Natasha (post-SPECIES) and Jonathon (post-THAT THING YOU DO!) star as an unsuspecting ornithologist and a South African assassin, respectively. She's into birds of prey, and he is one in a manner of speaking. (Hence the title, referring to the species of Peregrine falcon she keeps as a pet, not to mention the unconsummated petting she does with him before he tries to eliminate her.)
I suspect that this is one of those shelved movies that was done well before either one of them became famous, and like any movie of that ilk, it's worth a watch if only to see how the producers try (and don't necessarily succeed) to pass off Toronto and/or Vancouver for NYC.
Natasha looks great, she manages to keep a straight face through the laughable script, (something about an assassination plot against Nelson Mandela and genocide; that's about as coherent as it gets.) The real fun is getting to see her play scenes with Lauren Hutton, who gets to do some over-the-top emoting as Natasha's "nympho-alcoholic-aging hippie" mom.
The irony of watching two former models, one in the twilight of her career and the other just starting hers won't be lost on movie buffs, and director Clifford does keep things moving along quickly enough so that boredom doesn't set in. A good rent on one of those "rent-one-get-one-free" nights when all the copies of LAKE PLACID or DEEP BLUE SEA are already gone.
Those who love Robin Cook/Harold Robbins/Jackie Collins-style potboilers will want to seek this one out, but don't look for a lot of sex amidst the violence, though you do get a titillatingly brief flash of T&A. (For MUCH more from Natasha, you'll have to re-rent SPECIES or SPECIES 2.)
