(Hong Kong 1992) 3.5

Original Title: Goh Yeung Yee Sang 羔羊醫生 (aka) Doctor Lamb

 

Directed by Danny Lee, Billy Tang Produced by Danny Lee Starring: Simon Yam, Danny Lee, Kent Cheng, Lau Siu Ming, Parkman Wong, Emily Kwan, Perrie Lai, Chung Bik Wing, Wong Wing Fong, Julie Lee, Eric Kei, Lam King Kong, Ma Lee Reviewing: Unearthed Films US Blu-ray Release Genres: Cat.3 / Thriller / Drama

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Rating - 3.5 / 5

Blu-ray Synopsis: A mentally disturbed taxi driver lusts for blood every rainy night, and several young women are brutally murdered. He likes to take photos of the victims' dismembered bodies as his special mementos after sex with their corpses and stores their severed breasts in pickle jars. Inspector Lee and his team are called onto the case in this bizarre, nasty, and notorious CAT III films. (90 Mins)

 

Views: I've waited a good 30 years to see this highly revered Category 3 thriller with Simon Yam, and I have to say that the wait was worth while – especially since I got to watch it in glorious HD thanks to this Blu-ray release from US indie label, Unearthed Films. While it didn't shock or impress me as much as Herman Yau's Untold Story and Ebola Syndrome, I still felt myself cringing during moments of Dr. Lamb and found the great Simon Yam to be quite chilling at times in the role of the titular character. One of the last directorial features from the brilliant Danny Lee, Dr. Lamb was actually based on the true story of serial killer Lam Kor Wan who had killed four woman in Hong Kong about a decade earlier. Using a bit of artistic licensing, screenwriter Law Kam Fai crafts an entertaining piece, albeit with a bit of a slow-burn to begin with, that tells the story of Yam's crazed killer who finds himself arrested after he collects his latest set of photos from the local photo lab. After developing hundreds and hundreds of pictures for him, one particular lab technician begins to recognise that the women in the shots aren't exactly models and makes his manager, and the police, aware. Once they have taken Yam into the station, the police begin a gruelling interrogation that soon reveals the horrors of his crimes – revealed to us throw a number of gritty flashbacks!

 

As mentioned, the wonderful Danny Lee Sau Yin directs Dr. Lamb as well as producing the film and starring as Inspector Lee – a character he would bring back in other true crime thrillers such as The Untold Story 1 & 3, Organised Crime & Triad Bureau, Portrait Of A Serial Rapist, Water Tank Murder Mystery, and many others. In fact, a number of his team members also return in similar roles for The Untold Story, with some joining him in the other aforementioned titles over the years which makes a number of his 'true-crime' movies loosely connected to some degree. Launching his acting career in the very early 70s with a small role in Chang Cheh's classic The Deadly Duo, Lee went on to become on of the Shaw Brothers most bankable stars over the next decade before shifting into modern action-films with his directorial debut, One Way Only, in 1981. This would be followed-up with the action-comedy Funny Boys and Oh, My Cops! before Danny made a splash with the fantastic Law With Two Phases which would kick-off his love for playing the heroic cop – a role he would return to many times over the next few decades. While he is still going strong today, Danny is still recognised as one of Hong Kong cinemas biggest stars having directed 10 features, produced 30, and starred in almost 150 including hits such as City On Fire, The Killer, Just Heroes, Unmatchable Match, The Big Score, Asian Connection, and many more. For Dr. Lamb, Lee would find support in co-directing with the infamous Billy Tang – a man who made his directorial debut with the Rosamund Kwan thriller Vengeance Is Mine, of which he quickly followed up with Jet Li's underrated Dragon Fight. Dr. Lamb was the first of the infamous Category 3 titles connected to his name which was quickly followed by his films such as Deadly Desire, Run & Kill, Brother Of Darkness, Red To Kill, and others. Around the same time Tang had been the producer of the Hong Kong Criminal Archives Series, some of which he also directed, and went on to direct a host of other successful titles including Sexy & Dangerous, Street Angels, Casino, Sharp Guns, and Raped By An Angel 5: The Final Judgement. This would also be the first time the director would work with Simon Yam before bringing him back for the insane Run & Kill (along with Kent Cheng and Danny Lee), Street Angels, and Casino – once again with Kent Cheng. There's no doubt that director, producer and star Danny Lee brought Tang in for the more violent and darker moments of the film, allowing Lee to focus more on the drama and (light) comedy that is strewn throughout, and although it takes a while to get into the nitty-gritty there's definitely enough disturbing moments to make viewers wince. From the slicing and stabbing of breasts to the prolonged raping of a dead woman, Dr. Lamb doesn't offer as much vomit inducing moments as Ebola Syndrome for example, but what it does have still has the ability to flip the stomach of some viewers as well as make them ask 'What the actual fuck?' when you remember that what you are watching was based on a true story.

 

The handsome Simon Yam does yet another fantastic job in his role, providing a nerving portrayal of a sadistic killer who gets his kicks out of mutilating and raping his victims – and usually when they are dead. By this stage of the game Yam Tat Wah had starred in over 60 films, making his feature debut (much like many Hong Kong stars of that period) in a Shaw Brothers production (Lau Kar Leung's Spiritual Boxer) after a few years working in television shows for TVB. And while his roles would become a lot more prominent over the next few years, it would be almost a decade later before the model-turned-actor started making an impression in films such as Tongs: A Chinatown Story, The Big Brother, Bloodfight, and Yuen Woo Ping's Tiger Cage. By the late 80s, Yam had become a star and was in high demand going on to star in hits such as Burning Ambition, Killers Romance, Bullet In The Head, Gigolo & Whore, Black Cat, Naked Killer, Run & Kill, Future Cops, Young & Dangerous, Full Contact and so much more. Like many of Hong Kong's busiest stars, Yam had no problem turning his hand from comedy to romance, action, horror, or even to demented characters like Dr. Lamb which quickly made him a firm favourite among the fans of Hong Kong cinema. Even today, there seems no sign of the superstar slowing down, with the turn of the century seeing him make his Hollywood debut in Angelina Jolie's Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life as well as nailing a host of great roles in many Johnnie To films such as Election, Breaking News, Exiled, and Sparrow, along with memorable performances in Donnie Yen's SPL, Ip Man 1 & 2, Bodyguards & Assassins and more recently, Raging Fire. It's also worth noting that there was an attempt to bring back Yam as the murderous doctor in 1998's Trust Me U Die – a crime thriller directed by Billy Chung Siu Hung; the same man behind flicks such as Legend Of The Chiu Chow Brothers, The Assassin, Lady Supercop, The King Of Robbery, Kung Fu Mahjong, and Colour Of The Loyalty (with the latter two being co-directed by the wonderful Wong Jing). While it's also known as The New Dr. Lamb in some places, and that it's still a film I have yet to see, it's clear that Trust Me U Die failed to gain the same status as Dr. Lamb – even though it was penned once again by Law Kam Fai.

 

With both of the aforementioned actors supported by a great cast in the shape of the hilarious Kent Cheng, a man who would share the screen with both Simon and Danny many times over the years, Lau Siu Ming, Parkman Wong, Emily Kwan, Eric Kei, Dr. Lamb also offers up some gorgeous cinematography from Tony Miu; a cinematographer who also lensed many titles for Danny Lee and Billy Tang as well as films such as Cop On A Mission, Naked Soldier, Flash Point, The Warlords, and The Monkey King. And while it may have its flaws, mainly down to the direction and some dated choices, Dr. Lamb still proves to be a memorable and entertaining piece of 90s Hong Kong cinema that is well worth the watch if you are looking for something a little dark and disturbing. I'm just glad that I've finally been able to add this Category 3 exploitation-classic to my collection!

 

Overall: While I was expecting more, Dr. Lamb is still a disturbing piece of Hong Kong cinema with enough dark and gritty madness to keep Cat.3 fans happy!

 

Blu-ray Extras: Audio Commentary with Art Ettinger & Bruce Holecheck, Interview with Gilbert Po, Film Critic James Mudge on the Golden Era of Category III, Sean Tierney remembers Dr. Lamb, Atomic TV interview with Simon Yam, Trailers

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Watch my unboxing video of this Unearthed Films release HERE