Singapore Sling – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Greece, 1990
Director: Nikos Nikolaidis
Writer: Nikos Nikolaidis
Cast: Meredyth Herold, Michele Valley, Panos Thanassoulis

Release Date: March 26th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 111 Minutes 44 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Greek/English/French
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $44.98

"On a dark and stormy night, Mother and Daughter, a wealthy pair of psychopathic killers with a penchant for murdering their servants, happen upon a badly injured man, laying dying in the mud. Bringing him back to their opulent villa, they begin nursing him back to health; naming him Singapore Sling in the process. As soon as he is "well" enough, the twisted duo begin subjecting him to every manner of torture imaginable. But as each of them develop their own unique interest in their mysterious victim, a perverse love triangle begins to unfold, leading to shocking revelations..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative".

Singapore Sling comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.5 GB

Feature: 30.4 GB

The source looks excellent; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image looks organic.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Greek, English, and French. There are no issues with distortion or background noise; the dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, this track sounds excellent. Included are removable English subtitles for Greek and French dialog and removable English SDH for all dialog.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with cinematographer Aris Stavrou (5 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Panos Thanassoulis (9 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Michele Valley (12 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Marie-Louise Bartholomew, wife of director Nikos Nikolaidis (11 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival documentary from 2011 exploring the work of director Nikos Nikolaidis titled Directing Hell (80 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Greek with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, a spot gloss slipcover (limited to 5,000 units) and a 20-page booklet with an essay titled The Guts of Noir written by David Church.

Summary:

Looking for his long-lost love, Laura, a man ends up in the arms of the same woman who killed Laura.His captors are a mother-daughter team who use torture to get them off while having sex. They give the detective the nickname Singapore Sling. The women reenact right before his eyes their various murders, including the murder of his girlfriend Laura. Will Singapore Sling be able to escape before it becomes his turn to die?

Singapore Sling is without a doubt the most bizarre murder mystery ever committed to celluloid. The story shifts from conventional moments, which reveal the mysteries the detective seeks to uncover, to set pieces that are beyond description. There is vomiting and golden showers while having sex and gutting victims’ organs by organs that pop up at regular intervals throughout the 112 minutes.

While watching Singapore Sling, the time length does become a problem as things drag and scenes start to resemble scenes you have already seen. Then there is the acting, which is also unconventional, with characters breaking the fourth wall and talking into the camera. That said, the performances definitely veer into the realm of the over-the-top. Another thing about the characters that some might find off-putting is that the three characters each speak a different language: Greek, English, and French.

Fortunately, when it comes to the visuals, Singapore Sling delivers, and then some. Shot in striking black and white, the visuals have a film noir quality to them that works well within the confines of the story as it unfolds. Ultimately, Singapore Sling is a perfect blend of exploitation and avant-garde that is a must-see film if you are a fan of transgressive cinema.

Singapore Sling gets a definitive release from Vinegar Syndrome that comes with an exceptional documentary about the director Nikos Nikolaidis and a solid audio/video presentation. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer