Dangerous Touch

This is a classic 2:30am Cinnimax flick that makes you laugh when you're not supposed to laugh. Lou Diamond Phillips comes out of nowhere to seduce an attractive Sex Therapist into situations that she talks about with her patients on a daily basis. Kate Vernon is hot which keeps the movie going, yet the cheese sets in as the plot starts to unravel. As far as the directorial debut of L.D.P, it's hard to judge his work since the majority of the shots are in the bedroom. There are some funny lines in this movie, yet I don't think they are supposed to be funny. I would recommend somebody to watch this movie, only if he/she has a decent sense of humor. Very dirty in a good kind of way and a plot that doesn't make you think to much.

...is so weird for me to think of! Although it seems almost pornographic at times, given the context of the lead's profession(sex therapist)and the fiery relationship with LDP, I grew up on this movie. I kept finding it on HBO when I was like 8...on vacation in motel rooms, at our house when HBO mysteriously started appearing for free and we didn't complain. And I taped it one night, and then watched it a few other times. It's an odd childhood favorite, LOL, but it's up there on my list with The Little Mermaid, Jurassic Park, and E.T. =) It's a good movie for a lazy Sunday in bed with your lover/spouse bc the plot is somewhat interesting and entertaining, both leads are fairly attractive, and it will almost certainly encourage sex to occur before the credits role. Don't expect miracles from this movie, but it's worth a look. Not what I would classify as 'family viewing'!!

Obviously, somebody's been attending the Joe Esztherhas (sp?) School of Screenwriting. Oh, it's not too tough to see why Lou wanted to do this flick...with Kate Vernon as his co-star; what horny, red-blooded actor wouldn't? But even with the few interesting plot twists this offers above the usual soft-core porn cable fodder, this one still makes you feel like you need to spray your TV screen with Lysol afterwards.

Vernon is a talk-show sex therapist who counsels listeners by day, then medicates herself by night with a plethora of anonymous sexual encounters, (we can only assume she does it a lot, because we only get to see one of them, and on-screen sex never looked so simulated. Physician, heal thyself, indeed!)

Of course, the Usual Thing In Sexual Thrillers happens: she is accosted at a book signing by the 'mysterious' Phillips, who also shadows her to the home of a close friend, (benefactor or hanger-on, it's never made very clear), where they also have their First Monumental Encounter.

She's left a little embarassed but turned on at how he left her and how well he seems to know what she likes, blah, blah, blah, the routine stuff. Then at their next meeting, things take a surprising and potentially nasty turn, but to say just how would spoil one of the few surprises the film has to offer.

As a cross between Dr. Ruth and Dr. Laura, (without the latter's hypocritical moralizing) in the body of a Playboy model, Vernon gives the role what depth she can, but this is definitely Lou's baby all the way, and make no mistake about it, she's there primarily to serve as the object of his affection, rejection, you name it. Having power fantasies about controlling beautiful, impetuous women is not necessarily a bad thing, but do we have to be subjected to these moviemaking-as-sex-therapy entries? Lou has the exhibitionist's drive to execute his fantasies, but he lacks Joe's commitment to play it to the bone (pardon the pun), no matter how twisted the proceedings may get, which places TOUCH squarely in the 'Skinamax-After-Midnight' category.

And I really resented the total misuse of Max Gail and Mitch Pileggi, two actors who are much better than the projects they usually wind up getting. Showing up as convenient plot devices-cum-target practice dummies is not their true forte; they're much better than that, and hopefully the projects they get in the future will be as well.

One of the few redeeming qualities given any of the characters, is that by the end, Vernon at least has learned how to embrace her sexuality and accept her carnal idiosyncracies as normal and even healthy, unusual for a "sexual thriller," where the heroine is usually required to appear chaste, demure and repentant by the time the credits roll. She has finally learned to take her own advice, something few of us in the real world ever do.

Not quite thrilling enough to serve as a second-tier BASIC INSTINCT knockoff, and not steamy enough to arouse as much as bargain-rate porno, DANGEROUS TOUCH provides a little tittilation, but you won't respect yourself in the morning. Not so much for the middling prurience, but for the fact that this is ninety minutes of your life that can't be refunded.

...and could actually be better than most of the vile garbage that comes out of Hollywood lately. Has an interesting premise, and at first you expect it to be another mindless "erotic thriller" (it did go straight to video), but the second half hour springs the "thriller" part that most of these erotic thrillers lack (or never had). Pretty interesting movie.

Direction isn't exactly innovative, but pretty fair. Richie Valens actually came off as threatening, hard to do since he's about a foot shorter than the female lead (nothing personal, but I think he could have done better if he didn't star in it, too). There were parts of this movie that had me bamboozled -- I thought it was going one way and it went the other way out of nowhere.

Excellent first try from Mister La Bamba. I wonder if he's done anything since...?

Written, produced and directed by its star Lou Diamond Phillips, Dangerous Touch is an interesting debut for Mr. Phillips behind the camera. Certain parts of this film he did better than others, however.

Lou is a sexy career criminal who's trained his sites on lovely and voluptuous Kate Vernon who is a psychologist with a talk in radio show and a best seller. Kate's treating Max Gail a syndicate kingpin who is having issues.

Kate's a woman who loves sex with the joy of a Clinton era Mae West. She thinks she's found the man of her dreams when the mysterious Lou accosts and seduces her at a book signing. But he's all the time setting her up for blackmail, he wants her help to kill Max Gail by pressing on his neuroses so that he'll do it himself or his syndicate partners will out of fear that Gail will talk.

Lou's at his best directing what falls this side of a soft core porn film. The sight of a nude Kate Vernon is certainly enough to stir the young men in the audience.

Unfortunately the premise that she will be hurt by the exposure of her private sex life just doesn't ring true. Vernon's character is not Laura Schlessinger or someone who might work for Dr. James Dobson, someone who'd really be hurt by such a scandal. She comes across as a woman with a real healthy appetite for the erotic and exotic. Knowing that what happens in the end just doesn't make any sense.

Still Lou Diamond Phillips as director and star has nothing to be ashamed of. But he should have asked me about the script.