Ramrod's path of destruction leads the Hollywood Vice Unit, lead by one Gary Swanson. This is a role where he displays degrees of empathy, and a vicious prioritization of job over humanity that when put together lead to a good illustration of his dichotomy. Ramrod becomes his night's agenda, as he brutally beats to death future MTV Veejay Nina Blackwood at the film's outset. Ramrod's a wily one, escaping incarceration at one point to continue his murderous trail of mayhem through the night. He ends up attempting to seduce and take into his pimpdom a prostitute named "Princess", a single mother trying make some sort of life. Little does he know Princess is wired up. That leads to the beginning of the manhunt.
The role of Princess is played by the former Mrs. Kurt Russell and she's incredible. People talk about what kind of hell Stanley Kubrick put Shelley Duvall through, a sort of psychological torture. Well, Sherman puts Mrs. Hubley through a physical nightmare and her performance is hard to forget. It's a shame low-budget sleaze faire like Vice Squad suffers from poor dialogue and even worse acting from supporting characters, because Season Hubley's performance is sad, tortured, angry, rebellious, strong and sympathetic; deserving of acknowledgement, if not hardware.
The Neon 80's is beautifully shot by one John Alcott, veteran of many Stanely Kubrick films, and with that pedigree, a few others one would be surprised he did. This is some great nighttime shooting, like low budget Michael Mann. The action sequences pack intensity and speed, the stuntwork looks like people engaging in dangerous activity instead of stunts. Pretty convincing stuff; the film works.
As a kid, I probably shouldn't have been watching this sex and violence riddled affair, but it wasn't the first, and certainly wouldn't be the last. Outside of a few uncomfortable scenes, not a lot stuck with me other than the anticipation of seeing it. But the payoff is still locked in my mind.
And yes, it is worth it.
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