Post by lostinlimbo on Apr 26, 2018 16:43:09 GMT
With a title like Fatal Beauty starring the very talented Whoopi Goldberg (where originally the role was linked to Cher to be directed by John Milius), would you believe me if I told you this was a searing crime film of a L.A. undercover narcotics detective tracking down a drug-dealer selling a lethal, tainted substance of cocaine known as 'Fatal Beauty'. Probably not, but this is far from a straight-up comedy, despite some humorous exchanges and the comic quirks of its lead star in what’s virtually the female version of Beverly Hills Cop.
What’s laid out is an anti-drug message, thick on theatrics and excessive violence, which can be forceful and visually jarring. Sometimes even the dialogues can be questionable. However a fitting Goldberg portrays a female version of Dirty Harry crossed Axel Foley with her wisecracks, undercover gear and flaunting a pink Cadillac to show her lighter side. She goes about her job in a rogue manner; getting on the bad side of her bosses (played with vigour by John P Ryan) and waging a personal war against a Los Angeles drug ring. Brad Dourif plays one of the middle-men, a smarmy drug dealer and he brings a real mean intensity, although I wished he had more screen time than he had. But he does get an explosive climatic cat-and-mouse shootout with Goldberg. Wonder if this performance convinced Holland to use him for his following feature Childs Play? Yep that's right, Tom Holland (coming off his directorial debut Fright Night) directs this straight-laced, violent formula with predictable results. Still he manages to keep it moving with fineness, using LA locations to good effect and resourceful in delivery of the tough action in spades.
Acting across from Goldberg is Sam Elliott, but his weakly pitched character (bodyguard of a wealthy drug smuggler) is little more than a distraction from the main story. Still the chemistry, while not always seamless when the two are “trying” to be affectionate, sometimes showed a vulnerability to Goldberg’s character whenever they shared the screen. Those moments felt important to establishing her unsettled character than trying to move the story forward, although some of their intimate scenes were cut. Also in the cast are Ruben Blades and Harris Yulin. While not perfect, Fatal Beauty is enjoyable fodder largely to Goldberg and her supporting cast.
