Plot: A man is beaten, tortured, and then killed by a trio of ruthless thugs, even putting out a cigar on the man’s tongue. A witness to the assault jumps out of a window, as a quick death is preferable to what the three men would likely do. Now on the run, the killers decide to head to a rural area and lay low until the heat dies down. This trip to the country includes a stop at a gas station, where the cashier is harassed. She is forced to take her shirt off at gunpoint, then one of the men puts an apple on her, for a harrowing bit of target practice. The trio winds up at a remote farmhouse, where a young girl lives and cares for her invalid grandfather. The police stop and ask the girl if she’s seen the men, but she says no, as she knows her grandfather will be killed otherwise. As time passes, tension mounts and there is even some infighting between the men. Can the young girl survive her encounter with three veteran criminals?

Entertainment Value: I’m glad to see Axe has gained some profile in recent years, as I think it was mostly overlooked even by genre fans. Marketed by Harry Novak as drive-in style exploitation horror, Axe is more of a stylish thriller. The film runs a very lean, focused narrative that clocks in at under seventy minutes. That means the pace is brisk and never drags and director Frederick R. Friedel ensures what needs to be on screen is, in stylish form. The visuals here really shine, with creative camera work that adds so much to the experience. Axe might have had a low budget, but Friedel makes it feel much more expensive with his visual design choices. The performances are solid, but Jack Canon stands out as the most sadistic of the criminal trio. He is gruff and ruthless here, a terrific overall effort. Leslie Lee is also interesting to watch in Axe, while director Friedel’s turn in front of the camera is most memorable for his epic afro. I think Axe is a well crafted thriller and I think anyone interested should give it a chance.

A woman is held at gunpoint and takes her shirt off, then a guy pours Coke all over her tits, but she keeps the bra on. Still, a soda bath for some jugs is always fun. That’s as close to nudity as we get in this one, though. The blood spills in a good volume, with non graphic, but very cool kills. The stylish edits during a bathtub dismemberment more than compensate for a lack of on screen gore, for example. The bright red blood is seen often and even drips from a fireplace, warming our hearts. So mostly off screen violence with some on screen aftermath, as far as blood is concerned. A few good lines here, but mostly the writing is quite good and doesn’t offer up hokey dialogue. Axe is a tight, wild ride that offers up a good amount of craziness. Not in an over the top, insane train kind of way, but still, this chick is cold blooded.

Nudity: 0/10

Blood: 3/10

Dialogue: 2/10

Overall Insanity: 4/10

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