Vicious Circles

Set in contemporary Paris, Vicious Circles turns Dangerous Liaisons on its head by turning the dissolute obsessions of the rich against them, for the sake of a legitmate obsession with a just cause.

In order to free her brother from a bum rap that could keep him in prison for a very long time, Andrea ("Andy") becomes a slave in a sex ring that provides film maker, Whitelaw, with the perfect setting with which to satirize the international haut bourgeois world of Paris, which he evokes with astute familiarity.

Unlike most erotic thrillers which hypocritically seem to condemn the sexual

exploitation of women at the same time they use it to titillate the viewer, Vicious Circles reveals a heroine who deliberately contrives her own exploitation in

order to bring down those who imagine themselves her masters.

I only saw the "R-rated" version of this mess, but unless there are many more erotic scenes in the uncut version, I can't imagine it being much better. The video box is most misleading as it promises lots of high class sexual situations. Yeah, right! Lowery is a promising actress and her nude scenes (not enough) are well done but nothing really happens in this movie for about an hour. It's really quite boring.

What could have been a sleazy, yet interesting look at a high-class call-girl ring in Paris turns into a subpar, boring, Made-For-TV bit of tripe, spiced up only occasionally by the tease of Lowery flashing a bit of skin. I'd suggest watching a high-budget porno instead...

Not bad for a B movie. This film involves a rather unique plot involving two lovers who get caught up in a bad situation. Carolyn Lowery is absolutely breathtaking as Andie, the female lead. She must go to work for a high priced,exclusive call girl/white slaver organization to raise money to free her imprisoned lover. As B movies go, it's ahead of the pack with nice editing, sound and angles. The actings not bad either. The MAIN reason to see the movie for skin flick buffs like myself is the enchanting CAROLYN LOWERY. You will not find a more perfect natural body around. Bar none. She has a very smouldering sensuality about her which I would love to see more of in the future. You'll love her work outfit. I guarantee it. Rent it, buy it, or catch it on cable to see this remarkable woman.

This was slightly better than I had anticipated, but the basic plot was a little too routine for my tastes. Individual scenes were often unusual, and this helped to keep me interested, but most of the central developments were obvious and they kept my enjoyment of the movie at a minimum. This movie was certainly a decent time killer, but with a story this routine, I would need some good comedy or exciting action in order to overlook the standard plot.

Paul Hipp is a cook living in Paris with half-sister/lover Carolyn Lowery. He's also deep in debt and wants to open a restaurant in Miami. Ms Lowery is trying to be a model, but having no luck. Hipp tries to get out of debt by being a drug mule for a new super-drug, but is caught and sent to prison. Ms Lowery accepts an invitation to become a member of a ring of well-trained call girls for very wealthy men led by pervy Ben Gazzara. While she works with buttoned-down American diplomat Jerome Asher to try to get Hipp out of prison, his fellow embassy worker Tom Gilroy sees her as an opportunity to bust the ring and and endear himself to the father of one of the ring's girls who was killed.

Because I looked at this movie on Retroplex, I believe it's been censored. Even so, it looks like it would be pretty much of an R rating. Director Sandy Whitelaw tries for a cold, almost clinical air that contrasts with several shocking shots. Despite its well-plotted twists and Gazzara's ability to be creepy on the screen it's essentially a juvenile fantasy.