Meurtres sous tensions

This is an incredibly bad movie. I didn't expect anything of it and I still felt short changed. Not the worst £1 I ever spent but it's close. Ted Prior has to be the worst actor i've ever seen. I have to say the ending was a surprise but it still dumb. Traci Lords was okay for a while but her performance goes downhill. Anyone else think Jimmy and Gina were a little too 'close' for family members? It's a shame Sandahl Begman and Traci Lords had to make movies like this. They'd both been in far better movies than this (Conan and Cry-Baby, respectively). I wouldn't watch it again and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. 1/10.

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.

Raw nerve is an awesome gritty crime drama with a big name cast starting with Glenn ford(Gilda,blackboard jungle)Traci lords(not of this earth,Rosanne)Jan Micheal Vincent(air wolf,damnation ally)sandahl Bergman(all that jazz)Randall Tex Cobb(raising Arizona)and Ted prior. women are being murdered,all were wearing red high heels before they were killed,a tough detective(Vincent)and his gruff boss(ford)are on the case.while a race car driver played by Ted prior deals with his younger sister,played by sexy Traci lords.there's plot twists and red herrings,its a great b-movie and for the most part Glenn fords last film appearance.i recommend it to anyone who likes action crime melodramas.8 out of 10.

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.

I'd read somewhere that David Prior was a bad director, but I find he falls somewhere in the middle. His films are made well enough, star people you've heard of, but it's the stories themselves that make you do a double take and think 'that doesn't make much sense'.

This one stars Glenndon Fordham, Sandy Bermanster, Traci Lordy Lordy, Micheal Vincent Van, and Tex 'Randall' Cobb. Them are all folks caught up when a crazy killer type person starts going around shooting women in the face with a shotgun. Don't expect gore here though, because there's none. No boobs either.

Ted Prior is Jimmy, a stock car driver who starts getting visions of the killings. His sister is Traci Lords, whom he's overly protective of (no wonder!). When Jimmy starts seeing the visions and goes to the police, they don't believe etc etc.

As this is a David A Prior film, there ain't much action but there are plenty of twists, so I never found myself bored throughout. Loads of interpersonal drama threaten to sink the film, but Prior knows when to speed things up a bit. Not too bad.