I LOVE TO KILL (1974)

CHARLIE’S REVIEW (cont'd):

The plan is progressing smoothly, and then Karate Pete shows up. He is a burly Hawaiian-looking guy who has had prior dirty dealings with Shatner. Karate Pete just kind of sits there in Shatner’s hotel room, glaring. It seems as if he isn’t a professional actor, as his manner is so stilted and he barely speaks (I was reminded of the character Thong in The Blade Master). Eventually, Pete does demand some money from Shatner; his speaking broke the mysterious aura and lowered my regard for the character.

Thankfully, Karate Pete redeems himself. Shatner and his Hawaiian acquaintance have a late night meeting planned, with the car wash parking lot serving as the rendezvous point. Karate Pete pulls up in his majestic RV, a 1970s’ dream vehicle that is emblazoned with his very own “Karate Pete” logo on the side. This gets him major style points. Little does Pete know, but Shatner is setting him up for the kill. Pete walks over toward the office building, only to have Shatner toss a noose off the roof and around Pete’s neck. Creative and exciting! Shatner yanks and yanks, nearly killing Pete. After the hanging fails to finish the job, Shatner chases poor Karate Pete through the fully operating car wash before running him over. Unbeknownst to Shatner, Tina has been stowed away in his car’s back seat during the entire ordeal. She now knows that Shatner loves to kill.

But will Tina’s mom believe her? Tina has been jealous of Shatner’s demands on her mother’s time, so she has motive to try and concoct stories about him. Shatner, of course, knows this, and cleverly manipulates the mom. Bravo to the screenwriter for including such awesome Shatner vs. Tina scenes. This conflict manages to be both intense and hilarious, and it holds the final third of the movie together. When Tina repeatedly tells Shatner “you’re crazy” and he repeatedly replies, “no, you’re crazy,” you know you’re in good hands.

I Love to Kill is fast-paced and consistently hilarious. High marks for Shatner and Tina. I’d watch it again in a second.