Entry 97: Axe (AKA Lisa, Lisa-1974)

Axe (AKA Lisa, Lisa-1974)

Dir: Frederick R. Friedel

"Stay away from Lisa!"


 
This oddball movie opens with three suited, tough-talking, Norman Mailerish hoods torturing a dude to death.  They put out a lit cigar in his mouth and pistol-whip him 'til he expires, then make his partner jump out a 12-story window.  Fleeing the cops, they head out into the picturesque countryside, They stop at a country store and, just to be dicks, lead toughs Steele (Jack Canon, Maximum Overdrive, Weekend at Bernie's) and Lomax (radio personality Ray Green, who once interviewed Elvis!) shoot the place up and, after humiliating the female clerk and making her undress at gunpoint, pour ketchup and cola all over her while she sobs.  Meanwhile, on an isolated farm, teenage Lisa cares for her mute, wheelchair-bound grandfather and (graphically) slaughters chickens in order to put food on the table.  Predictably, the hoods end up stumbling upon the farm and decide it to be the ideal place at which to lay low until the heat eases off their double murder.  Not warned away by the bloody, headless chicken they immediately spy upon entering, they hold grandpa at gunpoint and force Lisa to cook for them.  While Lisa contemplates suicide, sensitive third hood Billy (director Friedel) apologizes to her and tries to get his buddies to vacate the premises.  When Lomax attempts to rape Lisa, she murders him with a straight razor, then hacks his corpse to pieces in the bathroom.  When Billy discovers the body, Lisa tells him that Steel committed the murder (Yojimboed!!!).  After he (also) tries to rape her, Lisa offs Steel with an axe, and when Billy discovers the body, he attempts to escape, only to be shot dead by the cops.

Axe was released as a drive-in feature to little fanfare in 1975, then gained notoriety when it was released to home video in the early 80's as one of the UK's original "Video Nasties."  Honestly, this film deserves better than that.  Friedel's direction, which juxtaposes tranquil scenes of rural beauty with acts of shocking violence, borrows from Terrence Malick's Badlands (1973) and anticipates Philip Ridley's The Reflecting Skin (1990).  Much of that credit is due to cinematographer Austin McKinney (Galaxy of Terror, The Terminator), who does fantastic work here.  Sadly, Friedel would go on to direct only one more feature (1976's Kidnapped Coed).  That's a goddamn shame, as he's managed to conjure up a haunting, atmospheric gem here.  Did I mention that this film has a weird obsession with bare feet?  In addition to a lengthy scene of Steel cutting his toenails, the movie is filled with enough inexplicable shots of Lisa's toes to give Tarantino a hard-on for a full year!  At only 67 minutes, Axe BARELY qualifies as a feature, but it NEVER outwears it's welcome and you could easily slot it in between episodes of whatever network drivel you're currently watching (I kid because I care).  HIGHLY recommended to fans of off-kilter/offbeat cinema!