Don't Mess With My Sister

'Don't Mess With My Sister' is one of those movies that I've heard of many times over the years but never have got round to actually checking it out. Well until now the only versions on DVD available has been the release from Elite in the USA (from which this seems comparable to), but now Screen Entertainment in the UK have got hold of this very much underground film and would you believe done the business with cleaning it up and giving it a decent treatment! But first the movie itself...

First things first, although 'Don't Mess With My Sister' is written and directed by Meir Zarchi (the creator of the infamous 'I Spit On Your Grave') this is not by any means a horror film. In reality it's a very gratifying and gripping exploitation movie. Set in 70's New York, the film centres on junkyard bookkeeper Steve as he struggles to work his way through school to become a fully-fledged accountant. A dream that's only days away but his employers at the junkyard are also his brothers in law, a couple of simple guys that graft for a living and are very protective of 'the family'. Poor Steve (pushed by his own mother) is keen to become a partner in his extended families junk business while his wife is just keen to keep the family happy and is hoping that Steve will help her add to their numbers with another child. Of course some of you will be thinking why the heck are we even looking at this film here but being an old school exploitation movie there's a lot more here than meets the eye...

The films running time encaptures two days in the life of Steve and his plain living protective family - as a birthday treat for him they arrange for a party where the big surprise will be a performance by a hired belly dancer, but Steve recognises the dancer from school and (encouraged by his school chum) doggedly pursues her for a night of passion. Surely nothing can go wrong with a simple one-night stand? Well everything that could go wrong does and Steve ends up in a plummeting cycle of violence that perhaps will change his life forever?

'Don't Mess With My Sister' is one of the most pleasing vintage exploitation viewings that I've indulged in for quite some time. Of course, going by my own (or anyone else's) description of the films plot will have you wondering what the appeal here really is, but to omit giving this one a viewing would be a loss to fans of the exploitation genre. Perhaps understandably, fans of the aforementioned 'Spit on Your Grave' will be disappointed if they have a formed level of expectation but if they can come into this one blind then they should get a lot of pleasure from viewing this wee gem.

The film has a great exploitative ambience capturing the period perfectly. The sense of violent over protectiveness for 'the family', the drawl of the urban city hick combined with a simple but highly effective script and some first rate acting make this a genuinely enjoyable thriller. Joe Perce is great in the role of Steve, coming across like he's just strayed right off the set of 'Saturday Night Fever' only to be dazzled by the seemingly sophisticated charms of the worldly belly dancer beau. The rest of the cast have that 'believable' feel about them, like you're peering into the real lives of a real 70's New York family but it has to be Zarchi's script and pacing of direction that give this film its rounded edge. The film moves along nicely at an even pace, one moment will have you chuckling warmly at say the party antics only for you minutes later to be groaning with dread as our hapless lead starts to step into a spiral of inevitable violence and regret. And yes there is indeed violence (before someone asks) but it's purely of type that you would expect from the period, brutal pummelling fist street violence and one scene in particular will stand out for most. And there's a great finale scene that's straight out of the NY exploitation movie handbook!

Now how about this films debut onto the DVD scene in the UK? Well, Screen Entertainment have done the business with this one. Firstly the main feature itself has been cleaned up and looks fantastic considering both its age and obscurity, the anarmorphic widescreen image is clean, colourful and strong with virtually no blemishes whatsoever and clear 2.0 audio that's faultless throughout - a commendable presentation indeed! Most surprisingly though are a selection of extended/deleted scenes included in the extras section of the DVD, these scenes are all pretty much longer variations of what the final cut included and are actually very interesting in that they give some of the key scenes a bit more perspective. Also included on the extras is an old trailer for the movie itself, which while being a fun addition (in the exploitation movie sense) the quality is lacking in comparison to the main feature, but still welcome nonetheless). There's also a short animated stills gallery which is an all too brief selection of video covers for the films release from across the globe under its many titles - UK readers will recognise this film from the title 'Family and Honour' from Avatar video way back). Finally we get a gallery page of other Screen Entertainment releases where you'll find trailers for both 'Spit On Your Grave' and the more recent 'Demonium' which highlights the vast improvement that Screen have had over their releases since their launch.

I have to admit (and I'll no doubt get shot down for saying this as this movie is generally loathed by critics), I loved 'Don't Mess With My Sister' but then I've always enjoyed old exploitation movies like this since the hey day of 1980's video boom. This release from Screen Entertainment is an impressive package that should happily sate fans of the movie. Fancy a change from the horror grind, then go check this one out!

Review by Alan Simpson