Doris Wishman wasn't exactly the most technically skilled director (understatement of the year there), but she was great at one thing: coming up with an absolutely ridiculous gimmick and then playing it completely straight. That feels like a lost art. In an era where every 'cult' film is chock full of self-referential humor, revisiting "Deadly Weapons" is truly a breath of fresh air.
Take our lead performance by Chesty Morgan (for some reason credited as 'Zsa Zsa'), for example. It's absolutely terrible, but it's absolutely terrible in a genuine kind of way. She's not some edgy Kickstarter donor who hams it up on purpose in the hopes of becoming a meme. She tries to do a good job, but that wasn't exactly easy when directed by Wishman. The duo apparently didn't get along at all and this film (like most Wishman films) was shot without a finished script. Not exactly ideal circumstances for a first-time actress. Her co-stars don't do much better, although it was fun to spot the dad from "Last House On The Left" in a supporting role. Some filmography that guy has!
Another thing I really enjoy about "Deadly Weapons" is how unapologetically sleazy it is. I mean, what can I say about a movie that literally starts with a close-up of the main character's bare chest? I don't mean the first minute. It's literally the first shot of the movie. Having watched way too much grindhouse smut from the 1970s, I don't think I've ever seen that. I'm including adult films here. It's almost like Wishman said 'here's what you paid for pervs, now you can leave'. It helps that this opening sequence is accompanied by the greatest song nobody has ever heard. I don't know who Mike Lease is, but "Hard Selling Woman" desperately needs play on every classic rock station.
Obviously, this movie is not exactly perfect. For one thing, the pace is rather sluggish. Wishman struggles to keep her bare-bones revenge plot interesting, there's really not much going on here in terms of story. By the time the rather nonsensical ending twist comes in, you're not exactly that invested anymore. Even at a paltry 75 minutes, the movie could have trimmed some fat. Furthermore, it's also rather repetitive. Chesty Morgan's amazing anatomy suffers a bit from diminishing returns. If anything, "Deadly Weapons" proves you can get used to pretty much everything. By the umpteenth time Morgan takes it off, it barely even registers as nudity anymore.
These faults don't truly hurt the amazing charm this movie has though. Wishman is such a unique figure within the history of B-movies, her work is everything at once but never unmemorable. "Deadly Weapons" is no exception to that rule.
Take our lead performance by Chesty Morgan (for some reason credited as 'Zsa Zsa'), for example. It's absolutely terrible, but it's absolutely terrible in a genuine kind of way. She's not some edgy Kickstarter donor who hams it up on purpose in the hopes of becoming a meme. She tries to do a good job, but that wasn't exactly easy when directed by Wishman. The duo apparently didn't get along at all and this film (like most Wishman films) was shot without a finished script. Not exactly ideal circumstances for a first-time actress. Her co-stars don't do much better, although it was fun to spot the dad from "Last House On The Left" in a supporting role. Some filmography that guy has!
Another thing I really enjoy about "Deadly Weapons" is how unapologetically sleazy it is. I mean, what can I say about a movie that literally starts with a close-up of the main character's bare chest? I don't mean the first minute. It's literally the first shot of the movie. Having watched way too much grindhouse smut from the 1970s, I don't think I've ever seen that. I'm including adult films here. It's almost like Wishman said 'here's what you paid for pervs, now you can leave'. It helps that this opening sequence is accompanied by the greatest song nobody has ever heard. I don't know who Mike Lease is, but "Hard Selling Woman" desperately needs play on every classic rock station.
Obviously, this movie is not exactly perfect. For one thing, the pace is rather sluggish. Wishman struggles to keep her bare-bones revenge plot interesting, there's really not much going on here in terms of story. By the time the rather nonsensical ending twist comes in, you're not exactly that invested anymore. Even at a paltry 75 minutes, the movie could have trimmed some fat. Furthermore, it's also rather repetitive. Chesty Morgan's amazing anatomy suffers a bit from diminishing returns. If anything, "Deadly Weapons" proves you can get used to pretty much everything. By the umpteenth time Morgan takes it off, it barely even registers as nudity anymore.
These faults don't truly hurt the amazing charm this movie has though. Wishman is such a unique figure within the history of B-movies, her work is everything at once but never unmemorable. "Deadly Weapons" is no exception to that rule.