Cheap Killer Condom: The Rubber That Rubs You Out (DVD) (Martin Walz) Price

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Customer Reviews of Killer Condom: The Rubber That Rubs You Out

(Almost) A Cult Classic
What shocked me about Killer Condom was that it exceeded its low-budget expectations with a surprisingly intelligent and touching love story. So the effects weren't up to much? Pa! The central romance between hard-boiled detective Udo Samel and pretty-boy rent boy Marc Richter was genuinely affecting; the dialogue was spot-on and Martin Walz's direction (and Samel's performance in particular) were beautifully judged.

Typical Demonic Prophylactic Anti-Religion Comedy Genre Film
I just don't know where to start in reviewing this movie. I bought it not as a fan of Troma, but because I like seeing movies with bizarre new monsters. I have seen killer mutant turkey men ("Blood Feast"), gassy killer sheep ("Godmonster of Indian Flats"), and every kind of dinosaur, lizard, or reptile known to man. I have even seen killer puppets ("Attack of the Puppet People"), and killer mushrooms ("Matango, The Fungus of Terror".) So I felt pretty prepared for a killer condom, but discovered I was not.

The film was shot on location in New York by a bunch of Germans, and all dialogue is done in German, therefore you have to read subtitles. I don't mind the subtitles that much, but sometimes they blend in with light colored backgrounds and are tough to decipher. I guess dubbing wouldn't have hurt it any. The lead role is played by a German Police Detective ('Inspector Macaroni'), who is ostensibly from Sicily. If that isn't enough to make your head spin, he and he alone can fend off the killer condoms, in a wild and somewhat disgusting (go figure) plot that involves a transvestite singer named 'Bob', a crazy Chinese scientist who craves "red jelly", and, unfortunately, a religious fanatic. Some have seen the story as allegorical, but mostly it's really too shallow to be anything other than silly and disgusting.

The film starts off strongly, but is quite long and begins to be repetitive after about the first twenty minutes. I am not easily offended, but do take exception to the portrayal of religion towards the end of the film. The movie pretends to be permissive, but comes across at some points as simply denigrating religion. It was an unnecessary plot device that adds nothing to the plot, yet manages to offend or at least annoy. The portrayal of a US Presidential candidate as a corrupt philanderer would have offended as well, but it was made by Europeans during the Clinton administration, so I can see their point.

That's it for the bad; now for the good. The film IS a strikingly original production, and far outside the norms for Troma. The production values are better than average, with a few cheesy sets, but largely good locations. The characterizations are generally spot on and funny, as are the names of characters. The dialogue is consistently amusing (when they aren't on an anti-religion rant), and the latex killers are very entertaining to watch, even if not genuinely scary (watch especially for the autopsy scene.) The DVD has a lot of extras including a preview reel, a virtual tour of the Troma studios (which is generally pretty entertaining), and a special Public Service Announcement featuring Sgt. Kabukiman.

Three stars for originality, generally amusing plot points, and laughter inducing special effects.