Night Eyes

Strolled down the B-grade section of my local video store and noticed this movie. Having read the main IMDb review earlier, I thought this movie might turn out to be quite entertaining. Sadly, it was not ! Very predictable. In its genre of B-grade, there are ample examples of better efforts.

In the early 1990s, there was a craze in Hollywood (mostly in the direct-to-video industry) for the "erotic thriller". After several years the craze came to an end and has not made a comeback, probably for one simple reason - these movies were awful, and "Night Eyes" is no exception. For a real cheapie, I'll admit that the production values aren't too bad, and the acting by most of the players is passable. But the movie is for the most part a chore to sit through. I rented the unrated version, but there is surprisingly not a lot of nudity (and no full-frontal nudity) or on screen sex. In fact, there is only one scene that I found was erotic (and only mildly so), and it happens after more than an hour of the running time has passed. Maybe others might find this movie hot - the movie was popular enough to spawn three sequels - but as for me, I was bored by the experience.

This wallow is an "erotic thriller" and we can be certain of that because it is called so upon the home video box. There are many examples of this seamy genre, particularly prevalent since the late 1980s, the film under discussion here being perhaps the most financially rewarding, earning more than 30 million dollars above its production cost of $750,000, but only a rabid fan of this cinematic category may consider it to be an artistic success, as well. A very small company, Night Eyes Security, composed of two Griffith brothers, is tasked with guarding the Beverly Hills estate of a British pop musician, Brian Walker, and his wife Nikki (Tanya Roberts) but after she discovers her husband making the grade with a young woman during a party in their home, Mrs. Walker files for divorce, following which Mr. Walker hires Night Eyes to supposedly protect his soon-to-be former wife at their Malibu residence, although his true purpose is to obtain damning video tapes from surveillance cameras that he hopes will record Nikki's own sexual misconduct, thereby crystallizing his courtroom defense for their looming civil trial. The younger of the brothers, Will (Andrew Stevens, who also produces here as well as contributing heavily to the screenplay), a rather artless character, does in fact espy Nikki in flagrante delicto, but this apparently fortuitous event for Brian is nullified because Will has succumbed to the physical charms of the wayward wife and has decided to withhold the evidential tape from the musician and his attorney, played by able supporting player Paul Carr, causing a viewer to recognize that the lovestruck security guard can not be considered as an example of rectitude. Becoming involved in his duties well beyond the operation and maintenance of his mini-company's surveillance equipment, Will is delighted as Nikki ostensibly matches his passion, as is evident from a cluster of scenes wherein the two explore each other's private areas, but complications appear when murder, rape and sundry other felonies occur in conjunction with their affair, Will being the primary suspect for the crimes. The substantial profit garnered by this movie prompted production of three sequels, each continuing the amourous adventures of young Will and his trusty spy cameras, and even though their potential merits cannot be determined by this viewer, the first number in the series does provide an unexpected element of suspense in addition to capable costuming from Ha Nguyen, fine stunt performing, and a polished turn from Carr. An unrated version is available that seemingly promises to provide additional footage of the ardent romantic actions shared by the mismatched lovers.

Tanya Roberts and Andrew Stevens together heat up the screen in this scorching erotic thriller. I swear, I think (referring to UNRATED version here,) that this is the biggest amount of sex scenes I've ever seen in a movie!!!

Well, I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone;-)

Basically Nikki (Tanya Roberts) hires Will Griffith (Andrew Stevens) to be her security guard. Trouble with her scuzzy ex-husband ensues, and Will and Nikki have wild passionate sex from there on out every 71/2 minutes of screen time. But, Nikki has some secrets of her own...

I loved this movie. It's my favorite erotic thriller because of Andrew Stevens (great job, Andrew), and Tanya Roberts, although this is the only erotic thriller I've seen her in. I feel the major faults of the movie, are few, but there could have been a bit more character development in the case of Tanya. Overall, sumptuous sets in her mansion. A true winner. But I think this will probably ONLY be liked by straight-to-video erotic thriller fans.

**Review based on UNRATED version**

Parental Discretion Advised:

Contains:

Nudity(a lot) Sex(every 10 minutes) Violence Profanity (not much)

The rock star Brian Walker (Warwick Sims) is surprised by his wife Nicky (Tanya Roberts) shagging a woman in the bathroom in a party. Nicky asks the divorce, and Brian hires a security company to spy on her to prove that she is unfaithful and has love affairs. The security guard Will Griffith (Andrew Stevens) hides a camera in her bedroom and peeps on Nicky having sex with her lover but he hides the truth from Brian. Will protects Nicky from the violent Brian and they have a love affair. Nicky gets a restraint order against Brian and one night he breaks in the house and Will, who has fallen in love with Nicky, kills him with three shots. Will is prosecuted for the death of Brian, and he finds that Brian apparently was not the responsible for the aggressions to Nicky. Will investigates and discovers the truth about the whole case.

"Night Eyes" was a successful erotic thriller in the 90's, when I saw this movie twice. Today I have decided to watch my VHS again and the sexy femme fatale Tanya Roberts really makes this flick worthwhile. The flawed story has a reasonable development but the conclusion is absolutely disappointing and senseless. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Olhos Noturnos" ("Night Eyes")

Note: On 29 July 2021, I saw this film again.