Movie
Full Exposure: The Sex Tapes Scandal (1989)
Do not be fooled – or put off – by the raunchy title. Despite sounding like a late night softcore flick, this is a TV movie that first aired on the US network NBC in the late 1980s. There’s no nudity except rear shots of Lisa Hartman, though the film did receive an 18 certificate for its UK DVD release. One can only assume this was because the censors didn’t watch the movie or the sex tape video footage – which includes whips and a dominatrix at work – was enough to classify this as adult material.
The plot revolves around the titular sex tapes (actually, one tape in particular) that features powerful men who’d prefer to keep their private affairs secret. After a prostitute is murdered by a masked intruder, the killer is forced to flee when the dead woman’s flatmate returns earlier than expected. One tape gets left behind in the rush, and is clearly something a certain person is prepared to kill for. The foolish friend isn’t deterred by dead bodies since she attempts to auction the footage with the assistance of an adult film producer.
While two bidders are prepared to pay over $100,000 for the footage (a lot of money in 1989), the leather-clad masked killer prefers more direct methods. This leads to the best scene when the intruder busts in on the auction and wastes the competition with a shotgun. One tape recovered, but there’s still another out there, plus some loose ends for the killer to deal with. The two main characters – Lieutenant Thompson and rookie DA Sarah Dutton – attempt to solve the murders, but find their investigation obstructed by an obviously corrupt police chief and judge (both on the tape, no doubt) who clearly don’t want the case solved.
Villainess
Debralee Taft (Jennifer O’Neill)
It doesn’t take long for the investigative duo to discover a connection between the dead prostitute and a modelling agency run by Debralee Taft. Since there was a bidder missing from the auction, it’s quite easy to infer Debralee as either the culprit or being somehow involved in the murders. While Debralee claims to be a legitimate businesswoman, her evasive answers to Thompson’s questions – plus the presence of a hulking bodyguard named Earl – suggest she’s hiding something. After an undercover policewoman is killed investigating Debralee before she even get to the office, Thompson reluctantly agrees to Sarah’s plan to pose as a model to get close to the potential killer.
Debralee makes the list because she’s a somewhat unusual villainess. Instead of the more typical psycho or wealthy woman who lets henchmen do the killing, Debralee is quite prepared to kill people for money and power. And Jennifer O’Neill brings a lot of gravity to her performance, leading to an expected but welcome reveal in the last twenty minutes when Debralee finally catches up with the greedy flatmate. It ends with a fatal shot from a silenced pistol, and the killer in black leather then sets her sights on Sarah who now has the all-important tape.
It’s Thompson to the rescue as Debralee and a shotgun-armed Earl confront Sarah at her house. While never explicitly confirmed by dialogue, it’s likely Debralee was responsible for all the previous murders given her outfit is same worn by the killer and Earl previously voiced his objection to the killing spree. The showdown is rather predicatable, with Earl taken down by Thompson and Sarah coming face to face with the leather clad Debralee. Then there’s a distraction, a chase where the villainess gets off a few shots, and a last moment rescue by the hero.
Video Review
Honourable Mentions
Theme: TV Movies
Weep No More, My Lady (1992) – Judy (Cécile Paoli)
Another TV movie I considered, this thriller has imaginative murders and a mystery killer who wears two masked outfits, but on reflection the pacing is too ponderous with all the exciting parts saved for the final half hour. The plot is based on a novel by Mary Higgins Clark and set in a Parisian chateau, despite a Japenese theme throughout the film, straight from the opening credits – over animated images of Kendo fighters – to martial arts training halls and oriental curtains.
The plot is rather basic with subplots that ultimately go nowhere and characters that seem to exist only to lengthen the runtime to ninety minutes. An actress named Leila (Francesca Annis) is driven to insanity by creepy phone calls, which strains her relationship with her sister Elisabeth (Kristin Scott Thomas) and husband Ted. Leila is visibly upset, so when a scuba diver drowns the actress in a nearby lake everyone assumes she’s simply run away. Except for Elisabeth who’s determined to uncover the truth.
After a slow opening there’s a tense sequence where the Kendo masked killer eliminates a female assistant with a bow and arrow, before the murderess finally reveals herself – and a typical jealous lover motive – to another woman she tries to silence. Then Elisabeth stands in for her dead sister in a movie production, and Judy takes a stunt diver’s place to make one final attempt on the heroine’s life. What should have been an exciting ending is instead an anticlimax, with gloomy underwater action and a weak resolution that has other people come to the rescue.
Ladykillers (1988) – Morganna Ross (Lesley-Anne Down)
This TV movie from the late 80s is difficult to find, so the video review is an average quality broadcast scan with mediocre sound and already dark scenes appearing even gloomier. It’s a novel idea that takes an often used premise and gender flips it, with a plot about a mysterious killer in a blonde wig targeting male strippers at the title nightclub. The opening murder – ultimately the only one – sets the tone, with the assailant using an unusual artist tool to slash a victim performing on stage.
Lieutenant Flannery (Marilu Henner) is a tough homicide cop and the prime suspect a female PR agent who sneaks up on a man taking a shower and pretend strangles him with a scarf. It’s the males who get topless in this film including a mass strip scene at the police station when Flannery and club owner Morganna choose an officer to pose as a dancer. And it just so happens the (un)lucky guy is in a relationship with Flannery – go figure.
After a near miss when the slasher nearly kills a second stripper and a false alarm where the cops collar an innocent patron, an ex-prostitute gives Flannery a valuable lead. In a novel twist it’s the heroine rushing to save a man’s life at the end, leading to Morganna’s reveal as the murderess. The final struggle is above average for a TV thriller, made when actual stunt doubles were used. Furniture gets knocked over as the two women wrestle, before the villainess gets the standard tossed through a window demise.
Action Woman Fan 