_Mighty_Peking_Man_ no stars; **** for camp value (out of ****)
On many occasion, Quentin Tarantino has gone on record to say that he loves _Showgirls_ (in a serious way), so it comes as no shock that the latest rescue effort by his Rolling Thunder revival label would be a landmark in grade-A cinematic cheese. This 1977 Hong Kong knockoff of _King_Kong_ stars Danny Lee (who would go on to co-star in John Woo's 1989 masterwork _The_Killer_) and blonde Swiss bombshell Evelyne Kraft--or, rather, Kraft's left nipple, which plays peek-a-boo from behind her barely-there animal hide top. For all the ample physical gifts with which she was blessed (which are heavily displayed throughout the film for maximum ogling value), Kraft might as well just have been that single nipple, for she displays just about as much acting range as one. Take the scene where she thrashes about after getting bitten by a snake; it's hard to tell if she's in excruciating pain or in the throes of orgasmic ecstasy.
But, of course, acting ability is of little importance in a brainless no-brainer such as this, in which a gentle oversize gorilla (make that "guy in a gorilla suit") who raised an orphaned lass (Kraft's monosyllabic Samantha) in the Himalayan wild goes on a destructive rampage when brought to the urban jungle of Hong Kong. But before the big third act smash-o-rama, director treats the audience to some of the most unintentionally hilarious footage ever committed to film. The biggest whopper is a doozy of a love montage (involving jungle cats being spun around in amorous delight) that is made even more of a howler by its overwhelming earnestness. When the gears are shifted to the city and the demolition skills of the big ape, the laugh percentage takes a dive, but the cheese quotient skyrockets, in the form of some awfully unconvincing miniature and rear-projection effects. Though Tarantino may argue otherwise, _Mighty_Peking_Man_ is one terrible movie, but rarely are bad movies quite this giddily laughable--making it ideal midnight movie fodder. (opens April 23 in exclusive midnight movie engagements)
Michael Dequina
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