Street Trash

If you dig beneath its trashy-to-the-max surface, you’ll find the beating heart of a movie that’s not entirely devoid of brains and artistic flair. Yes, because the irreverent depiction of the bottomless pit of human deprivation quickly reveals itself as far from an end unto itself, leading the film to be interpreted in terms of sociopolitical critique. It’s definitely the most Troma-like film that Troma didn’t make, depicting an estranged reality born of modern times, chock-full of crude and politically incorrect scenes and flat-out bad taste, with digs at a broad range of targets: blacks, women, the disabled, alcoholics, yuppies, and, of course, the destitute underclass. A prime example is the depiction of the brain-damaged Vietnam vet.

Directing debut for James Michael Muro (aka “Jim Muro”), veteran Steadicam operator – “The Abyss” (1989), “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991) -, who oversees a group of mainly amateur actors with unexpected efficacy. Among the most noteworthy scenes, we would mention the bum in the bathroom melting down into a gory pile of blue slime, and the scene when Bronson cuts a bum’s penis off and he and the gang play keep away with the severed organ while the poor victim desperately tries to recover it.

Even the dialogue doesn’t mess around when it comes to weirdness, running the gamut from childish bickering (such as ‘Go fuck your dog, Ed!’ ‘Very pleasant, very witty, prick-lips. You can go fuck my dog’), to psychosociological digressions such as the exchange of quips between brothers about their lack of communication and the Oedipus complex.

Avant-garde special effects: the steamy transformations and the slimy somatic degenerations reveal a pronounced vein of originality, especially thanks to the absurd color renderings.

Fans of refined cinema should avoid this one like the plague.