Skip to main contentIf your idea of quality cinema embraces films like The Toxic Avenger and Evil Dead II (or anything that contains decapitations, disembowelments, and all other sorts of murder and mayhem), then I've got the film for you. Die-hard fans of Asian schlock cinema may know the cult film Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky, but most of you are in for a gut-churning surprise. Based on the ultra-violent Japanese comic book Riki-Oh, this equally gory Hong Kong-produced film made more than a decade ago has earned its well-deserved cult status.
In the not-so-distant future of 2001 (hey, back in 1991 that was the not-so-distant future), prisons--like parking lots--have been taken over by private corporations. This makes the penal system even more unpleasant, with inmates used as slave labor. Enter our hero, Ricky Ho (Fan Siu Wong), who's doing time for manslaughter (as we learn through flashbacks, Ricky's virginal girlfriend was killed by drug dealers, which prompted Ricky to exact revenge). I guess now may be as good a time as any to tell you that Ricky has superhuman strength. This special ability comes in handy when Ricky has to do those little things we normal people can't, like punching through a man's face, tearing into someone's stomach and pulling out their intestines, or pimp-slapping someone in the back of the head so hard their eyes pop out. Ricky's super strength is also a clever plot device for a film with very little plot: Ricky arrives in prison and the mayhem commences--90 minutes later, it's over.
Filled with cheesy production values and some of the worst dubbed dialogue you've ever heard (somehow I doubt the original-language track is any better), Story of Ricky is a train-wreck of a movie. Like an episode of The Simpsons' "Itchy and Scratchy" come to life, this is the type of film best enjoyed while under the influence of something that limits your ability to drive or operate heavy machinery. Yet amid this lack of taste, story and cinematic quality, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky is an infectious good time--provided you can derive entertainment from a man slicing open his own belly and using his intestines to strangle someone, or another man being stuffed in meat grinder, or...well, you get the idea.
Adults Only Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., 238-8899. 7 and 9 pm Friday- Thursday, Nov. 29-Dec. 5. Additional show 2 pm Sunday.
WWeek 2015