The R4pist (1994) | Region-Free (DVD)

Title: The R4pist (1994)

Alternate Titles: Tun Men se mo, 香港奇案之屯門色魔, Portrait of a Serial Rapist

Genre: Crime, Horror

Plot Synopsis:
In the early 1990s, the Hong Kong suburb of Tuen Mun is terrorized by a serial r4pist who escalates to murder. The film follows the police investigation as they race against time to apprehend the perpetrator, delving into the psychological and societal impacts of the crimes. Based on the true story of Lam Kwok-wai.

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Cha Chuen-Yee
• Writer: Jason Lam Kee-To
• Cast:
  • Dickson Lee Kar-Sing as The Rapist
  • Power Chan Kwok-Pong as Inspector Lau Man-Ching
  • Farini Cheung Yui-Ling as Ivy
  • Chin Gwan as Mrs. Chan
  • Hui Sze-Man as 2nd Victim

IMDb Link:
The Rapist (1994)

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. Cliff – ★☆☆☆☆
   “Even just pressing play on an exploitation film called The R4pist is enough to make you feel grubby. Yet in a sense, the most sordid thing about this Cat III true-crime thriller are some regressive, outdated beliefs and attitudes about r4pe. For example, the police are surprised to find that the serial attacker they’re trying to catch has r4ped both an old lady (‘He’s a beast!’), and a woman who was ‘dressed decently’. There’s also a bit of victim blaming with regards to women being out alone at night. And at one point the lead detective announces to his officers that he himself was once r4ped, and this is greeted with what sounds like a mocking cheer; I think that…”
2. nosferatu47 – ★★☆☆☆
   “This was a police procedural following a detective on the path of a notorious r4pist who is attacking random mini skirt wearing women walking on dark city streets. It kind of feels like a dark and rainy movie from the 1980s that would star someone like Michael Douglas. The score features lots of clanging pipes being hit against each other, which creates a mild Miami Vice-like atmosphere. But then there are graphic r4pe scenes interspersed within all of the investigating. They go on and on, and give everything this icky feeling of a r4pey pinku-type film. Like a split personality aura–detective story and lurid r4pe movie merged into one. Kind of weird. But then the title does fit…”
3. PenguinBoss – ★★★½☆
   “Basically a police procedural slasher but instead of slashings you get…well you know. Sways between being very unsettling and unintentionally hilarious with lots of badly subtitled non PC talk about r4pe trauma. Really great Cat III atmosphere with the lighting and score. If this just had a better cast and delved into the r4pist’s character a little more, I think this would be a classic along the lines of Red To Kill and Daughter of Darkness.”

Meta Description:
“The Rapist” (1994), directed by Cha Chuen-Yee, is a Hong Kong crime horror film based on the true story of Lam Kwok-wai, depicting the police’s pursuit of a serial rapist-turned-murderer in Tuen Mun during the early 1990s.