Meurtres sous tensions

I only watched this because Glen Ford plays the sheriff character. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the simple yet stylish cinematography and flow of the story. There is a slight comic book element but somehow it doesn't follow the usual US made formulas. That's a good thing.

Time isn't wasted on building up complex characters except the necessary background of the suspects. The script is simple, the action is believable and the story is interesting.

On the negative side I didn't have any nail biting experiences or thrills. The outcome was predictable quite early on, so no surprises there.

Although given first billing for his box office name Glenn Ford is a strictly a supporting character in Raw Nerve. He plays a police captain and superior officer to Jan-Michael Vincent who is part of a triangle involving himself, former wife Sandahl Bergman who is an investigative reporter and stock car driver Ted Prior. And Prior is a chief suspect in a string of brutal murders of some pretty young women.

In Peter Ford's recent biography of his father he says that Raw Nerve was his father's final big screen appearance. All I can say is after seeing Raw Nerve it's a good thing for posterity that Glenn Ford did the made for television film Final Verdict after this one got inflicted on the public on the big screen. And what really surprised me is that Peter Ford did not mention Final Verdict at all in his book. That was a work his father could have been proud of.

Prior who is on the surface sunny and affable and a good guardian for sister Traci Lords down deep has a whole lot of issues, really big issues. He also gets visions of the various murders and they seem to point to his mechanic Tex Cobb.

Raw Nerve is trashy and exploitive and certainly not a film I'd like to be remembered for.

My review was written in May 1991 after watching the movie on AIP video cassette.

Unusual casting perks up this perfunctoiry murder mystery. Released at regional theaters on May 24, "Raw Nerve" is primarily a video title.

Eyebrows may be raised at a pic co-starring Glenn Ford and Traci Lords, but pic proves to be a significant transitional film for the ex-porn queen. She handles dramatic scenes well in the firt feature not to treat her as a caricature.

She plays the 18-year-old sister of Ted Prior, a young man troubled by nightmarish visions that prove to be accurate accounts of serial murders. He goes to the police with this info but is brushed aside as akook by the captain, Ford, and detective on the case, Jan-Michael Vincent.

Vincent's ex-wife, Sandahl Bergman, is an aggressive reporter who listens to Prior and writes up his story. Of course Prior becomes the No. 1 suspect, but after a revelation of incest (a la "Chinatown") the killer is identified. A final twist comes as an anticlimax.

Acting is good, with actio vet Prior showcased opposite Lords in a complicated central role. Name talent in support delivers pro turns.

Director David A. Prior makes good use of Mobile, Alabama locations but the film is too talky to qualify as an action pic, his prior specialty. A final reel stunt is well-done, however.

During the 1980s and 90s, several of Hollywood's leading men of the classic era kept making film appearances...and in really, really terrible films. Anthony Quinn made dreck like "Ghosts Can't Do It", which is a soft-core porno film! Robert Mitchum made LOTS of terrible late career films, including "Woman of Desire". And, Glenn Ford made "Casablanca Express" and this film, "Raw Nerve". These films were so bad, so low budgeted that it makes you wonder WHY...why would these respected actors make crap films instead of just enjoying their retirement? Perhaps they needed the money...perhaps they were too vain to call it a day. All I know is that during this period of time, a lot of bad films starred these and other actors like Kirk Douglas, Mickey Rooney and others who simply were better than the material they were given.

When the credits began to roll as the film began, I realized this would be a bad movie. After all, in addition to Ford, the film also features Traci Lords, the ex-teen porn queen as well as Jan-Michael Vincent whose career clearly was on the skids.

The plot is strange...not bad, not good...just strange...and a story you would NOT expect Glenn Ford to do. A race car driver finds he cannot see to drive during a race as he keeps seeing flashbacks of some serial killer murdering some woman. He goes to the police about it, but not surprisingly they just assume he's some crank. But some pretty lady takes a REAL shine to him and takes Jimmy home for some good lovin'...which is odd since she just met him AND he could be a weirdo. But even then, the weird visions continue and Jim thrashes about wildly as he sees these murders.

So where does Glenn Ford come into this...especially since he received top billing? Well, he plays a cop but doesn't even appear in the movie until well into the story and really isn't the star. I'm sure they put his name first in order to give an air of legitimacy to the project.

So is this film any good? Well, not particularly. It looks cheap, features only okay acting and could have been a lot better. In fact, aside from seeing Ford in his final film, I can't think of much reason to watch the movie. But, if you are curious (and a bit of a masochist), the film is currently posted on YouTube.

Dear readers!

You can always trust my 100% honest reviews.

I do not understand IMDB 10-point rating scale. My rating is like this: -- 1 - WATCH & WATCH AGAIN! (Movie is watchable & can be watched again in the future.) -- 2 - WATCH! (Movie is watchable & entertaining.) -- 3 - DO NOT WATCH! (Movie is NOT watchable.) --

VERDICT : The movie RAW NERVE 1991 is rated : WATCH & WATCH AGAIN!

-------------------- Remarks: Girls wearing red shoes are murdered. The story keeps you watching and guessing and has good script and cinematography. The opening scene is a work of art. Moreover, you can enjoy really beautiful girls, great 1990's scenes, vivid colors, outdoor scenes. Excellent B-movie.

Thank you for your attention.