FINAL JUDGMENT
Brad Dourif plays Father Tyrone, a bad-ass priest, who opens the movie by taking down a mugger. "Never pull a knife on anyone, unless you're willing to die, the next vato might have a .38," he says, but he finishes by telling the mugger, "God works in mysterious ways."
Next, Father Tyrone shows up at a stripper's apartment. Her name is Paula, (played by
Kristin Dattilo) and he's here at the behest of her mother, to try to convince her to quit stripping. He says, "Strip joints are designed to degrade women." But she is convinced it's just selling a "fantasy", and it's no different from her posing nude as an artist's model.
Unbeknownst to them both, the artist is lurking... He's listening, and when Father Tyrone leaves, he comes through the window. He tells Paula, "I've finished painting you, and when that happens, it's all over". He pulls out a garrote, and kills her. Father Tyrone hears the struggle, but isn't in time to save her, he only hears her last words, the name "Rob."
Lt. Herb Jefferson arrives, (played by
Isaac Hayes) and insinuates Father Tyrone is a suspect. He was the only one seen entering or leaving her apartment, (the artist came in through the window) can the cops or Father Tyrone find the real killer, before he kills again?
WHAT WORKS:
*Yes, it's over-the-top, but in an entertaining way.
Brad Dourif has great skill playing bizarre or eccentric characters, without it becoming silly. (His speech about the zine family in
La sombra de la noche (1997) his portrayal of serial killer Luther Lee Boggs, in the
Los expedientes secretos X (1993) episode,
Beyond the Sea (1994) or his "Catatonics are sooo easy," speech in
Exorcista III (1990) These are all performances, worthy of viewing.)
*Karen Black does a good job of playing the nutter's mother.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
*The strippers are ALL TERRIBLE! It's not that they're unattractive, but not a one of them knows how to titalate. They could all have used some instruction from real stripper's, because all they do is a bunch of twirling around over and over.
*
Isaac Hayes is wasted here. He had too few scenes, and in them, he seems to be a dullard. He focuses in on Father Tyrone as the only suspect. It would have worked better as a reluctant buddy picture.
*There's a secondary plot line about Father Tyrone's dying mentor, Father O'Shea (played by
Bert Williams). It's not needed, and is seriously bad filler.
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION:
*If you're a fan of '70's drive-in, sexploitation films, you'll probably like this. It's bad, but it's supposed to be bad. It's in on the joke, and the over-the-top performances are part of it.
CLOSING NOTES:
*This is a low budget, straight-to-video movie, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. Straight-to-video movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.
*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.
