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KONDOM DES GARUENS (1996)
A.K.A: "Killer Condom"
This film is an atomospheric German film set in New York city where in a bi-sexual brothel hotel -- "The Quickie" -- men, of varying sexualities, have been having their...well...manhoods bitten off. At first the police believe that it is hookers doing the biting, soon it becomes apparent that it is fact....condoms.
It was on TV in the Cult Movie section of SBS, which makes a hell of a lot of sense. The main character is a homosexual inspector called Luigi. He falls for a young "rentboy" named Billy who works at the Quickie while being followed by a transvestite he had a one night stand with, Bob -- who prefers to be called Babette.
The climax of the film (no pun intended) takes everything you've just seen and tries to make sense of it -- and it does okay. Strangley it ties Killer Contraception to religion among other things.
The story is loose and weak. The film is an exercise in atmosphere. The gritty world of Luigi is created in almost comic book style (which is appropriate, as the screenplay is based on a comic book). Strangley, it is also supported by the lead characters, Luigi (Udo Samel) is a cross between Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects and Gene Hackman in The French Connection -- even his look. He's an unlikeablely likeable character. His partner (police partner, not partner, partner...) Sam (Peter Lohmeyer) is much more likeable, but dumber too.
I didn't much like it as I watched it, but looking back (on last night) I smile at it. While the film is basically a novelty, the characters are funny (Babette, in particular) and there are at least three sequences that parody police drama much better than you might expect (a scientific breakdown of a dead condom is hilarious). There are great lines ("Don't use that one, it has a hole in it") and enough truly originally humorous scenes (Sam goes "undercover") to keep you interested.
Beware -- if the title offends, the film certainly will.
***
A.K.A: "Killer Condom"
This film is an atomospheric German film set in New York city where in a bi-sexual brothel hotel -- "The Quickie" -- men, of varying sexualities, have been having their...well...manhoods bitten off. At first the police believe that it is hookers doing the biting, soon it becomes apparent that it is fact....condoms.
It was on TV in the Cult Movie section of SBS, which makes a hell of a lot of sense. The main character is a homosexual inspector called Luigi. He falls for a young "rentboy" named Billy who works at the Quickie while being followed by a transvestite he had a one night stand with, Bob -- who prefers to be called Babette.
The climax of the film (no pun intended) takes everything you've just seen and tries to make sense of it -- and it does okay. Strangley it ties Killer Contraception to religion among other things.
The story is loose and weak. The film is an exercise in atmosphere. The gritty world of Luigi is created in almost comic book style (which is appropriate, as the screenplay is based on a comic book). Strangley, it is also supported by the lead characters, Luigi (Udo Samel) is a cross between Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects and Gene Hackman in The French Connection -- even his look. He's an unlikeablely likeable character. His partner (police partner, not partner, partner...) Sam (Peter Lohmeyer) is much more likeable, but dumber too.
I didn't much like it as I watched it, but looking back (on last night) I smile at it. While the film is basically a novelty, the characters are funny (Babette, in particular) and there are at least three sequences that parody police drama much better than you might expect (a scientific breakdown of a dead condom is hilarious). There are great lines ("Don't use that one, it has a hole in it") and enough truly originally humorous scenes (Sam goes "undercover") to keep you interested.
Beware -- if the title offends, the film certainly will.
***
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