Saturday, March 23, 2013

The Drug Connection (Du Hou Mi Shi, 1976)



Next flick up for grabs here at Hai!Karate is a little number known as 'The Drug Connection' from the Shaw Brothers Studio. Funny thing is, you won't see it marketed under that name. Instead, you will note that the poster above calls it 'The Sexy Killer.' Why? For a couple of reasons, which I'll break down real quick. 'The Drug Connection' stars actress Cheng Ping, whose career was exemplified by playing roles of tough and attractive women who didn't mind baring flesh here and there, sometimes in 'sexploitation'roles.



Cheng Ping plays Wan Fei, a nurse who finds out that her sister has been seduced into crippling heroin addiction and thusly, the world of sex trafficking. She desperately wants revenge, against the advice of her policeman friend(Yueh Wah) so she decides to get justice her own way in vicious, bloody style by posing as a high-end escort in order to infiltrate the mob in Hong Kong. If all of this sounds really familiar, it should: this is, in effect a wholesale remake of the smash hit 'Coffy' with Pam Grier done three years earlier.



The thing is, 'The Drug Connection', takes a good deal from 'Coffy', but there are distinct differences between the two films in delivery. Like the movie title disparity for example. Shaw knew that they needed audiences for this picture, and that sex sells. So they let 'The Sexy Killer' title stick to this movie as a reference point. Also, this film has a LOT more in the way of action, and of course, nudity and soft-core sex which was the studio's other profit-generating genre of film at that time. Just peep the opening scenes where Wan Fei's sister gets turned out. When I first saw it, I thought it was gonna be straight sleaze out of the gate. Cheng isn't Pam Grier, no, but she's got enough sex appeal and enough of a mean streak for this role. Possibly more. But her acting is nowhere near Pam's here. Also, being a 'Coffy' remake, 'The Drug Connection' does suffer from director Su Cheng's wild angles, as if he was on a bristol cream bender with the cinematographer in the editing room. It is an unabashed exploitation flick with a good dose of kung fu all around, especially with the big boss and an S&M episode that is going to make you rub your eyes. 'The Drug Connection' is a bowl of sex, up and down acting, outlandish scenes and bloodshed with an anti-drug message. I think. And a nutty credit scene!!


2 comments:

  1. "Instead, you will note that the poster above calls it 'The Sexy Killer'."

    - actually, it doesn't!!!

    The poster above your text calls it 'The Drug Connection'. The Celestial dvd calls it 'The Sexy Killer' tho. Good review. Love the film. You should also track down the sequel, 'Lady Exterminator' (1977). It only exists in bootleg form (be careful tho, there's another film also called 'Lady Exterminator'. It's an entirely different film from Indonesia).

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    1. Thanks man, good catch on the poster...i plan to check those out! Thanks for reading!!!

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