Pieces Review

• 25th Aug 2011

Once in a blue moon a film comes along that simply leaves you utterly speechless and I can say without any doubt in my mind, Juan Piquer Simón Pieces is one of those. Released in 1982 at the height of the slasher craze this Spanish produced film well and truly cashed in on the public’s new found love of young naked girls being hacked apart.

As the trailer confirms you really don’t have to go to Texas for a chainsaw massacre just sit back and enjoy this exploitation masterpiece. The narrative, what there is of it, involves a slightly messed up young boy and his need to emulate Frankenstein via the use of his trusty chainsaw. His killing spree takes place across a college campus in America as young girls fail to notice a massive man dressed all in black carrying an enormous chainsaw. One killing takes place on the college lawn in the middle of the day and still nobody seems to notice.

Pieces and the concept of logic never at any point go hand in hand as the narrative is utterly ridiculous. The opening sequence set in 1942 according to the title card actually involves a push button phone at one point which really does sum up the production values. This film was made specifically for the grindhouse market and the only question that seems largely unanswered to this day is how much of the now humorous content was actually intended.

The documentaries included on the DVD thankfully point to audiences even in 1982 finding Pieces to be utterly hilarious. The violence is strong and beautifully shot for the most part which gives it an undoubted edge but the acting and the dialogue are amazingly bad. The highlight of the film comes during the so-called tennis tournament that must without a doubt be the worst sporting contest of all time captured on film. Both protagonists are the worst tennis players you could ever wish to see and seem incapable of even hitting the ball over the net. This sequence could only have been meant for comic purposes as nobody in his right mind would film this and be content with the footage.

In stark contrast to all the hilariously awful content you then get some astoundingly beautiful death scenes that seem to have crept in from another film. The sequence that involves a girl being stabbed to death on a water bath is something straight out of top level Argento. The combination of water the movement of the bed and the close up of the shining blade are beautifully assembled by the editor.

Pieces as a film is hard to fully describe as it moves from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again so many times. Just as you think you’ve seen it all the closing sequence of the film will most probably leave you speechless. Logic seems to have left the building and gone on an extended holiday as a newly stitched cadaver seems to have a taste for male genitals. This could possibly be the greatest exploitation film ever in that it throws everything plus the kitchen sink at the screen. At one point they even decided to introduce a z-grade Bruce Lee rip-off lasting about sixty seconds. Pieces really does go that extra mile that other mondo / exploitation films fear to tread.

Arrow has now become the prime suppliers of Cult Classics in the UK on DVD providing high quality prints and presentation all in one glorious package. Having never heard of Pieces before in my life I cannot fully explain how happy this release has made me. The documentaries on the disc easily explain why this film is seen as an epic within the cult world and no doubt anyone wise enough to purchase this will feel the same. Whether the comedy content in the film is deliberate or not, really doesn’t matter as the film exists no matter how it came about. Safe to say that no matter how many crazy-assed horror film from the 1980’s you’ve seen Pieces is guaranteed to make an impression.

Aled Jones