Vice Squad: Descente aux enfers

Here's one B movie, I must say did one better then I thought it would. The cat and mouse plot, throughout with many a turning points, makes it an electrifying movie, and scary mainly due to Hauser's pimp, Ramrod, an unforgettable masterpiece of evil, at times his presence is almost choking and unbearable. He is so SCARY! Good hearted cop, Swanson, Hauser's one true enemy, uses pro, Hubley (the young lass from Hardcore) to set up Hauser, after he beat up one of his girl's so bad, she didn't make it. Hubley trying to make enough money to support her little girl, her reason for flocking to the city of dreams. Swanson is so likable, you'll be rooting for him, to take care of Hauser, even though personally, Hauser's one of my favorite actors. When he escapes a cop car, thanks to two "Not much up there cops", he has only one mission, hence the plot of this very effective action piece drama. If have not videe'd this one, track it down. It rises about the sleaze, and does have a funny scene near the end with Hubley and one of her tricks. Such a talented and dramatic actress, Hardcore a prime example, Hubley was another actress who went off the radar. Although there are clichéd moments between cop and pro, Vice Squad has a solid, hard on quality about it. It's a well made compact drama, worth it's time in viewing.

Let me start out by saying you just GOTTA love any movie sporting a theme song called "Neon Slime." One of the best B-Movies of the 80s. This is a great guilty pleasure type of movie, well acted, solidly directed, and very handsomely photographed for such trash, with occasional unintentionally funny dialogue. There are plenty of cliches in the "life is Hell on the streets of L.A." storyline, but director Gary Sherman keeps the pace fast, tough and violent and gets colorful performances from even the minor supporting characters. Wings Hauser makes the chief baddie, a sadistic, psychotic pimp by the name of Ramrod a real piece of work. He's right up there with other classic movie villains such as Scorpio in "Dirty Harry" and Bruce Dern's Longhair in "The Cowboys." He's truly a scumbag you'll LOVE to HATE!

Note of trivia: Incidentally, Gary Swanson (as the lead cop hot on Ramrod's trail) beat Clint Eastwood to the punch by nearly two years when he uttered the line "Go ahead...make my day" to the pimp on an initial capture in one scene.

I enjoyed this film. Wings Hauser is so good and has such presence. When you watch him, as Ram Rod, you hate him. This film is taut and gritty. It captured street life, perfectly. I like the fact that the film doesn't linger on morality. It had quite a nihilistic feel to it. There's one particular scene, in which Season Hubley is at a bar talking 'shop' with her fellow hookers. It was a scene of pure honesty. Some women do what they've got to do to make a living and there's nothing wrong with it.

Wings Hauser plays a crazed pimp, Ram Rod, who loves to punish his hookers by torturing them to death. Gary Swanson, plays a determined vice cop out to stop this psycho. When Hubley's best friend is killed by Hauser, she is blackmailed, by Swanson, to go undercover to bring this psycho pimp down.

This film had such a relentless pace and it puts you on the edge of your seat. This is the type of film that graced the screens at 'The Deuce', during it's hey-day. It's a forgotten gem, an exploitation classic.

Gary Sherman's "Vice Squad" is all show, but powerfully biting and sordid exploitation of the seedy strip of Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard when the sun finally goes down. For such luridly unpleasant context, the film manages to amuses with rousing suspense, sharply-witted (if foul) script and its authentically raw atmosphere. Even the performances figure prominently. Wing Hauser deservedly dominates the limelight as the frighteningly, aggressive pimp Ramrod. His turn is that of pure spontaneous and nightmarish intensity. Truly hard to forget. Gary Swanson's courageously humane performance as Detective Walsh, the leader of the 'Vice squad' is downright solid, and there's a confidently brassy and strong-willed go-it-alone portrayal by Season Hubley as the prostitute Princess that Ramrod is after for setting him up. The support cast racks up recognizable bit players (Pepa Serna, Beverly Todd, Maurice Emanuel, Nina Blackwood, Michael Ensign, Cheryl Smith, Fred Berry and the list goes on) of rich characterisations. Sherman's sensationally gripping direction doesn't let up or beat around the bush, as he cranks up the energy and brutality. Still there's a slickly professional manner about it, and cinematographer John Alcott shots it with great ticker, and stylish verve. The screeching rock title track "Neon Slime" sung by Hauser sets the tone, and the saucy score has a feverish pitch that enhances the downbeat atmosphere and daring intensity.

I didn't see this movie until 1984 when it was an added feature to "Angel" at the Parkway Drive-In here in Toronto. After reading all of the comments of this movie, it's nice to see that other people appreciate fine 'B' movies as myself. I have this movie on VHS, but like the other reviewers have stated, it would be nice to see this movie released on DVD someday. It has a riveting storyline, and great performances by all the actors involved. It even features ex-MTV VJ Nina Blackwood as a desperate hooker trying to get away from the clutches of a psycho pimp named Ramrod, played by Wings Hauser. This movie has a gritty atmosphere to it which makes the story believable. Season Hubley plays Princess, a streetwise hooker with call girl attributes. She works with the police to try and rid the streets of Ramrod. This movie has been largely forgotten by most people, but for me it will always be a prized addition to my video library!