The Drifter

It may be a cheap movie without money but at last it says something and with a great cast and talent behind, i spent an excellent time ! It begins like « duel » in a red sand back road in California and the talent and charm of Kim pushes it right away… The situation is original and later this unpretentious thriller made in the 80s blossoms : the color, the interior design, the fashion, the cars, well everything is much cooler than our actual standardized 2K society ! Kim is really astounding as she is in every scene and it's one of her earliest movie ! She is definitely among my best actress list and this movie is really an unexpected surprise !

A lot better than your average low budget thriller. This had plot twists that I didn't see coming. Kim Delaney was so beautiful then. I first fell in love with her when she played Jenny Gardner on "All My Children." Her soap experience stood her in good stead for "damsel in distress" roles such as (partly) this. She is, of course, still beautiful, but her character in "NYPD Blue" is so much harder edged, that she comes off a bit less so in that part. Anyway, this is a pretty good film for one that no one's ever heard of.

Driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles, Julia Robbins (Kim Delaney) picks up a hitchhiker (Miles O'Keefe) and has a one night stand with him. Back in the city, he soon turns into a stalker and starts calling her non-stop, which is bad news because she is in a relationship with a lawyer (Timothy Bottoms). This was one of the thousands of erotic thrillers unleashed after the success of Fatal Attraction (1987) and writer-director Larry Brand (who also plays a cop) does a nice job of turning convention on its ear by having the handsome O'Keefe as the unhinged, spurned lover. There are several twists in this one and Brand pulls them all off well. He would also make a Poe film for Corman (Masque of the Red Death) and a similar thriller (Overexposed with Catherine Oxenberg).

I first saw this movie on a premium movie channel on cable TV and, unlike 95% of the things I watch on TV, I didnt find myself channel surfing. The movie kept me intrigued from start to finish.

Because I wasnt a soap opera fan, I didnt know who Kim Delany was, but she sure was attractive. Still is (NYPD Blue). Especially seeing her in the nude lovemaking scenes, the movie was very captivating!

This was not outrageously wild or gory or intense but it keeps up a consistent suspense level. Kim plays her role well. She proves herself to be pretty ballsy under fearful circumstances so I respected her and I respected her as a hard-working professional.

There seems to be a blue color scheme in some of the scenes. Kim's wardrobe is well-chosen. The outdoor restaurant with the picnic tables and the bikers seems an apt, realistic locale. Kim's apartment is stylish, austerely furnished in New Mexico Native American style. So the movie has a certain amount of flair.

The concluding twist works adequately well. This low-key thriller was fairly enjoyable.