Descente aux enfers

In their harsh world, the regulars on the Boulevard engage in a minute to minute struggle against each other. The story presents action and reaction, with no intellectual depth or analysis. The Boulevard boasts a selection of hookers, drag queens, junkies, pimps, cops, murderers and rapists, all mistrusting each other, all dangerously defensive. Despite this, the most violent and sexually explicit scenes are those of Jennifers flashbacks to her messy past, before she came to the Boulevard. Jennifer lands homeless after a series of traumatic events; she's just given birth, adopted her baby out, run away from her abusive partner, and given up all her money for a bus ticket to Toronto. A local working girl feels sorry for her so takes her in. Performance ranks as one of the better features of Boulevard. I've never seen Kari Wuhrer play a part so well. Lance Henriksen and Lou Diamond Phillips were damn memorable. Hahah. The quality of the film crashes when it comes to relationship development. Broad insults, verbal abuse, sex and physical violence sum up almost all character interaction. Even the budding 'love' between Jennifer and Ola seemed more like a convenient, mutually-rewarding 'arrangement'. The ugly ending only exemplified Boulevard as one of the cheaply effective 90's-classic tragedy genre. But still, quite good.

Not since "Ramrod", Wings Hauser, in the ultra violent "Vice Squad" (1982), has a pimp been more memorable than the sadistic "Hassan", played with gusto by Lou Diamond Phillips, in "Boulevard" (1994). This film is the real deal, with Kari Wuhrer playing a small town girl on the run from her abusive boyfriend. Winding up in the Toronto "red light district" , she is befriended by a sympathetic prostitute (Rae Dawn Chong), while being pursued by the pimp and her old boyfriend. Lance Henriksen is a vice detective who tries to keep things from getting out of control on the hooker infested streets. This is without question one of the best exploitation movies dealing with pimps and ho's, and makes something like "Angel" (1984) seem like Disneyland. - MERK

There's some nice cinematography and atmosphere. The film makes you feel the cold of the Toronto streets where the prostitutes ply their trade. It has a nice streets of the city, Scorsese "Taxi Driver" atmosphere.

Unfortunately the characters, despite some nice acting by the cast, are pretty one dimensional. They are constantly doing things that are required by the script, but make no sense. For example, why does the lead character Jennifer stand freezing on a street after arriving in Toronto instead of getting help? Why does she go with a pimp (Lou Diamond Philips) who she has seen abusing women, including her best friend, Ola. Why does her best friend, Ola, befriend the prostitutes on the street, but not report the pimp to the police when he kills a prostitute? Why does the pimp kill the prostitute? Why does the cop threaten to kill the pimp whom he knows is a murderer, but does not arrest him? Why does a ticket seller for Greyhound tell a psychotic looking boyfriend which bus she has taken, when he can just say, "I don't remember." The answer is that they are following a script that makes them all look stupid at every turn.

The movie's solution to the prostitution problems it raises is simple. Prostitutes and abused girlfriends should get guns and kill their tormentors. Police should just turn a blind eye when this happens.

Three stars for the cinematography and acting. Zero for everything else.

Kari Wuhrer immediately gives up her new-born child to adoption and runs away from her abusive lover in this dark and bleak mess. Life on the streets of Toronto is tough though and she falls in with sadistic pimp Lou Diamond Phillips and psychologically tortured prostitute Rae Dawn Chong. The plot, what little there is, thickens when detective Lance Henriksen starts going after Phillips for killing one of his charges and Wuhrer's boyfriend starts a fevered search for her. The shoe-string production tries to intrigue by having somewhat notable names and then adding lots of violence and sexual situations. One of those films that should be avoided completely. Nothing to recommend here. Turkey (0 stars out of 5).

Lou Diamond Phillips and Rae Dawn Chong, two players known for three names, star in this Canadian production about a woman fleeing from her abusive husband and winding up on the mean streets of Toronto. But neither Lou or Rae is playing that part. Oh come now, Lou Diamond Phillips did do drag in Hollywood Homicide.

Kari Wuhrer plays that part the abused woman fleeing from a real loser of a husband in Joel Bissonette. But before long after she arrives in Toronto, Kari's got reason to think about that old saying concerning the devil you know. She makes the acquaintance of prostitute Rae Dawn Chong who is a street prostitute and pretty soon she'll be required to join the stable of pimp Lou Diamond Phillips. He's far worse than the wife beating husband she fled from.

The saving grace is her relationship with Chong as the two of them discover they've got more feelings for each other than the abusive men they've known.

In fact other than Toronto cop Lance Henriksen the men in this film are one scurvy sampling of the species.

The players all do fine in their roles, especially Phillips who has done the dark side in a few of his movies. Lou was never darker in any film however than he is in Boulevard.

I'd like to say that Boulevard was a serious film about lesbianism because Chong and Wuhrer are a touching couple. But this is a movie that will be far better appreciated at Hooters than at any women's film festival.