Dr. Lamb
(1992)
review by Don't Feed the Dead

Dr. Lamb may just happen to be the second best horror to come from the Hong Kong film market, second of course to the Untold Story. Danny Lee and Billy Tang's collaborative effort pretty much set the standard for gore and shock (in HK cinema) with this "based on a true story" offering detailing the brutal murders of "bad women" by a deranged taxi driver.

 

Lam Gor-Yu (Yam) grew up in a very hostile family environment where he was consistantly abused by his stepmother and siblings. Often saved by his father's reluctance to punish him for being perverse, Lam grew up with the reinforced idea that peepeing on his family and incest were natural and accepted. In his latter adolescent years, Lam became obsessed with pornographic imagery and would often take photographs of existing pictures in porno magazines (?). When a batch of "extremely perverse" photgraphs show up at a Kodak lab, the CID (headed by Inspector Lee and featuring Kent Cheng in another "Fatty" role) is called in to nab the culprit that shot the obscene materials.

 

Setting up a sting operation, the police arrest Lam when he goes to pick up the photographs from the lab, citing an extensive amount of disturbing imagery as their reasoning for apprehension. Lam does not resist, but persistantly cries that they are not his photographs. The police bring Lam back to his domicile where they search the home and detain all of his family for questioning. After discovering a cupboard filled with more disturbing pornographic imagery, the police raise even more suspicion that Lam is indeed the photographer, and a man responsible for the disappearances of the women in a certain batch of photos.

 

At the police station, the family is subjected to various forms of physical abuse set forth by the CID to extract information. Lam suffers the brunt of all the harsh inquisition, taking lashings to his feet and having his chest pounded with a mallet. Although a bit far fetched, these tactics were actually used to extract information from criminals! Finally, after a series of photos depicting Lam's sexual abuse of his niece (and they show EVERYTHING!!!) is discovered, his family confronts him in the interrogation room where Lam eventually admits to taking the photos and killing the missing women. From there on, we get to hear the full story of Dr. Lamb and how he gained his nefarious title.

 

Dr. Lamb is an extreme film that features some highly controversial subject material. Of course, police brutality is a hot subject here in the states, as well as incest. However, no American film that I have seen has been able to successfully convey the mental sickness behind the incest issue as well as Dr. Lamb did. Although featured mainly as a gore/slasher flick, Simon Yam's performance as the increasingly deranged Lam is a remarkable effort that flawlessy depicts the onset of psychosis stemming from childhood abuse. Believeably normal throughout the first half of the film, Lam steadily grows more unstable and violent in a way that leaves the viewer in awe of such progression.

 

As the Meters above show, this title is a full on assault of gore and skin, two elements that are showcased in the film only after the substantial plot has been established. Amazingly, the superfluous use of these two attributes do not detract from the title's credibility, rather, add to growing sense of instability in the main character and overall "sickness" of the film. In summation, directors Lee and Tang have crafted a masterpiece that progressed in a similar fashion to the psychosis of the main character.

 

The one detriment to the disc is that since it's a small market Hong Kong release, there are no substantial extras to brag about. A bit disappointing, but expected from Hong Kong cinema. Don't let the lack of extras deter you from obtaining this film! The price ($10.99 at http://www.pokerindustries.com/) is well worth it and comes highly recommended for any asian film fan's collection! Put Dr. Lamb up there with the Untold Story for King (of Hong) Kong, this movie is an absolute winner!