‘The Cut-Throats’ Review (Vinegar Syndrome)
THE CUT-THROATS
(1969, dir: John Hayes)
“…A Blood Bath! Filled With Men and Women Obsessed With Death…”
We are thrown straight in to Nazi Germany (well, looks more like the American desert than the lush forests of Germany, but I won’t be THAT guy!) at the close of the war. After we witness one of those pesky Krauts taking an advantage of a rather attractive blonde haired citizen, played by an uncredited Sandy Carey (Deep Jaws), we are introduced to our heroes, an elite squad of American soldiers dubbed “The Cut-Throats”. They have been hand picked and are lead by the strict and rough Captain Franklin, played by E.J. Walsh (in his only role unfortunately). His mission for the group is to infiltrate a nearby Nazi occupied resort to steal plans as well as leaving no Nazi soldier left alive (who needs the Geneva Convention!?). However, he has much more seedier and greedier intentions. You see, the outpost houses a cache of Nazi jewels! After a bloody infiltration, it seems that jewels aren’t the only swag up for grabs. Yep, you guessed it. This place is full to the brim with young and attractive nubile (say what you will about the Nazis, but they sure knew how to party!). The girls demonstrate classic German hospitality by making their new guests feel welcome, amongst other things. A whole lot of kinky shenanigans ensue. It’s all fun and games until it turns out that the girls are nearly as ruthless as the Nazi soldier they once serviced. Will the squad survive the chesty onslaught? Will the intentions of the captain be revealed? You’ll have to round up your own elite squad and find out for yourself, or at least go and watch it for yourself.
All in all, The Cut-Throats is an enjoyable entry in to the Nazisploitation sub-genre and actually predates the boom of the genre of the 1970’s. It would be unfair to compare it most other films, but this is a solid enough entry. Instead of non-stop sadism, we have a much more light hearted approach. This is typical cheeky sexploitation with a Nazi twist. If you are looking for the sleaze, you will get a kick from this one. The female cast (from a purely pig-headed and patriarchal view) is spot on and we have the likes of Russ Meyer regular Uschi Digard (Supervixens), Tracy Handfuss (Prison Girls) and Inga Maria (Blue Money) flaunting their flesh. That being said, being a sexploitation flick, the actual sleaze is rather soft, but works perfectly for the tone of the film. There’s also a little bit of action for those looking for it, but not too much. The story is well written and handled by John Hayes (Jailbait Babysitter). There are a couple of moments that drag, but your attention is never lost for too long. This is just a fun little film, that would do good as a first film in a double feature with the likes of SS Girls and Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS. Some may be put off by the cheapness of the production, especially the setting, but it adds charm to the right audience.
Vinegar Syndrome have done a lovely job with the transfer. The Cut-Throats looks great in 2K and is presented in the original 1.85:1 format. Considering this is the first time the film has been released on DVD, the occasional print damage is hardly noticeable. In terms of sound, I struggled to find anything noticeably wrong. In terms of special features, there is a trailer as well as a still gallery. It’s a rather nice package for a somewhat obscure film. Not only that, but the film is limited to 1,500 so if you want to pick it up, you have to be quick! Is it worth owning? I would say so. It’s not the best film of its type, but it was great to witness early nazisploitation and hey, how can you not be interested in checking out a film of this kind that has never been released before? Oh, did I mention Uschi Digard makes an appearance!?
The Cut-Throats is available from Vinegar Syndrome.
