The Body Is Willing/Review

From The Grindhouse Cinema Database

< The Body Is Willing
Revision as of 16:31, 23 June 2018 by Pete (talk | contribs)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Bodytop.png

Wendy Yamazaki is a successful Japanese pop singer. On a promotional trip to Hong Kong her precocious younger sister Chai decides to tag along. Wendy is guest of honor at the opening of a new roller-disco where she watches a traditional Chinese lion dance performed on roller-skates. Wendy is surprised to find an old flame is also a guest at the event; Charlie Cheng is a retired athlete who now runs a health club and obviously still has feelings for the singer.

Meanwhile Wendy’s sister is enjoying the Hong Kong nightlife. She takes a boy she meets in a night-club to Charlie’s gym after hours and they have sex in a variety of positions on the exercise equipment. This scene gives new meaning to the term ‘pumping iron’ but it was the topless jogging on the treadmill that had me dribbling beer down myself. Charlie discovers the inebriated Chai and takes her back to her hotel where the romance between him and Wendy re-ignites. They do sex on a glass-topped table and we get a good look at Charlie’s many dragon tattoos.

Bodywilling1.jpeg Body Is Willing Pic02.jpg

Wendy however has also caught the eye of billionaire playboy Francis Chao who is determined to seduce her by any means. In order to ingratiate herself with Mr Money-bags an employee of Chao’s named Ginger sets in motion a nefarious match-making scheme. She has Wendy kidnapped and force-fed an aphrodisiac drug then films the intoxicated singer as she tears off her own clothes and masturbates with a champagne bottle.

On the night of Wendy’s big concert appearance, and as she prepares to perform a song called ‘Goodbye Youth’, Ginger sends a little girl out on stage to present the singer with a bouquet of flowers. Hidden among the blooms is a photo of Wendy naked. She flees the stage in floods of tears and Ginger springs her blackmail trap: if Wendy doesn’t screw dirty Chao then Ginger will go public with the champagne supernova video.

With Wendy on her way over to the playboy’s mansion Charlie & Chai discover the nudie snap and set off in hot pursuit pausing only long enough for Chai to give Ginger a payback kick in the crotch. But will they arrive in time to save Wendy from suffering further humiliation at the hands of the sleazy Chao?

‘The Body Is Willing’ is a satisfying, fast-paced slice of Hong Kong sexploitation. Both lead actresses spend much of the film naked and the frequent sweaty sex scenes manage to generate a degree of eroticism despite the cheesy 80’s synth ballads that compose most of the soundtrack music. For those members of the audience who have failed to get their rocks off during the course of the film’s hot and heavy action the filmmakers kindly replay the spiciest scene over the closing credits.

Body Is Willing Pic03.jpg Body Is Willing Pic01.jpg

Emi Shindo and Oda Kaoru both had exploitation film careers in their native Japan. Shindo can be seen starring opposite the legendary Sonny Chiba in the excellent ‘Golgo 13’ whereas Kaoru appeared in a handful of Nikkatsu Studios roman porno flicks including the matter-of-factly titled ‘Lesbians In Uniform’ (I can’t begin to imagine what that one might be about).

Playboy Chao is one sleazy mutha and actor Kenneth Tsang will be instantly recognisable to fans of Hong Kong action movies, in particular from his appearance in John Woo’s ‘A Better Tomorrow’. Chao’s fate is the undeniable highpoint of the movie and the gory goods are delivered courtesy of a pair of garden sheers. Ouch.


Narcan1.jpg

Narcan is the GCDb's esteemed UK contributor. As a youth his earliest exploitation film experience was a My Bloody Valentine/The Funhouse midnight double bill. Grindhouse icons that he holds in highest regards are Christina Lindberg and Frank Henelotter. Two of his favorite exploitation genres include Nunsploitation and Lucha Libre.

Newsletter
  • Grindhouse Database Newsletter
  • Exploitation books
  • Kung fu movies
  • Giallo BluRay