Tenement: Game of Survival (1985)

"All of you are going to die!"

'Tenement' is a violent 80s action/crime thriller grindhouse flick that I fully enjoyed. Upon merely seeing the hand-drawn, sketchy cover of this flick I knew I had to check it out. The plot revolves around a group of ornery NYC tenement dwellers who must fight together to survive after a gang of thugs traps them in the building, swearing vengeance after one of the tenants called the police on them earlier in the day.

'Tenement's "TOO VIOLENT TO BE RATED!" tagline lives up to its name as well: people are dropped off windows, electrocuted, impaled, castrated, raped with broomstick handles, sliced on the jugular, etc. It's definitely one of the most violent 70s/80s grindhouse/exploitation flicks I've seen, but it was definitely entertaining if also brutal. Recommended. June 3, 2008

decent urban exploitation film

this wasn't too bad. not quite as violent as the DVD packaging advertisements suggest, but still fairly violent and bloody... i would have liked more though. especially since ultra gory conflict is the reason to buy a film like this.

what i didn't like: the story could have been more compelling. for instance, gang gets ratted-out to the police, when they come back from the police station they are irritated enough to lay siege to the entire building. that's the whole plot.

the characters were interesting for the most part, but really they are just stereotypes. it would have been nice to see some character development other than good guys versus bad guys. and maybe a rival gang thrown in for good measure?

if Tenement had been either more over-the-top camp or serious urban gang warfare, i think it would have been a better movie.

for fans of the 80's urban exploitation genre, i recommend it and would actually give it 3.5 stars.


D February 15, 2008

80's exploitation fun

Great exploitation flick. A group of drugged out punks try to take over an apartment building. IIRC, there's a wonderfully funny scene where someone takes a knife to the groin and the blood flows like water. The way the film makers racially-stereotyped their characters almost made me wonder if perhaps D.W. Griffith directed this. I remember seeing this at a run down theater in 42nd Street, NYC in the 1980's, and being able to see it again on DVD really brought back memories. The quality of the film print here, as well as the transfer to DVD, leaves a lot to be desired- but this should not deter you from catching this one- especially if you are a fan of exploitation/grindhouse cinema. September 21, 2005

More reviews at Amazon.com ...