A Time to Die

In A Time To Die, Traci Lords proves that she's more than a rocking bod, long blonde tresses, a bee-sting pout, and a willingness to please: she can act too. Unfortunately, her efforts go to waste, the film being a tepid piece of forgettable '90s straight-to-video trash that makes one wish that Traci hadn't gone all respectable (no sign of any T&A here, folks, at least not from Traci).

Traci plays Jackie, photographer and mother, whose wrongful arrest for possession of drugs (it was her model's) resulted in her losing custody of her son. When Jackie photographs corrupt, cocaine-snorting cop Lt. Eddie Martin (Robert Miano) committing murder, she sees an opportunity to get her kid back, using the pictures as a bargaining tool. In doing so, she puts her life in danger.

With much of the film dedicated to Jackie's romance with lawman Frank (Jeff Conaway), this weak movie is more daytime soap than edgy thriller. Director Charles T. Kanganis lifeless execution means that the film drags from one dull scene to another, and even a surfeit of cheesy '90s style (smoke and blue light) cannot hide the fact that this one is a stinker. The final act, in which Jackie gets trigger happy, livens things up a bit, although Frank's sudden character arc is a little tough to swallow.

3.5 out of 10, rounded down to 3 for a truly terrible turn by Gino Dentie as angry pimp Jinx.

When it comes to direct to video, 99 out of a hundred are disasters, but every once in awhile, something entertaining surfaces from the video muck. Such a film is "A Time To Die". The film is far from perfect, needing much tighter editing, in the first half especially regarding Lord's and Conway's pseudo romance. Portions with Lord's Son play like daytime drama, and these diversions drag considerably. Nevertheless, when things get going in the second half, there is action, some crisper editing, and the pace picks up nicely. The acting is totally acceptable for a B movie, along with some rather pleasing night photography. The film has very little nudity, and zero for Tracy Lords, perhaps leading to the low IMDB rating. The movie eventually twists into a totally unpredictable whopper ending. Recommended of it's type. - MERK

Jackie (Lords) is a fashion photographer who accidentally witnesses and photographs a murder. Her new boyfriend is a policeman. In the past she has been set-up for cocaine possession that stops her seeing her son. She tries to clear her name and uncovers corruption in the police force.

Traci Lords is one of the better actors in this film. She is often regarded as a bit of a joke after making the transition from porn to straight to video B-Movies, but she has proven herself to be reliably bankable and a cult favourite. Jeff Conaway and Robert Miano are a bit corny and not totally convincing, but ok for the role. Richard Roundtree is hugely enjoyable as the police chief and looks like he is having fun, while lending a bit of star power to the film.

This is a bog standard B-movie action film. Okay production values which neither look cheap or big budget, decent acting and a mediocre script. Sadly those expecting an action fest will be disappointed. There are some violent shoot outs, a bit of martial arts and a few explosions, but these are brief and not very exciting. This came on the back of sexy thrillers like No Way Out and Body Double, if you are expecting a lot of sex you will be disappointed. There's some nudity and a fairly lengthy sex scene, but nothing special.

That said for a B-movie it is worth a watch and back in the day it would be worth a rental, but it's nothing special or stand out.

Censorship: The film was classified 18 uncut in the UK for VHS and DVD. It would still be 18 today due to cocaine use, some bloody violence and a lengthy sex scene with topless nudity.

Despite the cover and the title, "A Time To Die" is not an outright action film; it's more of a drama with action elements. I have to admit it surprised me a bit with its relaxed pacing, its fairly ambitious (if not totally unpredictable) script, its quirky sense of humor, and its emphasis on the characters. There are some outrageous contrivances (especially the never-seen-before "best friend" who gets mistaken for the heroine at one point), and the abrupt ending leaves the fates of some characters unclear. But Traci Lords is very appealing here, and Richard Roundtree is highly amusing as the loud police captain. **1/2 out of 4.

"Jackie" (Traci Lords) is a photographer who was recently convicted for possession of cocaine and as a result was required to spend 400 hours of community service at the police station. To make things even worse, she also lost custody of her young son "Kevin" (Jesse Thomas) in a subsequent divorce proceeding. It's during this time that she meets a police detective by the name of "Frank" (Jeff Conaway) who is also divorced and because of their similar situation become romantically involved to a certain extent. Unfortunately, things become much worse for Jackie when she photographs a police lieutenant named "Eddie" (Robert Miano) in the act of murder and now she becomes a target as well. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film had some solid actors for the most part but the plot got bogged down rather quickly and didn't really regain any traction for most of its duration. Admittedly, Traci Lords performed adequately but even so she wasn't able to enliven this rather dull film on her own and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.