"Red to Kill" review

Red to Kill (1994)

AKA Yeuk saat

Director: Hin Sing 'Billy' Tang
Writer: Ho Wa Wong

Lily Chung ... Ming-Ming Yuk Kong
Money Lo ... Ka Lok Cheung (as Man Yee Lo)
Ben Ng ... Chi Wai Chan
Bobby Yip ... Ugly Mental Patient

Ming Ming has a hard life. A slightly retarded girl who has the misfortune to have a psycho fall in love with her. She gets sent to live in a home for the handicapped after her family dies. The guy who runs the home just happens to have one little quirky attribute about him. The color red irritates him to the point where he becomes a shaking, drooling rapist. Well, we can only hope Ming Ming does not wear red around this man. But since the movie is called "Red to Kill", it's a pretty safe bet she will. Sure enough, Ming Ming has the audacity to wear the color red and now it's on. Rape, violence, revenge and protracted sexual mutilation follow in quick succession.

"Red to Kill" is a Category III exploitation movie. I didn't fully appreciate what Category III meant until I saw this film. A beautifully shot film that lovingly explores the horror of rape. Ming Ming, (Lily Chung), is shown as a sweet, innocent girl who gets violently raped by her caretaker. The social worker who put Ming Ming in this predicament feels a tad guilty and tries to help her. This only leads down the path to more red-induced violence.

"Red to Kill" is a fine exploitation film. I enjoyed it. It's sad that Ming Ming had to suffer so much for me to get some Category III thrills. But Lily Chung should be commended for doing a great job in playing an innocent girl getting mauled. Chung also deserves a place in exploitation movie history for the longest sexual mutilation scene in history. After her rape, Ming Ming heads to the shower to cut off her pubic hairs. Ming Ming's shaving starts getting rougher and the blood starts to flow down the drain. A standout nasty scene that should have exploitation fans cheering. Poor Ming Ming.

SCORE: 3 out of 4 red Ming Mings