Fuga Alucinante

BETRAYAL is terrific little crime actioner, a Mark Lester job, that entertains from beginning to end. A lethal lady, played by sexy Parisian actress Julie Du Page, is on the run with a million bucks of mob money. Several people, including a police detective played by Adam Baldwin of SERENITY fame, are hot on her trail. She ends up in the company of a mom (the luscious Erica Eleniak) and her teenage son (Jeremy Lelliott), and all hell breaks loose when the son finds the money. Plenty of people die, there are some car chases, and the ending features a decent cat fight between the two Eleniak and Du Page. I am with those who think Eleniak deserves better roles than she normally gets, but better she is working than not at all. "B" movie stalwart James Remar plays an FBI agent who hooks up with Eleniak, although he is given little to do. The focus is on the two extremely beautiful women, which was fine with me. Du Page has a shower scene, guys.

This film was a surprise because I came across it on the Lifetime Movie Network and watched a few minutes to kill some time before another program began and found myself entertained. First of all, what rescues this from being standard direct to video fare is the direction of action film helmer Mark L. Lester. In addition, the cast which includes James Remar and Adam Baldwin, has some underrated talent in it. Most surprising of all is the dynamic between Julie Le Page as the hit woman with the lam and former "Baywatch" babe, Erika Eleniak as a single mother with her troubled teenage son on road trip to her mother's place in Texas. Julie hits all the right notes as the manipulative, sociopathic hit woman who regards the unwitting mother and son as ride over the state lines with a stash of a million dollars. The female characters are strong, Julie, physically and Eleniak as the mother fighting for her son's life and makes the film very compelling. The road movie through the desert crime caper is nothing new nor original ("Thelma and Louise," anyone) but the performance of the sexy Le Page and the twist of ruthless hit woman teamed up with single mom trying to do the right thing brings a very interesting dichotomy to what could have been an otherwise forgettable film.

As thrillers go, there are a few surprises here. For awhile the film seems as though it might go in an interesting unexpected direction before it heads back into standard thriller mode. Had the main protagonists been male, the story would have been too obvious. Putting women in the "tough guy" leads made a nice variation. Still, you cannot expect too much. Once the final chase starts, it's all more or less by the numbers.

The music tries very hard to add tension where there isn't any. The pacing tends towards slow. The story has more than enough holes in it. The acting is okay, but not inspiring. With almost no nudity and no steamy love story it is definitely not an "erotic thriller". The entire production value is equal to the average cable channel movie of the week.

Neither it's theatrical title (Betrayal) or it's DVD title (Lady Jayne: Killer) really fit. It's not a bad film, but I couldn't recommend it. Still, I spent 90 minutes watching it, maybe you'd like to do the same.

"Lady Jayne:Killer" is a bottom of the barrel B-flick from the get go. You only have to scan the roster to see the personnel are a bunch of B-listers and maybe seeing ex-Playmate Eleniak get naked is the most one can hope for. Unfortunately, this lame flick doesn't even deliver a little gratuitous T&A as it limps along though its trite and cliche-ridden story about a beautiful hitwoman, a bunch of money, and a broke mom and son destined for a showdown. Pretty awful stuff not worth the time. (D+)

I certainly don't agree with the raving reviews others gave this piece of crap. First of all director Mark Lester cast it poorly. In the likes of Julie Du Page (that's a real name?) playing a so called sex pot. Wrong. She's not that attractive to seduce a blind man. And she's so phony on her come ons. Obvious. In her Fredericks of Hollywood bra and panties (a mistake in costumes) she was all skin and bones with no bust at all. Most of the time she's squeezed in, pumped up and pushed together to give her a cleavage at all. Her back bone protruded her bony body. Yuk. Don't tell me those idiots that fell for her charm didn't notice. They must have been hard up. Also with too much lip gloss on her bot-ox lips. Funny scene is when she supposedly goes into the train station inconspicuously, wearing a skin tight, low cut, flaming red dress, with her mop hair and sun glasses - too funny. What she didn't have, Erika Elenkiak, as the tough mother, had too much of. Wearing too tight sweaters throughout the film making her breasts look over sized, she didn't do too much acting. Only looking forlorn and confused. Did she not know what was happening? Adam Baldwin plays a small role, thank goodness. With his usual non expressive face he wanders through this trite movie aimlessly. Then we have the son, played by Jeremy Lellliott, who spends most of the film crying. If he's not ogling our hit whore, he's sobbing "woe is me and my mom". He also must have had his hair dyed along with his mom to that brassy blond. It looked so fake.

It was late at night when I watched this so most others were spared the pain I went through watching.