Verdict
Summary
An earnest and well-intentioned throwback to the grindhouse era that produced well-regarded low rent sub classics such as the Angel quadrilogy, Vice Squad, and Ms. 45, Streets of Vengeance thrives on grime and synth wave, but even with its plusses, the movie is crippled by setbacks like having crummy camera work, a junky script that spends too much time on side subplots (like unnecessary cuts to a bikini-clad Up All Night-style host), and inexperienced actors who never appear to be comfortable on screen.
Plot: Former adult film star, Mila, is attacked by a misogynistic cult known as The Sword. She turns vigilante and puts a group of bad-ass girls together and seeks revenge.
Review: There’s a cult of women-killing fanatics on the streets of San Francisco. They call themselves The Sword, and they choose hookers, strippers, and porn stars as their prey. They kidnap them and brutally murder them, sometimes on camera to make their statement heard all over the world. But oddly, the media is all but ignoring the killings, and instead picks on the adult industry for inciting violence and rape. Meanwhile, an aged-out porn actress named Mila (Delawna McKinney) tries leaving her career behind, but she’s chosen by The Sword to be their next victim … big mistake. She turns the tables and kills her tormentor, and trains herself and her fellow porn stars to hunt down and eradicate The Sword and anyone associated with it … even if it means tearing down the walls of her industry!
An earnest and well-intentioned throwback to the grindhouse era that produced well-regarded low rent sub classics such as the Angel quadrilogy, Vice Squad, and Ms. 45, Streets of Vengeance thrives on grime and synth wave, but even with its plusses, the movie is crippled by setbacks like having crummy camera work, a junky script that spends too much time on side subplots (like unnecessary cuts to a bikini-clad Up All Night-style host), and inexperienced actors who never appear to be comfortable on screen. A movie like this that tries to hearken back to the ’80s needs stellar, appealing performers to win the audience, and this film lacks that in spades. It has plenty of nudity, but I’d actually say it has too much in areas and not enough in others. Some of the actresses are overly generous with nudity, while others are shy and constantly cover up, which is conspicuous and distracting. A real grindhouse movie would have weeded out the chaff and focused on the genuine article. The movie is also oddly choosy when it comes to violence and gore. Up until the climax of the film, the movie shies away from money shots. So I can’t figure this thing out. Filmmakers Paul Ragsdale and Angelica De Alba have a clear affinity and affection for the movies that inspired this one, but I can’t really recommend it because it’s too artificial and phony to please the true fans of the genre. The best thing about the movie is the synth wave score by Vestron Vulture.
Slasher Video, along with Olive Films, recently released this title in a deluxe Blu-ray edition, containing hours of special features to sift through. With commentaries, bloopers, outtakes, trailers, and interviews, this blu ray is for the fans.