 | Razor Blade Smile |
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I managed to avoid any information about this film when it was originally being hyped, and just decided to pick it up because of its attractively gaudy cover. And I'm glad I did...
I have to admit that one of the things I liked best about Razor Blade Smile is that it's a fresh British entrant into the genre. Since the golden days of Hammer, when Britain kick-started a fresh interest in cinematic horror, there have been very few British productions that have taken up the mantle; British cinema has become a breeding ground of social realist, period drama, and, more recently, london gangster cinema, but where has the horror gone? Razor Blade Smile deals with rubber-clad vampire Lillith Silver (Eileen Daly) who works as a hitwoman, picking off her targets and then draining their blood, as adept with her knives and guns as she is with her teeth. Inbetween times she hangs out at a goth club, apparently getting some amusement from hanging around with vampire-wannabies who are entirely unaware than the genuine article is sat at the same table with them! There's also a range of subplots about the evil vampire master, his secret society, and the obsessive cop that's assigned to investigate a number of mysterious killings. This isn't a film which takes its subject matter too seriously; prefering to go for gags and visuals rather than any analysis of vampire mythology, which is just fine by me. To be fair, it does have its faults; debut director Jake West, who also wrote the film as well, lets the pace slacken off in the mid-section, and I'd have preferred a few more action based sequences where Eileen Daly could show off her ability to be a seriously warped Lara Croft. In addition, Lillith Silver also chats with some American hacker/conspiracy whizz via webcam in a couple of scenes which are straight out of some Saturday morning kids TV show - need information on some mysterious secret society? Contact your friendly Internet hacker dude, who'll be able to dig up any information you need inbetween going "oh man" every couple of sentences! But still, it's well worth a watch as long as you're not after something with too much substance to it and is a very agreeable film. Jake West is also definitely one to watch for the future - please keep making British horror films: we need you! Phil |
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