The New York Ripper (1984)

The New York Ripper (1982)*** (out of 4) A washed-up detective (Jack Hedley) teams up with a psychoanalyst (Paolo Malco) to try and catch a psycho who is running around New York City cutting up women. What makes this psycho different is that he talks with a duck's voice but after letting one victim escape, the police have a good idea who is doing the slashing.The giallo genre offered up quite a few bloody and graphic movies but Lucio Fulci's THE NEW YORK RIPPER is without question that most vile, disgusting, sexually perverted and notorious of them all. Whatever "shock value" the Italian director got out of films like ZOMBIE, CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD and THE BEYOND couldn't match what people would get with this film, which was obviously heavily censored throughout the world. If you're looking for an intelligent thriller then this here certainly isn't for you but if you just want something dirty and something that takes pleasure in its sleaze then you're not going to find anything better than this.Again, if you're wanting a story then just avoid this because logically the film makes very little sense and at times I wondered if they were even using any sort of script. The film really does seem like they were just shooting things as they went along and Fulci pieced everything together in the editing room. I'm not going to ruin the ending but most people still debate what actually happened and even after a half a dozen viewings I'm still confused. With that said, not too many people come to any Fulci film for the story but what also helps is the scope cinematography that perfectly captures the dirtiness of New York City. The porno theaters and sleazy bars just make for a wonderful setting and the music score is also just something you'd expect to hear in a porno movie from the era.What THE NEW YORK RIPPER is known for is its graphic violence. The gore level is certainly high here as the ripper lights to slash women from their vagina to their breasts and the gore comes flowing. The most notorious scene involves a razor and an eye, which will have most people turning away from the screen. Another plus is that the cast, for the most part, is entertaining and makes up for the lack of a real story. THE NEW YORK RIPPER isn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination and there are countless flaws but there's still no question that it deserves credit for being willing to be as trashy as it is.

After making the (for the most part) fantastic "Gates Of Hell"-trilogy, Lucio Fulci clearly needed to take his foot of the throttle for a little while. "The New York Ripper" isn't a bad movie, but to his standards it's surprisingly middle of the road. I mean sure, as usual it's a hundred times gorier than the average thriller, but apart from that there isn't much to keep your attention. It's a pretty underwritten whodunit with too few suspects, all too transparent red herrings, a dreadfully slow pace and a truly laughable motive. Thankfully even at his most pedestrian Fulci can still come up with two or three scenes that keep you awake. The scene with the old man is a fantastic opening that pulls you right in, the middle-aged woman who's bored with her husband provides some fascinatingly unerotic segments when trying to find arousal elsewhere (the poolhall sequence is a real "huh?" of a scene), and the ending is entertainingly straight-forward to say the least. And of course the movie's cinematography is great as always, and the synth soundtrack provides a nice contrast with the grim subject matter. So there are quite a few good things to say about this movie, you just have to fish them out between huge chunks of a boring cop and a boring professor trying to find a boring serial killer: that's not very easy to do.

Reading the latest issue of the UK Horror/Thriller magazine The Dark Side,I was shocked to find out that Lucio Fulci's infamous Giallo was still getting cut for UK DVD editions.Being keen to see the title in all its uncut gory glory,I started to search round online,and was happy to find an uncut R1 edition,which led to me getting ready to see the ripper walk the streets of New York.The plot:New York-Talking to the landlady of a recent murder victim, Lieutenant Fred Williams discovers that the victim had been receiving strange phone calls from a person who talked like a duck.Visiting the local morgue a few days later,Williams talks to pathologist Barry Jones,who tells Williams that a recent murder victim has been brought in,who appears to have been killed in a similar manner.Suspecting that a serial killer is on the loose,Williams begins searching round on the streets for the killer,in the hope of stopping the stranger from quaking again.View on the film:Whilst the film has left an infamous legacy which has led to co- writer/ (along with-deep breath!: Gianfranco Clerici, Gene Luotto, Vincenzo Mannino and Dardano Sacchetti) director Lucio Fulci being called a misogynist,the movie takes a surprisingly even- handed approach to its cast of street trash,with all the women being shown as emotionally empty and being possessed by extreme sexual aggression,whilst all the men are revealed to be self-serving, nihilistic scum,who only become interested in finding the mysterious killer,when one of them (Lt. Fred Williams-played by a wonderfully gruff Jack Hedley) finds his mistress murdered.Taking the Giallo across the pond,the writer's place a tough,gritty cop back drop against a vicious and mean spirited murder mystery,as Williams goes from beating his fellow cops into action,to uncovering a delightfully bonkers and completely left-field motive behind the killings.Filmed on location and backed by an oddly elegant score from the underrated Francesco De Masi,lucio Fulci and cinematographer Luigi Kuveiller pick up the slime on the streets and smear it across the screen,as Fulci and Kuveiller use rapid,tightly-coiled tracking shots to show the characters surrounded by a rotting location.Having the honour of still being banned in an uncut form in the UK,Fulci strikes each of the murder set pieces with a delicious relish,thanks to Fulci bursting ever corner of the screen with waves of burning- hot blood,as the mysterious killer rips the streets of New York.

Anyone expecting some low grade, squalid video nasty is going to be sorely disappointed. This is one of those films that's much better than its reputation suggests. What we actually have here is a highly intelligent and articulated thriller! Sure there is some of the Fulci trademark gore, but in this case it's better handled, more taut, and less excessive! The film also utilizes some great location shots in and around New York, and the camera-work and editing is top notch! I found the film to be outstanding in it's competence, and wish there were more out there like this. This is a work of an experienced director and crew and not amateurs. I fear it may have been banned, cut and trashed mainly due to it's association with the director's name, and the highly evocative and chilling, but iconic title of the film! Finally I found what could have turned out to be silly.. the maniacal quacking of the Ripper to be inspired and genius. This alone raises the movie 'beyond' the realms of your standard murder, mystery and suspense fare!