Thursday, January 17, 2013

Act of Vengeance (1974)

American International Pictures
Directed by Bob Kelljan
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, MGM Limited Edition Collection)

Jo Ann Harris is raped by a man in an orange jumpsuit and hockey mask. She immediately goes to the police, who ask her sensitive questions in plain view, then further humiliated by a doctor. At a police line up, she meets other women raped by the same man. Frustrated by the lack of progress by the police, they form the "rape squad" and take matters into their own hands. They take karate lessons and post flyers asking other women to call. They visit the apartment of one former rapist, destroying his apartment and pouring dye on him, marking him as a rapist. Later they corner a middle aged man who makes obscene phone calls. They eventually catch up with their rapist for a final confrontation in an abandoned zoo. It almost works as a serious drama, but there is one problem: the camera lingers too long on the naked bodies of the women during the rapes, making this an obvious exploitation film, though one with a message.

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