Rating: **
Review Date: 4/19/26
Cast: Law Kwai-Ying, Suen Tong (Wendy Chin), cameos by
Dick Wei, Billy Chow, Shing Fui-On, Lin Hsiao-Lao
A nasty and utterly repulsive piece of misogynistic exploitation. Mr. Lee's shoe factory is in financial trouble, until one day he disappears and they start making shoes out of human skin. With Mr. Lee out of the way, the beautiful, shy, and seemingly innocent Sau Ling (Law Kwai-Ying) takes over running the business, but the guilt over Mr. Lee's death and her unrequited love for Mr. Lee's son slowly drive her mad. Her fate is sealed after making a sinister deal with her psychotic leather supplier, and it doesn't take long for the police to figure out something's wrong. A protracted gun fight and kung fu beat down take out the bad guys, but there's no happy ending in sight.
For starters, the first two minutes of the film are shot in a slaughterhouse, which is appallingly awful and will probably make most people immediately turn it off. Fortunately, I was warned about this and skipped through it, but there's also other animal cruelty sprinkled throughout. The film certainly doesn't shy away from depravity and gore, as human bodies are gleefully hacked apart and skinned for their precious hides. There are also a half dozen unpleasant sex scenes and rape scenes that go on way too long. The nastiest and most controversial sex scene involves a goose - 'nuff said. Not surprisingly, bitchy Suen Tong comes to a grisly end, but then I was alarmed to see Sau Ling compromised for the remainder of the film. However, at the same time, her actions and motivations become harder to understand, which is a reflection of her downward spiral. Law Kwai-Ying is a talented actress and extremely pretty, and her sex scenes are shockingly sexy and convincing. Apart from that, it's nice to see Dick Wei in action, however briefly, and Billy Chow has the tiniest of cameos with one fight scene. Shing Fui-On is the lunatic leather dealer, which is a throwaway roll for him.
While it's a good-looking and well-shot film, the story is all over the place and often doesn't make sense. In addition to the horrible plot, it also suffers from not having any likable or relatable characters. It's a bizarre combination of sex, violence, horror, gore, and action that feels like several separate movies spliced together. The film has an ugly reputation and it lives up to it. That said, I can't recommend it to anyone.