Razor Blade Smile (1998)

User Rating:

4.5/10   

Director:

Jake West

Writer:

Jake West (writer)

Release Date:

16 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Part Seductress. Part Assassin. All Vampire.

Plot:

A 19th century woman, who has become one of the undead, acts as a hired killer in modern times. When...

Plot Keywords:

Illuminati | Vampire | Katana Sword | Destiny | Sword Fight

Awards:

7 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Eileen Daly	...	Lilith Silver
Christopher Adamson	...	Sethane Blake
Jonathan Coote	...	Detective Inspector Price
Kevin Howarth	...	Platinum
David Warbeck	...	The Horror Movie Man
Heidi James	...	Ariauna
Isabel Brook	...	Silk
Louisa Moore	...	Celeste
Grahame Wood	...	Student Photographer
Jennifer Guy	...	Cindy Arnold
Georgio Serafini	...	Leonard Arnold
Mark Caven	...	The Detective
Bradley Lavelle	...	The Chill Pilgrim (as Brad Lavelle)
Peter Godwin	...	Illuminati Conspirator
Scott Bennett	...	Guard 1 - Max

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence and gore, sexuality, language and some drug content.

Runtime:

South Korea:102 min | USA:101 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Singapore:R21 | Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | Germany:18 | UK:18 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:R (edited for re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Palm Pictures

Trivia:

David Warbeck's last film.

Quotes:

Lilith Silver: So what legal eagle's bitten your ass, lieutenant?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Evil Aliens (2005)

Soundtrack:

For Her Light

Fangs but no fangs

One of the problems with the vampire genre is that it's great as long as the director has a fresh angle on things. While Interview with the Vampire may have been a sombre affair, it was at least original by being The Gone with the Wind of vamp flicks.

RBS is the Nikita of the bloodsucking field with the gorgeous Eileen Daly squeezing into a spray on cat suit and embarking on Emma Peel-like shenanigans.

While writer director Jake West is obviously trying to be hip by saying that we know f*** all about real vampires, he shoots himself in the foot by trying to be a little too cocky.

Some great visual effects are marred by a tendency to stray into Ken Russell/Lair of the White Worm territory with yawnsome scenes of the undead protagonists hissing at one another.

Any attempt to portray the vampires as primal beings who resort to cat-like screeching at moments of confrontation merely comes across like someone with toothache whose fillings have just come into contact with silver foil.

One the plus side, there is at least plenty of sex and bloodshed for those who fancy a take out and a few beers on a Friday night so it's not a complete write off.

Daly is also well worth a look as the gun-toting anti heroine who keeps her arsenal in a coffin.

Alas, the pay off when it eventually does come, really wasn't worth waiting for. Her lover is a dreadful character who seems to take great delight in stretching his dialogue to breaking point in the vague hope that it might seem more important. Sorry mate, it wasn't worth the effort.

Is it worth the price of rental of admission? Not really. Better off dusting down a copy of Nikita and Near Dark then watching them back to back or if you want a sexy vamp flick which is more style than substance, then The Hunger (1983) should do the trick.

However, keep an eye on Jake West. With a few more years in the business and a little more time spent on his script, he should deliver the goods admirably. After all, look at James Cameron's debut: Piranha 2: Flying Killers. A lot less engaging than this.