The Last Seduction II

It's possibly the worst I've movie I've ever seen.

Joan Severance (Bridget Gregory) is completely devoid of sex appeal - a quality fairly crucial to the role - and does little more than smoke throughout every scene. Con O'Neill (Troy Fenton) made me want to vomit for the duration; yes, he's supposed to be a repulsive character but it was a little too literal. Beth Goddard (Murphy) was weak, although she was the only character with any sort of sexual allure, and I'm not even going to bother commenting on the rest of the characters.

The story lines are predictable, the portrayal of the British as being nothing more than common thugs is offensive, and the whole thing should come with a health-warning. Literally.

The only seductive element about this twaddle was the title which leads one to hope that the film might have some connection with the original.

The connection is there alright in the central character but that's about it. The plot line is pretty well unfathomable and the acting generally wooden. The decision to 'European-ise' the whole thing and import B-list English actors ( who have all been seen in much better things and really need to change their agents) is a disaster. Even a couple of bursts of gratuitous violence are badly done and every character in it lacks any form of credibility. The two female leads flash their stocking tops but still manage to generate no more than a fraction of the eroticism that Linda Fiorentino could have done in the original wearing a heavy overcoat and a ski hat. Suitable only for film students who really want to know what 'awful' really looks like.

Whereas I thought the original 'Last Seduction' didn't quite make the mark, I found that this sequel just barely does. This is the opposite reaction of many people to the two films, so take it with however many grains of salt you wish.

'LS II' is mostly set in Barcelona, which provides some nice location shots, something the film could have used more of. Joan Severance steps into the role of con woman Bridget Gregory this time around. With her hair dyed jet-black, she successfully takes on the character's persona, which basically means looking ultra-cool and acting as if the world is giving her a bad case of ennui when she's not pulling a scam on someone. Beth Goddard plays the capable English bounty hunter who is hired to find her and bring her back to answer to the people she wronged in the first film. These women both seem to live by the same golden rule: Do unto to others before they get their chance.

These two women are the most interesting characters, but neither one is very likeable. The men in this flick are such sleazeballs that you won't mind anything that happens to them. If I had to make a choice, I'd give the film a "thumbs up," but not an enthusiastic one.

One other note: If you are trying to stop smoking, maybe this isn't the best movie for you right now. Severance's character lights a cigarette about every three minutes.

The original Last Seduction with Linda Fiorantino was a delight.

This sequel watching Linda Severance smoking in every scene and trying to look tough made me think of her health status. After about 20 minutes I gave up and went for a walk with me dog.

I really wish I could give this movie lower than one star. It is an insulting follow-up to one of the best modern films noir ever made. I was initially intrigued when I saw the title, and I expected an ample follow-up to Bridget Gregory's antics. I was sorely disappointed to see none of the original cast in the credits, but persevered nonetheless; maybe it still had merit, I hoped. My disappointment spiraled downward to mild anger that anyone would waste time making such an offensively inferior "sequel" as this one. It really was soft-core porn; I fully expected the two women with larger roles to contrive some way to get it on. Ugh.

I wonder if the actors in this one can salvage their careers?