(1969) 1 Fred Beldin Director John Hayes' absurdly spare 1969 nudie action flick The Cut Throats was released to video in the '80s as Cut-Throat Kommandos, packaged with the kind of sleazy sadomasochistic artwork that quickens the hearts of swastika-porn freaks. Although there's plenty of fetishistic Nazi memorabilia on display and a healthy selection of nude Aryan maidens, anyone expecting another Ilsa, She-Wolf of the SS will be disappointed. During the waning days of World War II, a crack squad of specially trained American privates infiltrates a "golf course and country club" in Germany to steal sensitive battle plans. After overtaking the guards and searching the grounds, the soldiers discover a brothel set up for the Nazi elite, leading to saucy striptease routines and softcore sex romps with the obliging German prostitutes. Unfortunately, the squad's commander has actually arranged this mission to get his own hands on a trunkful of costume jewelry hidden in the cellar, and the complications are deadly. Anyone who's familiar with Hayes' 1972 zero-budget junkie-zombie picture Tomb of the Undead will know just how low-down cheap his productions can appear. The first line of the film ("This isn't home, it's Germany. There's a war on.") is clumsily designed to establish time and setting, but there's no disguising the fact that The Cut Throats is lensed in Southern California. The German soldier uniforms look handmade from black felt and chalk, the Nazi stronghold appears to be an unfinished ranch-style house, and the story conveniently calls for only the smallest possible army squadrons. Cult favorite Uschi Digard pours wine all over herself in a brief appearance, and Hayes regular Marland Proctor is on hand as a sensitive soldier who falls for a clown-faced hooker. And why is that blonde woman carrying an oil painting through the forest? Despite The Cut Throats' considerable quirks, there's too little going on to maintain interest for most viewers. Fans of low-budget WWII films should check out Hayes' more conventional Shell Shock, while those with a Nazi sex fetish are better off with Lee Frost's infamous Love Camp 7.

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The Cut Throats (1969)

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Not For Children

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Feature

directed by

John Hayes

released

1969

run time

80 min.

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by Hal Erickson synopsis

Jay Scott and Joanne Douglas are among the hapless Americans who stumble upon the Cut Throats of the title. Even though we're in the 1980s, the villains are unregenerate Nazis, hidden away in a remote outpost. Also in the vicinity is a fortune in gold. And did we mention all those beautiful, near-naked women? I think we've all seen this one as She Demons (1958).

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