Robotrix (Jamie Luk, 1991)
It goes without saying that both James Cameron's The Terminator (1984) and Paul Verhoeven's Robocop (1987) were hugely influential science-fiction films when they were released. Both of them spawned a slew of rip-off movies, including Jamie Luk's hybrid of the two, Robotrix (1991). An outrageous Catergory III co-production from Japan and Hong Kong, featuring Chikako Aoyama and buxom pin-up Amy Yip. Intentional or not, it's an aptly named movie considering the film's protagonist is a dead police officer brought back to life in a robotic body and is turning tricks.
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| "I, I, I'm just a love machine And I won't work for nobody but you" |
Always great when you find a diamond in the rough, but I can't honestly put my hand on my heart and say I'm a big fan of this film; it's largely a dull mess, and based on whatever information I could dig up regarding Robotrix's production, the cast had about as much idea with what was going on than I did. For me, the biggest cardinal sin a movie could commit is being boring. This is the major distinction I will make when defending far more notorious exploitation films, like Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS (1975) for example. At least there was never a dull moment in the stalag. There are a few eyebrow raising scenes lightly sprinkled here and there during its run time, but not enough to maintain my interest. Not even Amy Yip or the quarry fight scene could keep me interested.
The BBFC didn't pass this film for release until over seven minutes worth of cuts were made. Not to side with the bane of my youth,
but I would have let Jamie Luk's problematic issues slide with no worries, if his film had a real sense of direction and offered a little something more than just sleaze.
File this in the "one man's trash is another man's treasure" section.
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