Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1989)

Directed by J. Lee Thompson. Starring Charles Bronson, James Pax, Juan Fernández, Perry Lopez, Sy Richardson, Gerald Castillo, Amy Hathaway, Peggy Lipton, Bill McKinney, Nicole Eggert, Marion Kodama Yue. [R]

Astoundingly sleazy and tasteless crime thriller pits stern, racist LAPD detective Bronson against a grotesque pimp (Fernández) who preys on underage girls, including the daughter of a transferred Japanese businessman (Pax) who, as it happens, already groped Bronson’s daughter (Hathaway) on a bus. Slick and formulaic handling of repellent subject matter, designed for titillation followed by brutal comeuppance; any sordid satisfaction one may get from watching scumbags get it in the end is spoiled by the seedy, corrupt nature of the “hero,” who assaults criminals with sex toys and forces jeweled watches down their throats. Last of nine collaborations between Bronson and director Thompson. Danny Trejo can be briefly seen as an inmate. Not for nothing, “kinjite” translates to “forbidden,” making this movie’s title: Forbidden: Forbidden Subjects (Manos: The Hands of Fate oughta feel ripped off).

11/100