Street Trash (1987)

Directed by J. Michael Muro. Starring Mike Lackey, Bill Chepil, Mark Sferrazza, Jane Arakawa, Vic Noto, Nicole Potter, Clarenze Jarmon, R. L. Ryan, Bernard Perlman, Bruce Torbet.

It’s trash, all right. Artistically-indefensible shock comedy reveals hobos turning into puddles of slop after drinking acidic booze, a psychotic Vietnam vet wreaking havoc on the filthy city streets, random fits of attempted rape and necrophilia, and an extempore game of “keep away” with a severed penis—all the things that make life worth living, baby. Production values and direction are slightly better than one would expect from this kind of knowing junk, but writer/producer Roy Frumkes isn’t interested in filtering his gonzo gross-out vision through a real story or a half-baked point; he’s just a carnival barker setting up rubes for the puerile whammy. Best viewed in bits and pieces since, at feature length, it’s bound to wear out or even numb most viewers who aren’t repulsed into quitting after about ten minutes…yet it may just prove to be slapdash, sleazy catnip for a small percentage. Better known as a camera operator for several big-budget motion pictures (Terminator 2, Dances with Wolves, Titanic, etc.), this is Muro’s lone feature film directing credit.

35/100