Fluentiama
Perfect cast and a good story
Zandra
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Staci Frederick
Blistering performances.
Mr_Ectoplasma
"The New York Ripper" follows a string of savage murders being committed in New York City by a three-fingered maniac who quacks like a duck while torturing his victims with a cavalcade of sharp objects.Lauded by many of Fulci's diehard fans, "The New York Ripper" is one of his most violent and sexual, and for that reason stands in a league of its own amongst his filmography. Regular viewers of his work know he is not entirely known for cohesive narratives or dialogue, but with "New York Ripper," he does quite literally take a stab at a more straightforward giallo. This is not to say the film is entirely cohesive, because it's not, but when held against something like "The Beyond" or "The House by the Cemetery," it's fairly straightforward save a few quirks.The film has the characteristic bad dubbing that virtually all of Fulci's films have, though it's not quite as distracting here. The performances are rather solid, particularly from Andrea Occhipinti and Almanta Suska, the latter of whom has a bewitching screen presence. The real draw here, unsurprisingly, is the gore, which has Fulci in full form; it's notably violent even by his standards, and the perverse sexuality that is part and parcel of many of the murder scenes adds a disturbing layer.The conclusion has a fun switchback twist that takes the viewer by surprise, but in the end, I wouldn't rank "The New York Ripper" anywhere near my favorite of Fulci's work. Though extreme and fairly well-plotted, it does lack the ethereal, paranormal ambiance that drew me into some of his other work. That said, it's certainly far better than "Manhattan Baby." 6/10.
Michael_Elliott
The New York Ripper (1982)*** (out of 4) A washed-up detective (Jack Hedley) teams up with a psychoanalyst (Paolo Malco) to try and catch a psycho who is running around New York City cutting up women. What makes this psycho different is that he talks with a duck's voice but after letting one victim escape, the police have a good idea who is doing the slashing.The giallo genre offered up quite a few bloody and graphic movies but Lucio Fulci's THE NEW YORK RIPPER is without question that most vile, disgusting, sexually perverted and notorious of them all. Whatever "shock value" the Italian director got out of films like ZOMBIE, CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD and THE BEYOND couldn't match what people would get with this film, which was obviously heavily censored throughout the world. If you're looking for an intelligent thriller then this here certainly isn't for you but if you just want something dirty and something that takes pleasure in its sleaze then you're not going to find anything better than this.Again, if you're wanting a story then just avoid this because logically the film makes very little sense and at times I wondered if they were even using any sort of script. The film really does seem like they were just shooting things as they went along and Fulci pieced everything together in the editing room. I'm not going to ruin the ending but most people still debate what actually happened and even after a half a dozen viewings I'm still confused. With that said, not too many people come to any Fulci film for the story but what also helps is the scope cinematography that perfectly captures the dirtiness of New York City. The porno theaters and sleazy bars just make for a wonderful setting and the music score is also just something you'd expect to hear in a porno movie from the era.What THE NEW YORK RIPPER is known for is its graphic violence. The gore level is certainly high here as the ripper lights to slash women from their vagina to their breasts and the gore comes flowing. The most notorious scene involves a razor and an eye, which will have most people turning away from the screen. Another plus is that the cast, for the most part, is entertaining and makes up for the lack of a real story. THE NEW YORK RIPPER isn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination and there are countless flaws but there's still no question that it deserves credit for being willing to be as trashy as it is.
m_n_tomlinson
Anyone expecting some low grade, squalid video nasty is going to be sorely disappointed. This is one of those films that's much better than its reputation suggests. What we actually have here is a highly intelligent and articulated thriller! Sure there is some of the Fulci trademark gore, but in this case it's better handled, more taut, and less excessive! The film also utilizes some great location shots in and around New York, and the camera-work and editing is top notch! I found the film to be outstanding in it's competence, and wish there were more out there like this. This is a work of an experienced director and crew and not amateurs. I fear it may have been banned, cut and trashed mainly due to it's association with the director's name, and the highly evocative and chilling, but iconic title of the film! Finally I found what could have turned out to be silly.. the maniacal quacking of the Ripper to be inspired and genius. This alone raises the movie 'beyond' the realms of your standard murder, mystery and suspense fare!
gridoon2018
"The sickest movie ever made!", proudly proclaims one of the many different DVD covers for the "New York Ripper"; I wouldn't go that far, but it's certainly one of the sleaziest and most misogynistic. If that's what you're after, you probably won't be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a good mystery, you probably will be: there are only two real suspects for the killings, and one of them is soooo obvious that you know it has to be the other (despite one last-minute dishonest red herring thrown in by Fulci - I'm talking about the last phone call). And then there are a couple of Hall Of Shame lines, like "we know from his blood sample that he's lived all his life in New York"!!! The on-location New York shooting and Francesco De Masi's score give the film a flavor of authenticity, but otherwise Fulci's directorial style is mostly point-and-shoot (or is that point-and-slash?) this time around. As for the cast, only Jack Hedley provides a center of sanity here, though Almanta Suska is not bad considering this was her first screen role. I will give "New York Ripper" ** out of 4 because it's certainly memorable in parts, but from an artistic point-of-view it has little value.
