Fatal Beauty

Yet another cop who doesn't always "play by the rules". Not a bad movie, it just seems like such a superfluous one, full of cliche characters and excessive violence. As you watch you keep thinking you've seen it all done before - and better. It doesn't have the gravitas of "French Connection" or "Bullitt", nor does it have the subversive wit of "Lethal Weapon" or "Beverly Hills Cop".

Alas, the combo of Whoopi Goldberg and Sam Elliott just does not work.

You won't miss much if you skip this one.

"Fatal Beauty" may indeed be a crime/comedy/action flick, but for those who have not seen it, there is a serious underlying message that comes over loud and clear about the potential consequences of taking illegal narcotics. There are no underlying messages in the aforementioned Eddie Murphy films. The most moving part of the film is when Whoopi (Rita Razzoli), gives Sam Elliott (Mike Marshak), her reasons for her dedication in fighting the good fight against the targeted crime boss. If you have not seen the film I will not spoil it here by telling you her reason. See the film for yourself.

Then we have Sam Elliott, who is an excellent if unwilling partner, to begin with. He is actually head of security for the crime boss (Harris Yulin), tasked with keeping Rita from coming to harm and siding with Rita in two well staged gunfights. I also have to mention Rubin Blades, who actually does a good job, playing the role of Rita's somewhat put upon cop partner. All in all, it's one of my favorite films in this field.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Whoopi Goldberg succeeds in adding spunk, wit, and a little heart in what could have been a boring pro forma shoot-em-up. Tired cop movie clichés suddenly seem fresh with a woman, especially one as charismatic as Whoopi in the lead role.

She and Sam Elliot have an undeniable chemistry that's evident from the moment they appear on screen together for the first time. Go figure!

The film is pretty climatic; shoot outs where the bad guys miss and the good guys don't, and some moments where the hero's in a jam but their partner appears out of nowhere to save the day, etc.

But the film is full of solid, engrossing performances, particularly Goldberg, Elliot, and Dourif, and an engaging, albeit derivative plot.

Overall not a bad way to kill an hour and some change.

6.5 stars.

A good movie that was overlooked and deserves more recognition. A forgotten movies from the 80's. Especially when it was sandwiched between 2 other Tom Holland movies such as FRIGHT NIGHT and CHILD'S PLAY.

Director Tom Holland attempts to bring the "Whoopi Goldberg caper comedy" into a new era by adding more serious, dramatic content, drugs and violence. The picture ends up being a murky hybrid of different styles, with Goldberg cast as a cop in Los Angeles tracking down a narcotics ring dealing in killer drugs (isn't that redundant?). Sub-plot romance between Whoopi and fellow cop Sam Elliott never gets off the ground (mainly because Holland keeps most of this story-thread off the screen), while Goldberg tosses in a few sassy asides to reassure us she hasn't become Dirty Harriet. The end result shows definite signs of post-production tinkering, and very little of it is successful. *1/2 from ****