Confidences Interdites

You rent a movie like "Power Play" because you want to see people having sex and people getting shot--and if you're lucky, you also get a story with a sense of humor. "Power Play" is one of those lucky ones. It's direct-to-video fare, make no mistake about it, but it edges out its competition (such as, say, "Arrival II") by keeping tongue firmly in cheek and by embracing its genre with low-budget bravado.

Shannon Tweed stars as Jacquelyn Knight, a femme fatale who will do anything to scheme her way into piles of money. She hooks up with business tycoon Benjamin Alcott and makes off with $300,00--sending Benjamin's daughter Candy and her boyfriend Steve in hot pursuit. Inbetween plot developments, you get to watch a lot of naked people, check out a few crime-caper plot twists, and witness a couple of performances sufficiently atrocious that you wonder how these people ever decided "Hmm, maybe I should go into acting." You also generally have a good time.

One of the main recommendations of the movie is the actress who plays Candi. She's a Neve Campbell lookalike, but without those damn "no nudity" clauses that Neve makes sure are written into her contract. You have to appreciate a movie in which Candi says or does something that directly relates to the plot, and then decides to have sex on top of a nearby stove, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the plot. For a direct-to-video buff such as myself, this is "King Lear-style dramatic structure. Just imagine a really randy Cordelia.

It's also worth mentioning Shannon Tweed. It's clear why she continues to be cast in movies like this--she brings a sleek professionalism to her role. Writer/Director Chris Baugh also must be noted for a lively pace, using nicer visuals in the film than one normally tends to find in the genre, and for his minimalist script that occasionally zings with bits of choice comedy.

Powerplay can be commented by using two words. Absolutely boring! The plot is just so similar to loads of other middle-aged woman marries older-rich guy for his money movies! Shannon Tweed is certainly not the best actress of all time, but surely she could've actually acted in this! Seriously, it is as if she is strolling through the scripts, in pain! The main two characters do put a bit of mediocre acting into the film. But still, this is a boring film with a wayward plot. You lose track after five minutes and only if you are a teenage kid are you going to enjoy the badly choreographed "sex" scenes.

A twist in the end which most people will see coming, but I would give this a big miss if I were you.

This movie begins with a beautiful woman named "Jacqueline Knight" (Shannon Tweed) spending some time with a man in a hot tub. The man then becomes quite ill and while he is incapacitated Jacqueline spends her time collecting everything of value she can find. However, when she reaches for the watch he is wearing he awakens and during the struggle Jacqueline wastes little time in killing him. Not long afterward she meets up with another wealthy man named "Benjamin Alcott" (Bryan Kent) and proceeds to utilize the same plan as before. Unfortunately, Benjamin has a stepdaughter named "Candice Alcott" (Danielle Ciardi) who has little regard for Jacqueline. She also has a boyfriend by the name of "Steve Ganse" (James Richer) who would like nothing better than to marry Candice and get his hands on her stepfather's fortune. That being the case, it's a good bet that Benjamin and his money will soon be separated. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that the erotic scenes involving Danielle Ciardi were quite good and certainly added to the overall entertainment value of this film. Unfortunately, despite her performance, it lacked the necessary suspense or depth to achieve a really high rating. That said, I have rated this film accordingly. Average.

Shannon Tweed is beginning to look her age here (she was 42 when this was made), but she is still in top physical shape, and she briefly gets to put her kickboxing lessons (probably from the two "No Contest" films) to use. Although her name is the main - er, the ONLY - reason anybody will rent "Powerplay", she is not "exposed" as often as her co-star, Danielle Ciardi, who is an extremely hot woman, with a great face and body, and a decent actress as well. On the other hand, the male actors range from wooden to horrible. The plot starts out as predictable, and then just gets stupider by the minute. The characters make so many blunders that after a while you lose count of them. (**)

This definitely has the sexy B movie thriller tropes but the story progresses pretty well with some unexpected twists. Danielle Ciardi really brings the sexy in Powerplay.