A scene from 'Paradise Highway'

Review: This week’s releases dive into the seedy underbelly

This week’s releases include an unexpected life preserver; and a gruesome serial killer.

Dr. Lamb (Blu-ray)
A mentally disturbed taxi driver (Simon Yam) lusts for blood every rainy night and several young women are brutally murdered. He likes to take photos of the victims’ dismembered bodies as his special mementos after sex with their corpses and stores their severed breasts in pickle jars. Inspector Lee (Danny Lee) and his team are called onto the case.

In Hong Kong, a Category III film is the equivalent of a Rated R movie, indicating viewers under 18 years of age are prohibited from watching as it may contain brutal, gory violence with cries of pain, depictions of drug taking, strong sexual scenes, and/or pervasive/aggressive coarse language. Thus, a lot of the films that fell under this label would be considered exploitation cinema, pushing the limits of sex and violence on the big screen. Yam appeared in several Johnnie To pictures, but this is a departure, which he plays with excess verve. The taxi driver seems understated, but the scenes of his sadistic murders show a man unhinged. To match his exaggerated enthusiasm, the police’s interrogation tactics include extreme physical and verbal abuse. It’s not a film that will appeal to everyone, but it certainly has an audience.

Special features include: commentary from Art Ettinger (Ultra Violent) and Bruce Holecheck (Cinema Arcana); “Lamb to the Slaughter,” an interview with filmmaker Gilbert Po who initiated the Dr. Lamb film project; “Three Times The Fear,” film critic James Mudge on the golden era of Category III; “Cut and Run,” film academic Sean Tierney aka “The Silver Spleen” remembers Dr. Lamb; Atomic TV interview with Simon Yam; and trailers. (Unearthed Films)

Paradise Highway (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
To save the life of her brother (Frank Grillo), Sally (Juliette Binoche), a truck driver, reluctantly agrees to smuggle illicit cargo: a girl named Leila (Hala Finley). As Sally and Leila begin a danger-fraught journey across state lines, a dogged FBI operative (Morgan Freeman) sets out on their trail, determined to do whatever it takes to terminate a human-trafficking operation — and bring Sally and Leila to safety.

While human trafficking is at the narrative’s centre, the predominant story becomes the connection between Sally and Leila. Having been abused herself, Sally understands Leila’s reluctance and is unwilling to send her back to that life, even if she is far from perfect and not an ideal caregiver. In the meantime, Freeman’s agent has been working these cases for a long time, frustrated by the red tape that often prevents authorities from immediately taking down an operation, while they pack up and crawl under another rock. Sally’s complete devotion to her brother sometimes seems unhealthy, but it also feels as if they’ve relied heavily on each other since childhood. Binoche looks the part of a long-haul trucker, though her accent occasionally trickles into her speech. Nonetheless, the camaraderie depicted between Sally and other women truckers adds another layer to a movie that doesn’t only show women as victims.

Special features include: commentary by director Anna Gutto; deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary; making-of featurette; and theatrical trailer. (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)

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