Customer Reviews

Don't Mess With My Sister!

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Too sleazy to be taken seriously, too serious to be sleazy fun, DON'T MESS WITH MY SISTER doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. Directed by Meir Zarchi, the man responsible for the cult "revenge" movie I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, all sorts of ideas come to mind when thinking of what to expect with a film like this. The title alone evokes thoughts of torment, anger and revenge. Not to mention the cover art makes the movie seem like it's going to be an explosive ride into vengeance. Sadly, this movie is nothing like that what so ever. As the old saying goes, "don't judge a book by it's cover." This is just a mess of a story.

DON'T MESS WITH MY SISTER is a grimey little tale about a guy who is trapped in his marriage and miserable. Although you would never have guessed it because the movie just kinda' starts up out of nowhere, with the character development thrown out the window right off the bat. A little backgound would have been nice. So anyways, the wife of the main character sets up a surprise Birthday party for her husband one day, including a belly dancer. This is a really strange scene because it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. First of all, what wife in the world would organize a party for her husband that included a belly dancer!?! Unless she was into that kind of thing. And even if the wife was cool with it, she also invited said husbands Mother and Sister to the party as well! Wouldn't that situation be a little awkward? I dunno', call me crazy. It's a plot that is unrealistic and just doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Anyways, the husband ends up falling head over heels for this belly dancer and ends up pursuing her after the party. Meanwhile, his wife seems pretty clueless about it. At this point, a lot of drama ensues involving the belly dancer and our main character. Although it seems like everything happens in just one night. This movie seems very rushed during some parts. Eventually they both get mixed up in murder, sex and a whole lot of sleazy scenarios. His wife soon finds out he's been cheating on her (finally!) and she tells her hulking, junk yard owner Brother about her wayward husband. A lot more violence happens but it really amounts to nothing because the movie doesn't seem to know where it's going or why it's going there. This is like a bad day time Soap Opera mixed with a little R rated sleaze and revenge. I'm not even sure you could call this a Horror film really.

At one point during the movie, I had to switch my over all thinking and expectations for DON'T MESS WITH MY SISTER. When I did that, I found the movie was easier to stomach. After all, I was ready for a hard boiled revenge film and got something totally different. Considering the same directors other movie I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (also known as DAY OF THE WOMAN) is a cult classic in terms of revenge (and a film I hold in high regards), this movie is just shockingly off beat. Sometimes in a good way but mostly in a bad way.

Far from an all around awful movie, this just wasn't what I was expecting. Some of the acting was actually okay, for this kind of thing. With a better story line this could have been an enjoyable film. I get the feeling this movie was marketed one way dispite it's opposite intentions. Also, I can't wrap my mind around what the director was trying to convey with this film. At least I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE had a central focus in the Horror world. Rape and revenge. DON'T MESS WITH MY SISTER doesn't try to convey anything.

Another strange choice in this film is the "out of nowhere" ending. It's like a whole bunch of things happen at the end and then the credits just start rolling. I kept expecting to hear a laugh track any minute while the scene played out and the credits rolled! It just didn't make a whole lot of sense and was totally pointless! A lot of destruction happens but it has no real consequences. The "messed up" moments come off as weak because it all leads up to a nowhere ending. When all is said and done, nobody really got hurt with the exception of maybe one dead guy.

The one thing this movie has going for it is the nice, sleazy city back drop. I always enjoy Horror movies that take place during the 1980's in the big city! Especially when it's in New York! DON'T MESS WITH MY SISTER is filmed around nasty junk yards, dreary subway tunnels and dark alley ways. On top of that, the music is actually kinda' creepy in it's own strange little way. Considering this movie doesn't seem to know weather or not if it's going for Horror, Suspense or Drama. The music is a nice touch among the debris that is this film.

Gore Hounds? Nope. Sorry. Nothing to see here. One scene does have a nice fist fight ending into a pretty tense strangulation. Outside of that, DON'T MESS WITH MY SISTER is pretty tame in the violence department. This is more of a sleazy type of Cult Cinema. It's a strange little crime story that will frustrate people more than please them. I watched the movie from start to finish, so it obviously had something about it that I totally didn't hate.

Bottom line, this movie isn't for everybody. Even the most hardcore of Horror / Cult / "Grindhouse" fans will have a hard time getting through this one. If you're a fan of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, get it to complete your collection. Just keep in mind that it's nothing like that film. Outside of that, there are tons of other better films to waste your time with.

My advice if your planning on watching this (I'm sure there are some other Horror Cult Movie freaks out there like me), do so with a lot of beer, good friends and the intention to laugh at it! This movie is garbage, no doubt about it.

Over and out!

Wow. This is pretty much a waste of time. I had to see it for myself. I bought this with I Spit on your Grave (which I already have 2 copies of) because I needed to know if the reviews were even close. Well I can now tell you they are spot-on. I have a fairly large dvd collection, and maybe for that alone, its worth owning. But I honestly don't know who I could sell it to even if I wanted to get rid of it. . . Yeah, its that bad....

This movie is totally confusing. The plot is pretty easy to follow, no problems there, but you're left confused as to why any of it should be happening and especially who you should be empathizing with(the answer apparently: no one).

That was my big problem. I never knew who I should like or hate wholeheartedly. Everyone was always being awful with random moments of shining redemption that made me like them before they rushed off to get back into being awful. Is it wrong to ask that I at least have someone to root for(or entirely against) in a movie? Everyone was hateful and annoying and stupid and then occassionally they'd do something that was beautifully humane but of course it didn't fit. At all.

This movie is a mess. I got it in the two-pack with I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, so I'm not as upset as I would be, but yeah. If you ABSOLUTELY must have this movie get it with the two-pack. Otherwise, skip it, skip the two-pack, just get the nice version of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE.

This is yet another one of those situations where not everyone will want this movie. The one problem with this movie is th fact that it doesn't rally have an ending, and the story is a little pointless, and not in that fun grindhouse way. Aside from these 2 major problems The actors a good (most of them), the writings inproved as well as the cinematography. On a slightly bigger budget he could afford to make it look better... but not everything is as it seems.

If you're looking for some good old revenge fueled carnage, grab I Spit on your Grave, Meir Zarchi's first, best and only other attempt. As for Do't Mess With My Sister; unless you can find it for under 5 dollars... don't buy it. I will probably never watch it again, but it's great for the collection.

Irritating accents, implausible character motivation, and a script that is constantly pulling itself in opposite directions makes the viewer question how Meir Zarchi keeps a clear thought, let alone direct a 90-minute film... That's the feeling I got with "Don't Mess With My Sister!", a low-budget stinker that's riddled with bad writing, acting, direction, and just about everything else... Okay, Zarchi's previous (and only other) effort, "I Spit on Your Grave," was just as confused but more well-done on a technical level than this piece of junk. The exploitation elements are sadly missing (a single nude scene, and action so poorly directed it's laughable) and the film's self-important 'message' (forced marriages will make men snap and sleep with belly dancers!) will leave you groaning.

This is a very strange little film that will have glued to the television screen. Some may find it to be a little too off-beat for their tastes, but those folks who loved "I Spit on Your Grave" by the same director will become instant fans of this film. Now I don't believe in giving away too much of the story in a film review so all I'm going to tell you is that this movie is about a very disturbing forced marriage.

What can I say this is another film from director Meir Zarchi who brought us the classic.. I Spit on Your Grave. In a way it is another revenge film but as it doesn't have the clout that I Spit has it does boast some cheesy scenes and some mediocre acting. It is a B movie and if you like this sort of thing it does offer some merit.
The film has it all, a car parts graveyard, a college student who does belly dancing to pay her tuition, two overprotective brothers and their sister who is married to our leading man. As the story goes our hero has strayed from the coup, he works for the family business, a car parts graveyard, and helps the two really dumb really thugish brothers keep in the $$$ because he married into the family business. He wants a raise, as he is the brains of the operation but the brothers won't give him one. They keep their eyes on him as they do not trust him with their sister. One day at a birthday party someone hires a belly dancer. Our hero is drawn to her and later runs into her when she is walking to college. This is a romantic attraction, who will he end up with the wife or the belly dancer?

Ok, so all this sounds pretty lame. The film is lame but remember this is a low budget B film and to be honest, the belly dancing scene and the attraction between these two is worth the film. Its got it all, sleeze, violence, poor lighting, and bad dialog everything you long for in a B movie. I can't give this one five stars but it is much better than some of the other reviews. We are not talking Hollywood production here. The film is what it is, and Meir Zarchi gives us all that he can under the low budget circumstances he is faced with. Both of the women Jennine Lemay and Laura Lanfranchi give us good performances. These are the type of characters we would see on MTV's Jersey Shore..so when the reality show actors get into real film I would expect this type of story line. if you want low class characters or you live in a trailer park this film is for you.

As a character study this film is interesting. It isnt really a revenge film per say and the ending makes me wonder if the budget ran dry... It is a hollow work for sure, still I have seen worse...one or two of the deleted scenes SHOULD have been included, it wouldn't have saved this film however for this film in a nutshell is everything I spit your grave was not and vice versa. The picture transfer was decent, the action pretty tame, no gore, one car explosion, one lame attempted rape the character study is in essence the film which is mildly entertaining but truly a shallow 80 plus minutes. I dont see this one staying in my collection long but then again giving it away is probably the only way I could move it.