Stiletto Dance

"Stiletto Dance" is all about Roberts as a deep cover cop who's inclined to go so "deep" even his own partner doesn't trust him. His mission is to stop Russian mob heavies from getting some red mercury which they need to make a nuclear bomb to nuke Americans. The film features the usual sensationalism (babes, shootouts, blood & guts, brawls, etc.) but fails to distinguish itself even in the B-movie category. Ultimately it plays out like a bad Seagal or Van Damme flick. Only for the most macho-minded couch potatoes. (D+)

I like Eric Roberts and found this DVD on eBay cheap so I figured I would give it a try.

This is a violent movie - so, not for everyone. But, it is well-acted enough for my tastes and the story never lost my interest. The villan (Anton) is easy to hate. Eric Roberts character is easy to like but he's rough around the edges.

The action is not predictable - at least it wasn't for me, and that makes watching fun.

It's no blockbuster epic but it is worth watching. Without Eric Roberts this would not be as good but with him, it's kicked up a notch.

I could go into detail but why since there are already over 8 reviews. The main point here is this: the "love interest" of Eric Roberts, I think her name was Melani (the Russsian). That is the most beautiful female actress I've seen in a long time. I looked on IMDb about here and she has done a few Hollywood movies but mostly foreign. What a goddess! Figures most U. S. film makers pass her over in favor of waif looking types like Gwynth Paltrow or others. It is funny how movies in the B category can be so amusing and maybe more entertaining then mainstream movies with their audience tested material aimed at real big sized homogeneous audiences. some of them lose me. Not this one.

Undercover New York police officers Eric Roberts (as Kit Adrian) and Romano Orzari (as Jay Flowers) go up against a ruthless Russian mafia, pretending to work for bleached-blond crime lord Shawn Doyle (as Anton Seaberg). Mr. Roberts invites even more danger by sleeping with the enemy's estranged wife, luscious Lucie Laurier (as Lena). This film's obvious intent is to bring female flesh and human blood to the home box office crowd, without resorting to anything hard-core. The female flesh is real, and the human blood is fake. On a cheap blood and guts level, "Stiletto Dance" is successful. Mr. Orzari and Yaphet Kotto (as Captain Sands) provide star Roberts with solid support. But, it's really Mr. Doyle's characterization of the temperamental bad guy, who keeps it moving.

**** Stiletto Dance (6/8/01) Mario Azzopardi ~ Eric Roberts, Shawn Doyle, Romano Orzari, Lucie Laurier

Though I found the story of this movie to not be so original, it at least was competently told and paced, which automatically makes this effort better than many made-for-video movies. And even though it was low budget, the production values were quite good. The best thing about the movie was the performances, particularly Eric Roberts, who really gets to prove here he is a really good actor, unlike the usual junk he's unfortunately saddled with. Just don't expect a fast-paced rat-tat-tat actioner, and this movie will be satisfying.