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 t's not easy championing Category III films, and
trying to convince people of the entertainment value of exploitation
shockers such as "Red
to Kill" or "Dr.
Lamb" can be difficult at the best of times. As "The
Untold Story" and "Fu
Bo" have demonstrated, when used correctly and in the right
context, extreme sex and violence can enhance a film, and that the Category
III rating need not bring with it a promise of low quality as well as cheap,
dubious thrills. Unfortunately, all such arguments and defence of the genre
fall apart in the face of films like "Trilogy of Lust 2", a truly
execrable piece of low grade filth that brings shame not only to the genre,
but to all those who will admit to having watched it.
Make no mistake about it, this is
the lowest of the low, and it is quite difficult to imagine another film
being as worthless as this. The plot of "Trilogy of Lust 2" is the
expected excuse for stringing together a series of sex scenes. The main
character is Linda, played by Julia Lee (variously credited as Julie Riva,
Chung Lai, and other aliases, and whom genre fans will recognise from vastly
superior fare such as "The Untold Story" and "Dr.
Lamb"), a woman who was raped and abused by her drunken uncle and his
friends when she was a child.
Deeply traumatised by her horrible past, Linda grows
up to be an uptight businesswoman by day, but dons leather S&M gear
once the sun goes down and stalks the streets, picking up men for sex and
then killing them. Two of her colleagues at work come up with a scheme to
trick some money out of her, and inadvertently end up stumbling upon her
murderous secret, leading to events which push Linda further over the edge
into homicidal madness.
Possibly the only interesting thing about
"Trilogy of Lust 2" is that Julia Lee actually wrote and
directed both this sequel and the original (viewers have mercifully been
spared the final entry in the trilogy). This in itself is strange, given
that neither of the two films appear to have any particular themes in
common (the first film was a cheap knock-off of the Japanese "The
Perfect Education") or discernable point which Lee appears to be
striving for. It is possible, I suppose, given that she is a woman working
in an almost exclusively male genre (both in terms of filmmakers and
target audience) that there is some kind of deeply buried feminist subtext
here, in the same way that some have stated similar arguments in defence
of "I Spit on your Grave". The character of Linda is certainly
treated badly by all the male characters in the film, and does indeed
exact revenge, though any such reading of the film is stamped upon by the
sheer weight of its exploitative content.
The film is incredibly distasteful, packed with
nihilistic, ugly sex scenes which are filled with S&M and degradation,
generally involving Lee, though why the writer/director decided to subject
herself to such abuse is open to debate. Though shot in the manner of soft
porn, it is uncertain whether these are in fact supposed to be erotic, as
they are cold, extremely dispassionate, and perverse in a way that does
not seem to be aiming for titillation. The film also features two rape
scenes, footage from which is often intercut with the consensual sex
sequences, making them even less watchable. There is even a shocking scene
of male self-abuse, which is completely gratuitous, and whilst it does at
least mean that not only the film's female characters are degraded, it is
by no means a welcome inclusion.
All of this, coupled with the few scenes of torture
and murder which are scattered throughout, makes it very difficult to
imagine exactly who the film was aimed at. Since the sex is so distasteful
and unlikely to titillate even the most jaded devotee of cinematic sleaze,
the film falls way out of the boundaries of the typical Category III
genre. Again, perhaps there is some kind of point that Lee is trying to
make, or some personal message she is attempting to get across, though
viewers are certainly not advised to try and fathom what exactly this
could be.
There is no saving grace for "Trilogy of Lust
2" in any shape or form, though it is worth mentioning that genre
favourite Elvis Tsui ("A
Chinese Torture Chamber Story") does make a brief and amusing
appearance. Unfortunately, his vaguely comical role only adds to the
uncertainty of tone and the sense of viewer exasperation. "Trilogy of
Lust 2" is simply a terrible film, which should not be watched under
any circumstances, even by the most ardent fan of Category III cinema.
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