Release of a Graphic ‘Henry’

THIS WEEK’S MOVIES

Sometimes, a movie can work too well.

Maybe that’s what happened with “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.” Just out this week on video, the controversial drama looks at murder from the viewpoint of the murderer. That angle was too graphic for the MPAA, which slapped an X rating on the 1989 release.

One result: severely limited theatrical release. Directed by John McNaughton and starring Michael Rooker, “Henry” will probably be seen by many more people as a cassette. However, even MPI, the home-video company releasing the tape version (for $79.98), is recommending that the film not be seen by anyone under 17 without the approval of an adult.

Other recent films new to video this week:

* “Last of the Finest” (Orion, 1990, $89.98, R). If you enjoyed Brian Dennehy in the current theatrical release “Presumed Innocent,” then you might like to check him out as a narcotics officer who uncovers corruption in high places. John Mackenzie (“The Long Good Friday”) directed.

* Speaking of “The Long Good Friday,” its star, Bob Hoskins, made his directing debut with “The Raggedy Rawney” (Cannon, 1990, $89.95, R), an offbeat film about an army deserter who gets mixed up with a band of gypsies after disguising himself as a woman. The cast is led by Hoskins and Dexter Fletcher.

* “Vital Signs” (CBS/Fox, 1990, $89.98, R) stars Jimmy Smits, Diane Lane, Laura San Giacomo and Adrian Pasdar in a drama about medical students.

* “Dr. Caligari” (SGE, 1989, $89.98, R). “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” gets another surreal reworking, this time by Stephen Sayadian, who directed the equally bizarre “Cafe Flesh.”

If none of those tapes are sleazy enough for the sleazoids out there, then they might like to see what’s being offered by a video company called (no kidding) The Sleaziest Movies in the History of the World. Hosted by semi-famous alternative journalist and B-movie expert Joe Bob Briggs, the select masterpieces ($19.95 each and MPAA unrated) include:

* “Bad Girls Go to Hell” (1965). A young woman takes a bite out of the Big Apple, and gets bit back. Directed by Doris Wishman.

* “She Devils on Wheels” (1968). Man-hating female bikers, as portrayed by infamous exploitation-film director Herschell Lewis.

* “Deadly Weapons” (1970). Another Doris Wishman epic, this time starring “Chesty” Morgan as a woman at war with rotten, dirty gangsters.