Angel Blade

The movie was tragic but anything featuring a naked Amanda righetti is worth 10 stars!

In the long tradition of burned-out cops with tragic pasts, David Heavener plays a detective investigating a string of violent murders that take him into the dark world of S & M. A very low-budget production, which has obvious shades of Tightrope (1984) and Basic Instinct (1992), Angel Blade is a vehicle for the charisma-free Heavener (who also wrote and directed) which does have a few surprises, not all of them welcome. The most disturbing being a gratuitous bum-shaving scene. In addition to his film career, Heavener writes and records Christian music and this makes his decent into such sleaze rather odd. Angel Blade doesn't have a lot to recommend it but does feature the troubled Margot (on-time Lois Lane) Kidder as a sex shop owner and Marc (Beastmaster) Singer trying vainly to cling to his sex symbol status.

I watched the prim and proper Amanda Righetti for seven years on "The Mentalist" playing CBI agent Van Pelt, where she always played second fiddle to CBI agent Theresa Lisbon, which annoyed me because one could tell Amanda is a far better actress than the show let her demonstrate. Then, almost by accident on the porn site, Mr. Skin, I discovered "Angel Blade." I was correct all along. She's terrific and beautiful.

And for those who believe prostitutes being beaten and murdered is sleaze, Baltimore, Maryland, near where I live, has a near-epidemic of this tragedy today. "Angel Blade" is as relevant today as it was back in 2002.

There are no words on earth to properly describe the atrocity that is this film. Most shocking is the soft-core porn performed by the talented Amanda Righetti of the O.C. and North Shore- makes you wonder if she was seriously desperate to get into showbiz at the time. Well, it only worked for her for a while, if that's the case. She hasn't done anything solid other than small TV appearances since North Shore. What a freaking' shame she had to stoop down to this putridity. Older hacks like Marc Singer (of the "V" series) and Margot Kidder top the list of dried up "celebrities". And just who the hell is David Heavener? He needs to go find a busy highway and stand in the middle of it, thus sparing us of anything other filth he might commit. How does someone like him even get funding for this mountain of manure? Let alone direct and act in it? I sense narcissism in the it's most vile form. Well, enough of my ranting. That's all this swill deserves anyway.

I don't think it is. "Angel Blade" is filled to the brim with 80's cheese. First the casting: Margot Kidder, Marc Singer and everybody's favorite actor, David Heavener. Then the plot: A cop at the end of his rope (Heavener) has to find out who is killing hookers. But not just your ordinary hookers, PREGNANT hookers. It can't get any more sleazy than that. Not that sleaziness is bad, but when it is acted, edited and directed in a lifeless and horrible way, all you can do is stare at the griminess dripping off the screen.

I like David Heavener, but he puts in a poor performance this time around. Instead of Heavener always writing and directing himself, He should give someone else a job for once.

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