Director – Moses (Clownsploitation, Grindsploitation 666)
Starring – Mercedes (An Ultraviolent Colour, Honor Killing), Jim Schumacher (Honor Killing, Grindsploitation 4: Meltsploitation), and Tina Alper (The Hot Chameleon, Honor Killing)
Release Date – 2017
Rating – 3.5/5
Tagline – “2 bounty hunters full of drugs and out for blood”
My original intention for my reviews was to review forgotten or unheard of exploitation and action films of the 70s and 80s. People know me for my love of horror but my love for horror is outshined by my love for exploitation flicks. I grew up on them with Blaxploitation stealing my heart.
Sometime ago Troma announced that they would be releasing Rose and Viktor: No Mercy. I watched the trailer and it looked like a good ol’ fashioned exploitation film. I couldn’t wait to check it out so I requested a review copy. When I tossed it in I was very surprised by what I had in front of me. There was some things I would have changed but it was very entertaining. Thank you Troma for sending this one my way.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows bounty hunter Viktor who meets the sexually abused Rose. Rose wants Viktor to take out her abusive father but Viktor takes a liking to Rose and offers to show her the ropes and let her father be a learning experience for her. After they take care of him they travel the desert taking on clients and eliminating anyone that gets in their way.**Spoiler Alert**
I went into this one thinking it was a straight forward exploitation film with a linear story. I was wrong. This is actually a loose ended anthology that is basically was a collection of shorts involving these two characters without a wraparound segment to tie them together.
The acting in this one is great. Mercedes and Jim Schumacher are fantastic in their roles. These characters are near and dear to their hearts and it shows. Every scene they bring these characters to life and deliver unforgettable performances. The supporting cast for each short is fantastic as well. Some characters are more memorable than others but the cast does a great job and they work very well together.
The story for this one is a bit of a let down. I was expecting a feature length film but was given a series of shorts that basically have the same plot centered around different people they kill. This was fun until the 45 minute mark and then the shorts become repetitive and predictable. Taking the story and stretching it to feature length would have made a more enjoyable experience. Also, they say they are bounty hunters but they are mostly hit men or mercenaries contacted by regular people who were wronged to even the playing field.
Finally, this one has several on screen kills that mostly use practical effects. We do get some camera tricks and possible a little CGI that is unnoticeable at times but most of the practical effects look great. The film does reuse the same gag several times so it loses it’s dramatic effect as the film progresses. Overall, Rose and Viktor: No Mercy is a fantastic watch. Its combines rock n’ roll with grindhouse cinema and for that I love it. The cinematography is brilliant but the story does start to wear thin by the 45 minute mark. This one deserves a watch but doesn’t have much replay value.
