far better than his acting), in custody, and
set about interrogating him. As Kang breaks down, we see the harsh life he
has led, from an abused childhood, through a youth of petty crime, a brief
redemption, and finally to the tragic events that led to his psychotic
attack.
The approach of driving a film from the point of view
of the perpetrator is not a new practice, and it has been used quite
successfully in Cat III films to create fuller, more realistic portraits
of killers (such as "A
Lamb in Despair"). However, "Suburb Murder" is utterly
unconvincing, mainly due to the fact that it tries, albeit in staggeringly
incompetent fashion, to work in the best of the rarely compatible worlds
of extreme sleaze and serious psychology. Although the film is too badly
made to have been effective had it instead concentrated on one or the
other, the approach of attempting to generate sympathy for the killer,
then throwing in some truly awful scenes of carnage, results in something
absolutely incoherent, offensive, and unforgivably dull.
The flashbacks to Kang's childhood are simplistic and
clumsy scenes of him being locked in the bathroom, called a bastard, and
other cruel acts. Although unpleasant, there is no real effort made to
convince the viewer that any of this is having any affect on the
psycho-to-be. Following this, we see Kang dabbling in some minor criminal
activity, again with absolutely no sense that any violence or madness is
developing.
Finally, when the viewer is on the verge of falling
asleep, the film subjects its only vaguely sympathetic character, Kang's
girlfriend, to a horrible and drawn out rape sequence. This is used as a
highly tenuous justification for Kang raping and killing a random woman in
a scene that is incredibly offensive, from both a moral and filmic
viewpoint. Sorry if this spoils the plot for any interested viewers, but
believe me, if you decide to watch "Suburb Murder" then you're
pretty much damned from the second you hit 'play' on your DVD machine.
Is it even worth mentioning the film's technical
merits, or rather the lack thereof? Briefly, the direction by Kin Ping
Cheng is incredibly amateurish, badly paced and lacking in redeeming
features of any kind. The acting is sub-porno and wholly unconvincing. The
few scenes of blood are without any impact, and even if you find this kind
of sleaze exciting, there's very little skin on show. I think that pretty
much covers it.
Hopefully, I've managed to get across just how bad
"Suburb Murder" really is. Luckily, it's a pretty obscure entry
into the Category III genre, so viewers at least need not be worried about
stumbling upon it by mistake. I don't have one single good thing to say
about this film, and coming from a self confessed Category III fan, that's
a damning indictment indeed.
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