Grit and Split: Slice (2009)

Slice (Cheun) (Thailand, 2009)

Rating: ****

Starring: Arak Amornsupasiri, Sonthaya Chitmanee, Jessica Pasaphan

Raw, intense and exploitative. Everything I can ask for from an Asian slasher murder mystery.

The scene begins with a convict being interviewed by the prison psychologist concerning his recurring dreams about a red suit case that's big enough to stuff a body inside. This is interjected back and forth by what appears to be a figure in a red rain slicker prowling an American man staying at a hotel where we see him creepily feeding a naked Thai boy on a leash. We can pretty much tell what kind of scum this fella is and the figure in red knows this as well, thus the next thing we see is the man getting knifed to death, his body dismembered and stuffed in a single red suitcase which is later found near a beach.

This, as it seems, is an ongoing case of serial killings happening around the city as men in high position and power are getting targeted and murdered, soon to be later found in pieces and stuffed inside red suit cases, as well as revealed to be sexual deviants. Things get awry when the killer strikes once more, this time crashing an orgy held by the city's prime minister's son and, in a rather spectacular display of sleaze and chaos, goes on a shooting spree on all of the fornicators before taking the prime minister's son and butchering him elsewhere, his lingerie-clad body later seen castrated and draped over a billboard.

Outraged by both the death of his son and the scandal the massacre has caused, not to mention the lack of development from this entire investigation, the politician gives the city police an ultimatum to solve it in 15 days. Feeling the pressure of all of this, chief of police Papa Chin (Chatchai Plenpanich) has no choice but to turn to a man he's really hoping not to bother with, a former cop-turned-prison "cleaner" named Tai (Arak Amornsupasiri), who also happens to be the convict who's having the red suitcase dreams. It seems Chin and Tai has some history together and a lot of dirt between them, though Tai is mostly willing to help out as he suspects the killer might be Nut, a childhood friend back from his home town who he hadn't thought of for a very long while now.

This is when Slice (2009) delves into lengthy flashbacks ala Slumdog Millionaire (2008) (only horrifically more troubling to watch) and for a good dose of the movie, we get to see what went down with Tai and Nut; with a drunkard for a father and a prostitute for a mother, Nut lived a hellish childhood life of constant abuse and bullying from a gang of boys targeting him for his effeminate personality and his constant seizures attacks. Young Tai, taking pity, decided to befriend the lonesome child and, for most parts, it's a rather happy friendship until the bullies caught wind of the two hanging out and they decided to up the ante of their harassments, practically going criminal as one scene have them raping Nut with a toy boat. The horror of it all worsens when Nut starts getting assaulted by his teachers and even his own father, but Tai eventually comes in to try rescue his friend from all of this, but an incident involving Nut's father getting stabbed to death forces the two boys to leg it to the city and attempt a sense of normalcy working cheap labor as they go in hiding.

However, even in this new living arrangement, Nut couldn't escape his horrible fate as, no soon after, a group of sex traffickers have taken an interest on the boys. Tai continues to try fending them all off, but the exhaustion of looking after Nut eventually gets the better of the boy and when given the opportunity to pawn off Nut to save his own skin, Tai guiltily agrees to the deal... 

Cutting back to present day and Tai is piecing together everything that happened to Nut after he was taken. This leads to a familiar yet still shocking revelation that spells more victims to the slaughter and genuine heartbreaks for everyone who matters.

Structure-wise, Slice (2009) has less in common with the typical kill-in-every-fifteen minutes slasher flair and more with investigative serial killer thrillers like The Silence of The Lambs (1991) and SE7EN (1995), as well as coming-of-age dramas like Stand By Me (1985) albeit uncomfortably darker. The murder horror elements were practically used here to jumpstart the plot and the film did this spectacularly by treating us with a giallo-inspired Grand Guignol of knife violence and shoot-out massacres perpetrated by a figure in striking red, stylized with chaotic video effects, unnatural lighting, colored tinting and eerie camera work. The direction eventually makes its way to the real meat of the story, the childhood life of our lead, wherein the movie dives into a depth that deals greatly with betrayals, heartbreak and the unrelenting nature of abject cruelty and hate in which anybody regardless of age, gender and status can fall into should the fates decide it to be. It can get pretty heavy, especially when it sickeningly juxtaposes small idyllic town life of simple games and school days with horrifying scenes and implications of severe bullying and sexual abuse, but it is briskly paced so it doesn't drag itself down with the weight of the drama and instills a sense of urgency in its mystery.

The final twist in the movie more or less sets everything back to slasher horror grounds as the killer gets revealed and starts one last murder spree, leading to a couple of gruesomely splashy deaths and a few deserving victims getting what's coming to them. The reveal here is nothing new, though its execution is where it made its worth as after the bloodsoaked rampage, it found a way to slow down and have a truly melancholic moment between our protagonist and the killer before ultimately topping it off with an ending where no one really wins. It's simplistic and well-acted, allowing the tragedy of the situation to sink in and feel its weight without any exploitative distractions cluttering it. 

If there are any flaws I can scratch out of this movie, it would be that the slasher scenes often bring out the cheesier side of Slice (2009) as the idea of a killer in a red cloak gets rather silly when this fella can easily stroll down building units, busy streets and private orgies without anyone ever batting an eye on the suspicious sight. It's baffling and sets a few of the the murder set-pieces a tad too convenient, though it does little to none to dent the overall spectacle of the movie's more visceral elements.

Browbeaten and devastating, yet bearing a sense of heart in the midst of its grime and barbarism, the film is a true work of exploitation cinema that doesn’t hold back with its taboo subjects and exploitative carnage to give us one heck of a ride. If you think you have the stomach for an upsettingly bogging yet intriguing murder mystery, then dare to see it! 

Bodycount:

1 male stabbed to death with a knife, later found dismembered

1 male had his throat cut with a disposable razor

1 male castrated with a knife, later found dismembered

1 male shot on the head

1 male shot on the back

1 male shot

1 male shot on the head

1 female shot

1 male shot with a shotgun

1 females shot with a shotgun

1 victim had their leg shot with a shotgun, killed

1 male shot with a shotgun

1 female had her arm shot off with a shotgun, killed

1 male had his head blown off with a shotgun

1 male found castrated, body hung over a billboard

3 males shot dead (flashback)

1 male shot (flashback)

1 male stabbed to death with a knife (flashback)

1 elderly female dies of old age offcamera

1 male had his throat cut with a razor

1 male stabbed to death with a razor

1 male had his neck cut with a razor, castrated

1 male repeatedly shot, stabbed to death with a razor

1 female shot on the head

Total: 26