WTF China?!?: The Oily Maniac (1976)

An exploitation Film from the 1970s meets a Superhero Film- discuss.  This is The Oily Maniac, a 1976 Film by Shaw Studios, the folks behind 'chop socky' Films.  The Story- a man learns the ability to turn into an oil monster to get revenge on bad people.  This is adapted from a more-commonly-known Malaysian bit of folklore, which they do credit.  It's no 'What are you talking about- The Island is 100% original' situation here.  As tastes changed, so did Shaw- if they wanted to survive, that is.  As such, they started doing more stuff like this.  It's a mix of what they knew- martial arts and drama- and new stuff- exploitation.  There's lots of nudity in this one, as well as violence and a bit of gore.  The latter is pretty tame by today's standards, but the former two are pretty notable.  This barely feels like 'a Shaw Brothers Film,' but it is.  Side-note: Run Run Shaw lived to be 107 (he died in 2014), so do whatever he was doing if you plan on sticking around for a while!  Will this mix of old and new work?  Will it be a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich with hot sauce or anything with Avocado added to it for no good reason?  To find out, read on...

Some criminals are trying to take over a Coconut Oil Plant- aka a Den of Evil according to Bob- and, in the process, one of them is killed.

Without much warning, we suddenly jump ahead to some vague time later and now the Uncle is on Death Row for the killing (which was clearly Manslaughter at best).

On the day of his execution, the man calls in our Hero and explains that he had a magical formula tattooed on his back that will grant the man powers.

This new Revival of Prison Break is weird!!!

When things get worse (the criminals keep busy), he digs a hole in his house and climbs in some oil...

...and becomes Tarman!  Or is he Swamp Thing?  The Toxic Crusader?

Whatever he is, he can morph into a puddle of goo, is nigh invulnerable and can kill some Rapists.

We interrupt the Review to explain how the Film interrupts the narrative for this bit in Court.  It is that jarring.

The point- showing that this Lawyer (below) is kind of evil, but also so are the criminals.

He keeps turning into the Oily Maniac and killing bad guys.  Some of them kill people.  Most of them rape ladies.  This one is a corrupt Surgeon, so bitch gotta die!

I highlighted this shot for the creative censorship used to fit Chinese Cultural Norms and to make you wonder about what was happening in this Room.

 As the bodies pile up and tensions mount, our Hero is finally discovered by his co-worker (after killing their Boss).  He tells her that he needs to kill two last people- the ones who raped his beau and which lead to her suicide.

...so she just immediately betrays him.  Ouch.

He manages to transform and kill the men, but the Police are on his tail.  He transforms one last time, but is eventually killed by being burned up in his oil form.  Justice for all?  The End.

Bad stuff...but kind of in a good way.  The Film is pure exploitation.  It is all about showing breasts, blood and its silly monster.  The Oily Maniac Suit is neat...in theory.  I like that the eyes glow and that it looks like it is made out of thick oil.  The problem- it's a 1970s foam rubber suit and the poor guy can barely move in it.  He tries to flail his arms to do kung-fu, but...not so much.  On the plus side, he can turn into an animated puddle and move way faster!  If you watch this Film, just know that it is 50% people being terrible, 30% exploitation and 20% passable action.  The most variety you get is how the Maniac enters the Scene.  Sometimes he falls from the ceiling and other times he drips his way in through your car window.  If you don't like exploitation, then avoid this one.  If you do, there's plenty to like here.  It's still a Chinese production, so there's the conundrum of how they want to make it about Nudity and Sex, but won't show any of it.  Honestly, if it weren't for the breasts, this could pass for PG-13 in that regard.  The Oily Maniac is a weird mix of what Shaw does right and what they did to stay afloat (also see The Killer Snakes).  One bit of censorship- just for old times' sake...

Next up, a bit of '70s Horror to keep things going.  Throw in some more magic and this should be fun.  Stay tuned...