COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - THE WICKED DIE SLOW (RONIN FLIX BLU RAY)
Westerns and Horror movies are two genres that don’t overlap nearly as much as they should. Of course, there are a few shining examples of these genres mixing, but on the whole, there just aren’t as many Horror Westerns as there should be. Perhaps this has something to do with the decline of the Western film genre since the mid-70s, and that between 1975-2000 only two Westerns have finished in the Box Office Top 10. Any amateur film student will talk about the “zeitgeist” and how Westerns have fallen out of favor largely due to their glamorization of erroneous history and lack of relevance to the modern day but also consider that the genre of Country Music is actually getting more popular and it gives one pause as to why the Western isn’t seeing a similar resurgence. This wasn’t always the case, as we travel back to 1968 for RONIN FLIX’s recent release of the Western Exploitation film, THE WICKED DIE SLOW. Is this Exploitative Western something to saddle up for, or should it be put out to pasture?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
In this hard-edged western, a notorious gunfighter, "The Kid", and his sidekick Armadillo saddle their way through the post-Civil War West looking for the four drunken, sadistic Indians who attacked The Kid's girlfriend.
HOW IS IT?
I like to think I have a pretty high tolerance for low-budget films. Hell, horror journalism is mostly watching movies with budgets under $100,000 and that applies to films old and new. Time often softens our perception of “low budget” as it carries a sort of endearing charm, but that doesn’t necessarily excuse poor filmmaking. THE WICKED DIE SLOW is the kind of film that has all the makings of something interesting and fails to deliver on any of that promise. A muddled plot lacking any cohesive narrative combined with overly exploitative elements and a lack of creative vision make this a hard film to recommend to pretty much anyone.
There isn’t much of a narrative in THE WICKED DIE SLOW. The first third of the film is entirely disconnected from the rest of the film, and the rest of it is a mess of scenes that are overly rapey and thin on any sort of character development. Essentially, the film is about a duo of gunslingers, “The Kid” and his unnamed sidekick, who are supposed to be our heroes, but in some ways are just as bad as the people they hunt down. These two travel around taking down would-be rapist bandits as a means to avenge the rape of the girlfriend of The Kid. Interestingly enough, the two get their vengeance quite quickly and seem to travel the region seeking out other injustices to intervene in. Part of the problem with this is that in some cases, the duo act as outrageously as the perpetrators. Like the scene where they save a father and daughter from being raped and murdered by a group of bandits, only to have the father offer the daughter to them to have their way with. This strange sense of morality is pervasive throughout the entire film, and it makes the overall viewing experience hard to connect with.
Part of the problem resides in just how little effort is spent to cultivate a sense of place. The music and the “costumes” all feel like something right out of the 60s (when this was produced) and the only thing reflecting the 1800s vibe it intends to deliver is the use of horses rather than cars. In some cases, characters are wearing items of clothing that weren’t used during the Old West and look more like something you’d see in the crowd at Woodstock. In addition, we know nothing about any of these characters except that they exist. Everyone in this film wanders aimlessly from scene to scene, which makes the whole experience feel less compelling since there is no connective tissue bringing things together. This combined with the overwhelming amount of sexual violence portrayed on screen gives the impression that this film simply exists as exploitation fare and not much else. Whereas other exploitation films such as LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT or THRILLER use sexual violence to make a sobering point about vulnerability and power dynamics, THE WICKED DIE SLOW uses it to be provocative and pointless. Credit where credit is due though, the opening credits and music are pretty great, even if they don’t really fit the mood of the film.
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
RONIN FLIX / SCORPION RELEASING presents THE WICKED DIE SLOW in 1080p with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. This particular HD scan was completed in 2019 and is presented for the first time in its intended scope ratio. Given the film’s age and production, the transfer here is quite good. There are some noticeable artifacts like “cigarette burns” seen in parts, however, they don’t detract from the overall film and as a whole, the film looks quite nice all things considered. Images from this disc are used throughout the review and can be seen below:
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
Nothing to write home about sound wise as we are given a DTS-HD stereo track and that’s about it. Overall, the sound is fine and sufficient, but the big miss here is the lack of subtitles. This is somewhat uncommon for Ronin/Scorpion, but nevertheless, it’s unfortunate to not have at the very least English subtitles.
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
Not much in the special features department here aside from a new “On-Camera interview with Jeff Kanew. One of the best things about this interview is how much is divulged about how the film came to be what we see today. In particular, it provides some insight into the disjointed first act, the inspiration for the film being The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, and how being neighbors with a porn editor gave way to the creation of this film. In all honesty, this interview doesn’t redeem the film, but it does offer some helpful context about what happens when you lose control of your film and have to leave the result to the studios. The only other “special feature” is a trailer reel of other releases.
LAST RITES
THE WICKED DIE SLOW is a bit of a mess and somewhat lazy production that in spite of best intentions, doesn’t deliver much to either Western or Horror/Exploitation fans. Aside from a great interview with Jeff Kanew, there isn’t much reason to make space for this release on your crowded shelves.
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you to the fine fiends over at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing a review copy for the crypt! THE WICKED DIE SLOW is available NOW and can be purchased via MVD DIRECT or RONIN FLIX DIRECT!
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