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Mood Pictures recently remastered some of its earlier pictures to make them more palatable for contemporary audiences, and since Martial Law is the company's biggest seller, I figured I'd give it and its sequel Martial Law II a watch to see what all the fuss was about.
The first clue to the film's success is obvious. The main actress in Martial Law is drop-dead gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. With a stage name like "Kate Lust" how can she not be, right? Blonde hair, fair skin, no tattoos, no obvious piercings, with a young, tender body blessed by shapely legs and firm tits, she is a dream come true for this type of film. Lust looks absolutely angelic; clean and bright and pure. Add to that body a lengthy caning scene with good dramatic elements and you have the recipe for a hit film, despite it being only the third film Mood Pictures had released up that point, the directors having limited experience in movie production, the technical equipment being shoddy, and the post-production staff being limited to a handful of people operating on a shoestring budget. Clearly, Kate Lust carries this film, and she carries it well.
The movie plot is pretty simple. A military guard (Lust), bored with her assignment, decides to have some fun with a prisoner. The victim's hands are bound and she's placed in a chair, where we're teased a bit with a suggestion of a breast caning.
Unfortunately for us, back then Mood Pictures was positioning itself as a spanking film production company first, so instead of a breast caning, we get a butt caning (such promise denied!) and unfortunately for the guard, the prisoner is actually an undercover spy conducting surveillance on prisoner abuse. The guard is arrested and brought before a tribunal of military officers, who sentence her to 100 strokes of the cane. She's forced to strip and is led over to a steel frame, where she's brought to her knees while two guards tie her wrists and ankles to the structure.
A doctor, dressed in a thin cotton tunic cut high on her leg and slit across her hips, the way all young, attractive female doctors should be dressed, comes over to give the convict a quick health check and determines that the prisoner is ready to endure her punishment.
I had hoped we'd see an intimate moment between doctor and patient here, with a tender caress and whispered words of encouragement, but alas, that opportunity is missed.
After the doctor gives her approval, the beating commences. The captive girl is forced to count her strokes out loud as the cane smacks against her ass, reddening her fair skin with each strike. At every 25 strokes, the beating is paused so that the doctor can check on her patient. After a brief inspection, the doctor clears the girl for more abuse, and the beating continues.
At one point, the suffering captive passes out and is revived with water.
Then, the helpless girl is taken to new heights of pain and agony.
This is a very powerful scene, from start to finish. Lust's reactions to her caning are both frightening and exhilarating. Each stroke breaks her down a little more, and as the punishment continues, her struggles become more apparent. As a victim, she brings just the right amount of strength, fear, pain, and anguish to the role.
Is this one of the best movies Mood Pictures has ever made? Is it really good enough to be the Best Seller it is? Yes and no. When you consider the standards of these types of films back in 2004 when it was made, you can forgive the harsh lighting, simple costuming, and paper-thin plot. If it were to be measured by today's standards of film-making, it'd come up short. The costumes the guards wear are ridiculously too big, the supporting actors are terrible, the sound is awful, the image clarity is only passable, and there's really only one girl in the film worth seeing naked. Fortunately, she's the star and gets the most screen time, which saves this film from the trash heap.
Back in 2004, films like this were very much an underground production. That vibe permeates the production. The whole movie has a raw feeling to it, like it's being made in secret and pushing the limits of a government code (which I suppose it was when it was made); very much a "don't turn around; the commissar's in town" sort of thing. For that reason, the simpleness of the film technique works. The rawness of the movie's tone adds to the excitement.
I also liked the subtle touches in the movie; like how Lust fondles the spy's breasts while teasing that they're going to get a beating with her cane, how Lust trembles as she's tied to the punishment frame, how the doctor is sent in to fix Lust's hair prior to the caning (a tender moment that could've been a great dramatic moment if the doctor had stroked Lust's bare hips gently and said, "Be strong, my sweet" just before giving the judge approval to abuse her patient), and how the doctor's examination of the convict's heartbeat and eye dilation is used as a dramatic pause to the action. Plus, there's that short medical tunic that reveals the doctor's hips invitingly. That look should never go out of style. Hopefully we'll see it again in a future production.
To be honest, I'm uncertain how to really grade this film. By today's standards, Mood Pictures has done better technically. Still, the rawness of the movie is appealing in an artistic sense. In the end, my decision is based on its re-watchability, and how likely I am to add it to the rotation of regulars I enjoy. By that standard, it's worth a go, if only for Lust's performance on the punishment platform, from the time she is told to strip to the time she's hauled out of the room by the guards. That's an "A" level scene in a film dragged down by "C" level technical stuff. But Lust's lengthy beating is one of my personal All-Time Greatest Hits classic, and for that reason, I'm giving this movie an "A".
Stick around for the post-credit bonus extras – an interview with Lust on why she agreed to do the film, and some outtakes from the production.
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