Descoberta Fatal - Um Desafio à Máfia

My review was written in January 1989 after watching the movie on HBO.

Nico Mastorakis' "Double Exposure" is an oddball comedy-thriller focusing on the a in "t&a". Pic had a brief theatrical run in Miami in fall 1987 and is now cablecast by HBO.

Mark Hennessy and Scott King portray two aimless guys in Venice Beach, California, who decide to take photos of the lovely derrieres paraded daily by beach bunnies in order to come up with a salable photo montage or calendar (film originally was titled "Terminal Exposure") . In homage to the classic film "Blow-Up" they accidentally photograph a murder, with the clue being a rose tattoo on the posterior of a woman holding a gun.

Antics of the duo trying to solve the murder involve mafia hitmen, a wild bachelor party and endless rear end-themed puns. The emphasis is toward comedy rather than thrills, but it's okay (if a bit fetishistic) light entertainment. Amoral attitude is emphasized, especially in film's payoff.

Two lead players are pleasant, abetted by Playboy magazine model Hope Marie Carlton as their beautiful prime suspect. Joe Phelan as a hitman in a black van bears strong facial and vocal resemblance to his brother Martin Sheen.

No, it's not great film-making by any stretch of the imagination, but I fail to see the reason for the animosity that's been directed at this flick. It strives simply to be a goofy, mindless romp featuring likable protagonists, good-looking women, a tissue-thin plot to explain why the guys go from one location to another, cartoonish violence, and a happy ending, and it delivers in all of those areas. Okay, the two lead characters obviously aren't the teens they're cast as, but that's a minor detail. This movie may have been primarily a tax dodge, since I doubt that it received a real release, but it's also not a bad way to kill a couple of hours with your brain in neutral Did I say I liked the ending? Steve.

There's a few funny lines in the movie, but on the whole, it's not a very involving or entertaining flick. "Terminal," in the Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California slang of this movie means "bitchin', cool" (as one of the characters tells us), but the negative connotation suits it better.

Joe Estevez' voice is similar to his brother Martin Sheen's, but his acting, particularly his last scene, is pretty dreadful in this movie. John Vernon plays his usual character. Hope Marie Carlton, a Playmate, does get nude briefly, as do some other minor characters, but there as not as much gratuitous nudity as one might expect in an R-rated '80s comedy.

The two male leads apparently never acted in a film before or since, which is never a terribly good sign.

It's apparently out of print on video, and has never been released on DVD. If that situation stays the same, it would not be a shame at all.

...but unfortunately, for me, it is not.

However, I did find this movie very intriguing, very interesting, and totally different from any other beach movie I have ever seen (think 60's beach blanket bingo here, people!!!!!): especially the plot is strange enough: a photo leading to an adventure. Ha!

"Terminal Exposure" shows us not only that being on the beach can be fun; it can also lead up to something very exciting on the way. By sitting through this film, you can actually see it all happening so quickly! It may not be an award-winning type of movie, but it's definitely worth watching! 10 stars!

Coming from director Nico Mastorakis, who gave us the taboo-busting video nasty Island of Death, Terminal Exposure was never going to be a tasteful movie: it would probably be labelled as 'problematic' by Gen Z, the film being full of scantily clad young women (the focus on their shapely backsides), with a few camp gay stereotypes for comic relief. All of this means that it is perfect entertainment for an old dinosaur like me, who couldn't give two hoots about political correctness when it comes to entertainment.

Mark Hennessy plays teen photographer Lenny; Scott King is Lenny's best friend Bruce. Together they hit Venice Beach to surreptitiously snap candid pictures of women's asses, hoping to publish a compendium of sexy bikini-clad behinds that will bring the dollars rolling in. When Lenny is pushed around by three musclemen who find his behaviour unacceptable, he accidentally captures a murder with his camera, the pictures seemingly revealing the killer to be a woman with a rose tattoo on her butt. Bruce convinces Lenny that solving the murder could be a shortcut to the fame and fortune they desire, but their investigation puts the friends in deadly peril.

Terminal Exposure is a prime example of dumb '80s trash, with a nonsensical plot, atrocious acting, laughable dialogue and basic direction. Mastorakis chucks in wacky WTF? Scenes that boggle the mind: a blonde dominatrix with a swastika tattoo on her butt; a surprise party held by a bunch of mafiosi; the two young heroes disguising themselves as bushes; an ice cream fight on the beach; and an 'exciting' finalé in which an assassin tries to escape the police on a skateboard. There's also gratuitous female nudity, most notably from gorgeous blonde Playmate Hope Marie Carlton as Lenny's love interest Christie. Undeniably awful, yet still somehow enjoyable, it's the sort of movie best accompanied by a six pack of beer.

6/10.

Music by Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer!

Look out for Danny Trejo in the crowd scene at the end.

I visited Venice Beach in 1989 and that guy juggling the chainsaw was there - I wonder what he is doing these days...