Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 

Thriller: A Cruel Picture [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Christina Lindberg , Heinz Hopf , Bo Arne Vibenius    DVD
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


Region 1 encoding (requires a North American or multi-region DVD player and NTSC compatible TV. More about DVD formats.)

Note: you may purchase only one copy of this product. New Region 1 DVDs are dispatched from the USA or Canada and you may be required to pay import duties and taxes on them (click here for details). Please expect a delivery time of 5-7 days.


Learn about LOVEFiLM
Amazon’s film and TV subscription service with unlimited access to thousands of titles to watch instantly, many in HD at no extra cost. Go to LOVEFiLM for title availability. Enjoy a 30-day free trial and watch across many devices including the Kindle Fire. Learn more at LOVEFiLM.com

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Product details

  • Actors: Christina Lindberg, Heinz Hopf, Despina Tomazani, Per-Axel Arosenius, Solveig Andersson
  • Directors: Bo Arne Vibenius
  • Writers: Bo Arne Vibenius
  • Producers: Bo Arne Vibenius
  • Format: Colour, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Limited Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Language: Swedish
  • Subtitles: English
  • Dubbed: English
  • Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.78:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: Unrated (US MPAA rating. See details.)
  • Studio: Synapse Films
  • DVD Release Date: 28 Sep 2004
  • Run Time: 104 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0002VEUIK
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 58,503 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good! 14 July 2007
Format:DVD
Very interesting film, which in its tone and camerawork reminds me a lot of 'I Spit on Your Grave' - it has that same edgy, subjective, almost documentary-style look to it which really adds to the overall effect (and a similar lack of soundtrack, which make some of the action sequences almost surreal). I call this a mix of Sam Peckinpah and Ingmar Bergman - it has a very bleak, sombre mood and very minimal dialogue. No big cityscapes, no exotic deserts here - instead we're taken on a tour of low-key Swedish housing estates, barren countryside that looks a lot like the North of Scotland. The terriffic harbour scene with Madeleine getting shot up by an unseen assailant is almost pure Sergio Leone, and is the coolest sequence in the film. (The only scene cooler is one that doesn't appear in this cut - the 'alternate' version of the warehouse shootout has her shedding her long coat and launching into some spectacular slow-mo kung-fu kicks - pretty damn good for Sweden, 1974!)

The only scene which doesn't work for me at all is the most notorious one. The shot of the wide open eye is far, far too long to be credible (even brutalised people on heroin don't stare unblinkingly up at a scalpel that's about to be plunged through their eyeball) - it should have been a lot shorter, but the shock value is definitely there. I couldn't watch it first time around. The XXX scenes are pretty disposable too, but at least by objectifying the body parts they make the whole business look as mechanical and sordid as it is, and enhance the downbeat tone.

Only real fault I can find is that some of the scenes could have been trimmed, tightened up at the editing stage. Too much time spent lingering on people doing not very much. Lots of random driving around towards the end, which feels a bit flabby (and lots of cars which decide to blow up for no reason) - 'French Connection' it ain't, but all in all I would really recommend this to any fan of dark revenge/exploitation movies.

I only ever watch foreign movies with the subtitles on, so I can't comment on the dubbing, but the extras are very good. Lots of great stills, some superb shots of Madeleine looking very stylish with her shotgun. And the animated menus are a hoot!

And yes, this inspired 'Kill Bill'. I walked out of that after 20 minutes, but I know I will watch this little classic again. Get it while you can 'cos this version's limited to 25,000.
Was this review helpful to you?
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars a gritty tale of abuse and revenge 6 Sep 2009
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
A brilliant tale of sadness and revenge this movie is a must see for cult horror fans. A girl was raped as a child turning her mute, now a young adult she is offered a lift from a seemingly kind gentleman which then turns into dinner and eventually back to his place where she is drugged. Waking up many days later she finds he has been pumping her full of heroine which her body now relies on and she must service various clients to get her daily fix, at first she refuses but after she gets an eye gouging punishment she decides to co-operate, she doesn't give up though and is secretly preparing for an all out war on the people who are responsible. This is not a hollywood revenge film, no huge explosions or smug one-liners (keep in mind the main character is mute) just a beautiful yet controversial tale that builds the depressing atmosphere until it drives you nuts then gives you the vengeful outburst you so deserately want by then, this one will stick with you a while. Synapse Films released this in the US in two versions, the cut version uses the title "Thriller: They Call Her One Eye" and the uncut version which says limited edition on the box and goes by the title "Thriller: A Cruel Picture".
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Cruel Picture but A Damn Good One 9 Aug 2010
By Mark G.
Format:DVD
The movie opens with a shot of an empty road. No sound can be heard as the credits appear on screen, until, in the distance a police car approaches and its sirens can be heard getting louder as it draws closer.

The police arrest an old man who has just raped a young girl. Due to this traumatic event the girl, Madeleine, becomes mute.

15 years after that horrific event, Madeleine works on her parents farm and despite the trauma of her youth, life appears to be passing peacefully for her. One day as Madeleine is going into town she misses her bus and ends up accepting a lift from a passing stranger.
Unfortunately for Madeleine her life is about to be ripped apart again.
The stranger, Tony, drugs Madeleine and while she is unconscious he begins injecting her with heroin.

Keeping her as his prisoner and increasing her dependancy on heroin, tony turns Madeleine to a life of prostitution. Initially, Madeleine tries to resist but after she injures a client Tony puts out one of her eyes as punishment.
Seemingly trapped in a life of drugs and prostitution, Madeleine is in fact secretly planning retribution. She saves the extra money she gets from her clients and on the one day a week she is allowed out, she pays for lessons in martial arts, aggressive driving and shooting.

Finally, with her new talents mastered and with nothing to lose Madeleine heads out to find her clients and Tony and make these degenerates pay for what they have done to her.

This is a damn fine piece of exploitation cinema. Well shot, with a fantastic lack of soundtrack and dialogue that mirrors Madeleines own inability to speak. In fact, the only real fault that you can pick with this is the cars that crash into each other and then explode for no reason. Hell, what looks like a mini explodes simply from going off the road, although thinking about it, perhaps that is realistic after all.

The movie has stirred up some controversy over the years due to the inclusion of a few xxx scenes, although these each only last for a few seconds and just highlight the horror of what is happening to Madeleine. And of course there is the famous 'eyeball scene' in which it is widely believed that the effect was achieved by filming a close up of a dead girl in a morgue and then stabbing her cadaver in the eye.

If you are a fan of exploitation movies and cult cinema then this one deserves to be in your collection.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Problematic but interesting.
Thriller - A cruel picture is a rare breed being a Swedish exploitation film that plays to the grindhouse audiences but falls short of being a true classic. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. Russell C. Witheyman
5.0 out of 5 stars yellow version.
I brought the cut version, watched it and decided not to purchase the uncut version.Simply put, I didn't want to see Christina Lindberg(one eye)put through anymore torment. Read more
Published 14 months ago by P. Luckcuck
5.0 out of 5 stars Awsome...
Let me start by saying that Miss Lindberg is so fine..so fine.
The movie its self is awsome i loved every bone crunching minute of it. Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2010 by Lee Jones
4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Exploitation flick!!!
Cool revenge film directed Bo Vibenius

Girl is spiked/hooked on drugs abused and forced to do seedy work to maintain habit ... Read more
Published on 3 Oct 2010 by jman jr
4.0 out of 5 stars worth it for Christina Lindberg
Its an ok 70's revenge flick. Theres 2 versions out there One i'm told has a small bit of hard core porn in. This one doesn't. Read more
Published on 2 Dec 2008 by AlanK47
1.0 out of 5 stars Tasteless
Whilst certain aspects of the film may be interesting, I wouldn't recommend this film to anybody, as the director used the dead body of a girl that recently committed suicide (yes... Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2008 by Europa's Lost Son
2.0 out of 5 stars They Call It Too Long... Aye
Sorry, folks but it didn't work for me at all. It seems any film title that Mr Quentin loves has to be snapped up by legions of hungry fans. Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2007 by Mr. M. J. Dunn
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting little film
For such an obscurity, this is actually turned out to be a decent little movie. Worth watching for more than just the XXX scenes (of which there are plenty!!). Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2006 by Steven Pawinski
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback