Frederick Friedel's 1972 thriller, originally called Lisa, Lisa ( certainly a more apt title ) was renamed Axe by shrewd distributor Harry Novak hoping to put more bums on seats with a more visceral title and a lurid advertising campaign "Little Lisa Took An Axe, Gave Her Captors Forty Whacks", whilst it may have done the trick it actually does the film a disservice, far from being a sadistic revenge flick, or a video nasty ( as it was branded in the U.K during the 80's) it is actually a quietly unnerving little film that says more in it's silence than in it's (admittedly) awkward dialogue.
Three convicts on the run seek sanctuary in a remote farmhouse inhabited by the titular Lisa, and her disabled grandfather, the convicts (bar one) begin to enjoy tormenting their hosts, until the quiet mysterious Lisa begins to turn the tide.
It all sound very familiar (particularly in the field of independent films from the 1970's) but Axe stands apart from it's more brutish companions, certainly not as laden with grue nor filled to the brim with sexual violence, Axe might just be pulling the wool over the eyes of it's audience, particularly with the character of Lisa. As played by Leslie Lee, she initially seems a shy, naive country girl, but there is something else going on, her grandfather though totally dependant on Lisa seems more terrified of her than of the more obvious threat posed by their visitors, in a clever move, this back story is never expanded upon leaving the audience, much like the three convicts totally unprepared for how things will unfold.
The film is paced with little consideration for those expecting a cheap thrill, even given it's short running time Axe is more concerned with tension and atmosphere than quick cutting and blood letting, and with it's character relationships it is more akin to a Southern Gothic than a Penny Dreadful, the photography more interested in capturing a unique angle or dramatic shard of light or shadow, than simply showing what is taking place, in fact at times it appears as if Axe may just be a slide show with added voice over, this could of course be just down to a lack of time on location, a need to shoot fast and ask questions later, but this is the wonder of cinema that appears beneath the radar, a refusal to play by the rules, and like the film makers themselves we, the audience must be prepared to ignore cinematic dogma, either that or go back to watching The A-Team.
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