Underrated 80s Flick: Vice Squad

"Vice Squad (1982)" is probably my favorite 80s crime movie. I remember being scared as hell of the killer, Ramrod. In fact this movie is so scary and violent that it's also considered to be a horror movie (it was even featured in "Terror in the Aisles (1984)").


"A Los Angeles businesswoman, known only by her street name of Princess, turns to prostitution to support herself and her young daughter when she's forced by Detective Tom Walsh and his vice squad to help them arrest a brutal pimp named Ramrod for the murder of a prostitute named Ginger. But when Ramrod learns that he was set up, he escapes from police custody and begins a long night of tracking down Princess while Walsh and his vice squad are always one step behind him."

Say Hello to the "Bad Guy"

"Bad Guy (2001)" is one of several films by South Korean writer/director Ki-duk Kim that I've had the pleasure of watching. Unlike his other films that I've seen, this one has a lot more action and a grittier storyline.

"When a local pimp is publicly humiliated by a snobbish college girl, he manipulates her into a life of sexual slavery at his brothel. As he watches her nightly humiliation from behind a two-way mirror, his obsessive desire consumes him while she learns there is no love more complete than her captor's."

Lady Vengeance

"After a 13-year imprisonment for the kidnap and murder of a 6 year old boy, beautiful Lee Guem-ja starts seeking revenge on the man that was really responsible for the boy's death. With the help of fellow inmates and reunited with her daughter, she gets closer and closer to her goal. But will her actions lead to the relief she seeks?"



"Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005)" is the third film in South Korean director Chan-wook Park's revenge trilogy, following "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)" and "Oldboy (2003)". I haven't seen Mr. Vengeance (yet), but I have seen Oldboy, which was exquisite. It had the perfect blend of action, violence, dark humor, suspense, and one of the greatest twists in cinema history. So I was expecting a lot from Lady Vengeance. Turns out it was very little like Oldboy in that it had a lot less action and the gore was much more subtle. There was also a lot more symbolism in Lady Vengeance, and I have to admit even I was confused at times. Although it wasn't quite what I expected I still enjoyed it (it's actually really funny, in a disturbing way). And Geum-ja has got to be one of the coldest b*tches ever on screen. But I wouldn't be surprised if the remake (rumored to star Charlize Theron) is dramatically simplified for American audiences, which in this case might actually be a good thing.