FILM INFO: A put upon, knife wielding vigilante, Hectic Knife protects the city from scum, baddies and a new super villain bent on world domination, Piggly Doctor.
I would like to preface my thoughts on "Hectic Knife" by saying I'm not a fan of the genre. I've never been a champion of the independent, no budget film that tries to "look" like the worst independent no budget film it possibly can look like. The cheese-ball acting and dialog, bad grainy image and ridiculousness, defended by saying it was intentional, has always just felt like a cop-out to me. There is "no budget" filmmaking... and then there is this. I truly felt that another reviewer, such as James or Billy, would be better suited for this flick. They love this stuff! It just wasn't happening, and I was stuck doing it. So reader, I knew the situation I was getting into, but I never knew how drastic this would be. I was not looking forward to my time here. Not at all. However, this is what I said I'd do and shit reader, I was going to do it. I hit that magical "play" icon and began my journey into the mind of Greg DeLiso via his film... "Hectic Knife." Let's start by saying that the first few minutes didn't disappoint, as the saying goes. I was treated to a black and white grainy image, framed lovingly in the old school 4:3 ratio on my 62inch 6:9 television. It was not a pretty sight and I remember groaning out loud. Within the first few minutes I realized that most of what I had seen and heard was intentional; the corn-ball acting and cheesy dialog were coming through loud and clear. I buckled in, this was going to be a long ride. You see, "Hectic Knife" is a tribute of sorts to classic film. Classic indie film! Full of cheese, full of what I can only call "cheap-ness" and stuffed to the brim with poor everything. The thing was, Greg DeLiso and his band of merry men, and woman, weren't just trying to emulate the garbage from the past... they were intentionally making it worse. On purpose! I mean... I had to laugh to stop myself from crying because I was still at the start of the film! Then however, something strange happened. I found myself chuckling here and there not to stop myself from crying... but because I actually felt like laughing. I also found myself remembering other films, from that era, where I asked the same questions that "Hectic Knife" was making fun of. Then, to make matters worse, I found myself waiting for the films characters to begin talking to me again, or explaining certain aspects of the current scene. I have to say that I laughed out loud when I was treated to an onscreen narration... complete with the actors seemingly "real name" saying that he, the actor, was narrating the scene. At some point during the film I found myself forgetting about how cheap it looked and actually enjoying myself. I mean, in theory, what's not to like about a super hero named "Hectic Knife", trying his best to thwart a baddie named... "Piggly Doctor" complete with all the crazy supporting cast members you could ever ask for? I still can't say I like the style, but I also can't deny that I was having a good time. That my friends was the truth and that's what film is all about. With all that said, this movie is still not for everyone. It could be; loads of mainstream viewers could easily enjoy this film. The fact is reader, most won't give it the chance. They'll tune in for a minute or three, and tune straight back out. That's the sad part, simply because there's so much entertainment here and the average Joe won't give it a chance. My personal opinion you ask? I think the film should have remained a color feature. Watching the clips at the end of the movie cemented that point for me. Even a 60s or 70s color grade would have been perfect. The jokes would still have shon through, as would the purposfully corny acting and dialog. More to the point, there were elements of "Hectic Knife" by way of effects, that were done better than many other indie films I've seen recently. Films that tried to look good and simply failed! Then, these elements were washed and dumbed down to fit this particular movie. As I said, having a full color version would simply have kept the average viewer watching longer, giving them the change to get hooked like I did. So I clearly enjoyed watching this film. Maybe not my top five, but clearly entertaining. If this low-brow indie flick managed to keep my attention, and entertain me for almost an hour and a half, I wonder how a true fan of the genre would react? A lot of good gags, for anyone willing to take a chance. -Jullian