The Lost Empire

THE LOST EMPIRE

Writer/Director:Jim Wynorski

Starring:Melanie Vincz, Raven De La Croix, Angus Scrimm, Angela Aames

Availability: DVD widely available at most online retailers

Rating:

    I don't know if you realize how intimidating it is to write a review based on a Jim Wynorski fan, but believe me when I tell you that the stress it has given me is unbelievable.  Jim Wynorski is a cult hero to a lot of us b-movie fans who grew up frequenting the classic Mom and Pop video stores, as well as those of us who grew up watching USA Up All Night.  Jim made the kinds of movies that spoke to the adolescent in all of us.  He came along at a time when people like Fred Olen Ray and Andy Sidaris were also carving their own niche in the b-movie stratosphere.  Jim was just better at it than most.  He was by no means a bad filmmaker.  He just wanted to make movies that were fun, and really, isn't that what going to the movies is all about?  

    The Lost Empire was a film with a strange production history.  The owner of the company who produced the film wanted to find a first-time director to make a film that would hopefully end up losing money, so he could write it off as a tax loss.  Jim was oblivious to this at the time, so he took full advantage of this opportunity, filling the screen with everything he loved about b-movies growing up.  His everything but the kitchen sink approach impressed the head of the production company so much, that he decided to give it a theatrical run, where it actually ended up making some money.  The rest, as they say, is history.  If it wasn't for this film, Jim might not have been given the opportunity to work with Roger Corman, and we might have missed out on this incredible film legacy.  I mean, if you look at the group of films he did between this and Hard To Die, that's an impressive body of work.

    Melanie Vincz just oozes hotness as Angel Wolve, a policewoman hell bent on getting her revenge on the caped ninjas who murdered her brother in a jewelry store robbery.  Her FBI agent boyfriend is convinced this is the doing of Dr. Sin Do, a cult leader who is believed to be an incarnation of Lee Chuck, a man believed to have made a deal with the devil in exchange for bloodshed.  Sin Do is raising an army of female assassins, and Angel decides to go undercover to infiltrate the operation.  She enlists the help of a Native American woman named White Shadow (played by the voluptuous and beautiful Raven De La Croix, a staple of Russ Meyer films) and a female prisoner named Heather to battle the female assassins, and of course there's the eventual showdown between Angel and Sin Do.  Did I mention Sin Do is played by the Tall Man himself, Angus Scrimm?  Yeah, that's pretty bad-ass.  

    This movie has everything I love about b-movies from this era.  You've got a terrific score from the great Alan Howarth.  You've got gorgeous women in various states of undress.  You've got ninjas, a battle with a gorilla, lasers, a nice little nod to WIP pictures, James Bond homages, and if you don't have a great time watching this, then you need to loosen up.  It's unfair to call this sort of thing a guilty pleasure, because I truly believe Jim Wynorski was a master of his craft.  Whatever limitations his films might have, be it due to budget or some uneven performances, he is always in control of his films.  This movie moves at a lightning fast pace, and you truly feel that Jim knew this could be the only chance to ever got to make a movie.  He throws so much on the screen, so much beautiful insanity, that it very well could end up being my new favorite Wynorski film.  

    I also need to give some mad props to the remastering job on this film.  It looks absolutely stunning, and is easily the best this film will probably ever look.  For a movie that has been sort of lost in obscurity over the years, I wasn't sure what to expect.  Needless to say, I wasn't let down.  Jim, thank you for giving us so many wonderful movies over the years.  Your films weren't perfect, but fuck perfection.  Your enthusiasm knows no bounds.  I definitely recommend picking this bad boy up.  The only thing missing is Rhonda Shear.

    Until next time, my fellow freaks and weirdos...