Blood, Drugs & Libido - Überleben in L.A.

Excellent Movie superb acting A Classic A Must Watch

If you get a chance to catch this obscure movie, you're in for a treat. What could be more fun than a wannabe criminal (Joey Turks) who is too honest to get beyond petty thief, being chased by a gay hit-man and his fat crime boss (Spuntz), being framed by an aging police detective (Hank Dick) for the murder of a low-life trash talking' drug dealer, and as fate would have it, finding the girl of his dreams and falling in love - all on the same day. Nevermind the run-ins with the wannabe-masochist ex boyfriend and the criminal turned philosopher turned daddy... No, Joey has bigger problems! It seems that someone has stolen the entire supply of a new street drug called libido from H. Spunz who is very unhappy. Spunz thinks Joey took the drugs and Detective Dick thinks Joey will lead him to Spunz. All Joey wants to do is get out of town.

This brilliantly-written and superbly cast movie is entertaining from start to finish. The characters are so well conceived that you'll laugh just looking at them. The hit-man (Bart) and ex-boyfriend (Lance) are especially funny. Jennifer Beals (Mona) and Billy Zane (Joey) turn in exceptional performances in their roles. There is a certain sweetness about their fateful meeting and subsequent falling in love amidst the chaos. This movie is great fun - not meant to be taken seriously - entirely enjoyable nonetheless. If you get a chance to rent the video or see it on cable, you're in for a treat!

Although the first ten or fifteen minutes of this video may make you wish you'd rented something a little more fast paced, the rest of the film will leave you hungry for more. The quirky humor of this movie is a very unique treat, much in the vein of The Blues Brothers.

The movie is set in a surreal Los Angeles. Our hero, Joey Turks, is a poor excuse for a car thief, who wishes he was a lounge singer (his biggest hero is Frank Sinatra). This in a movie that came out BEFORE being retro-loungelizard was hip. Joey gets caught up in the murder of a drug dealer and some stolen drugs. He is used as a pawn by the police and the nefarious criminal kingpin, but all he wants is to get out of his life of crime and settle down with his new girl, Mona.

This is dark comedy at its finest.

I've always liked Billy Zane and the parts he plays. Sometimes offbeat, other times erratic, but he always has fun with them. And this tight little flick is no exception. This film reminds me of one of those curious "Indy" movies that comes along every now and then with no particular aim in mind other than to entertain. Granted, the plot has been done before, but it's the characters and the actors portraying them that makes this movie enjoyable. Jennifer Beals looks great, plays her part to perfection, and was surprisingly good singing a haunting rendition of "One Girl In A Million."

This film is a true sleeper. It's on late-night cable a lot, so there must be some recognition of its merits, considering it is such an old film. In a nutshell, this is pure LA noir, with crazy characters, crazy circumstances, and a lot of weirdness goin' on. The cast is superb, with Billy Zane striking just the right note, Darren McGavin turning in a hilarious performance, and the ageless and beautiful Jennifer Beals playing a subdued but nuanced part. (Kudos also to Harry Shearer, for a great cameo.) This film is truly a keeper, full of little moments that are funnier on reflection. (E.g., Bart starts to get amorous, so Joey all of a sudden starts concentrating on his dinner...hilarious.) Great entertainment.