Dead Sexy

A low budget Basic Instinct clone (as if we needed another one), this vehicle for ageing soft-core star Shannon Tweed (43 and looking it) features far more sex and nudity than Verhoeven's classic erotic thriller, but none of the style (you don't say!).

Tweed plays detective Kate McBain, whose latest case—the murder of several blonde-haired call girls—takes a dangerous turn when she goes undercover and becomes physically involved with the prime suspect, billionaire Blue Dresden (John Enos). As Kate 'investigates', she becomes convinced of Blue's innocence, her suspicions falling upon her police colleagues (seasoned detective Rackles, played by Sam Jones, and young hotshot Billy Trainer, played by Eric Keith).

Flatly directed by Robert Angelo, with perfunctory performances all round, Dead Sexy is an unremarkable thriller that treads water between several uninspired soft-core sex scenes. Even the most die-hard fans of Tweed will be disappointed, the star employing a body double for her romp with Enos.

Back in the 1990s, blonde actress Shannon Tweed was a mainstay of late night cable television. After the success of the psycho-thriller sub-genre, in particular BASIC INSTINCT, B-movie producers were desperate to get a slice of the proverbial pie by doling out their own low budget erotic thrillers, invariably starring one of half a dozen actresses who were happy to strip for their craft.

Shannon Tweed was the best known of these stars, a pneumatic blonde who displayed some measure of acting talent which was rare for this sub-sub-genre. DEAD SEXY marks the final erotic thriller she made; her advancing years and a general public dissatisfaction for the stale genre saw tastes move elsewhere. Invariably this film is a disappointment, lacking the finesse of an Andrew Stevens production, feeling instead like a cheap cash-in on a once popular market.

Tweed plays a detective investigating a series of murders in which call girls were thrown off high buildings. Her investigation leads her into the clutches of a rich playboy (John Enos III) called Blue, a guy who's the main suspect. She has to literally go to bed with him in order to find out the truth, and of course there are the requisite twists and turns along the way.

Tweed is the best actor in this film, which is saying something. The years have been kind to her, and even if she doesn't parade around naked anymore then she still packs a attractive punch. The less said about Enos the better, although viewers are treated to a slumming-it Sam J. Jones (FLASH GORDON) playing Tweed's partner. As a whole, though, the thrills are non-existent, the plotting is very poor, and the sex scenes are a complete waste of time, no better than filler material. You'd be better off checking the films that came out ten years before this to see the genre at its finest.

For me to write a bad revue of a Shannon Tweed's movie,has to be very bad.I've been following Shannon's movie progress since the first one she made wich I own.In this movie wich she is the star was a blow for me because when you see Shannon's name it means nudity and sexy scenes,but in this one she does not carry the movie as the star.Every girl that appear in this so call movie is naked,except Shannon Tweed the Star.Why did she follow that route after establishing her name in those so call erotic thriller is beyond me.I love Shannon's work most of the time.She is not a great actress but she is a good one.When I bought this movie, since Shannon Tweed was the star I was expecting the same kind of good work like she did before.Not this time,not even close.Lots of shots of her face and legs,one sex scene and she use a body double.I'm Canadian like she is.I really hope she won't finish a good stack of work on this note.When I bought Shannon's movie I knew I would get beauty ,sensuality and good acting.It is sad for me to distrust an actress that I use to love and trust in her work.So so sad to end that way.

Let's face it, Shannon Tweed is not a great (or even necessarily a good) actress. The title says it all: It's another example of Tweed's stock in trade: The grade-C erotic thriller in which she packs a piece---always a big phallic firearm---and then gets the hots for another kind of piece, and eventually takes her clothes off. Everything else is just an attention-getting device to keep you watching between the sex scenes. Even if you cheerfully accept these limitations, this turkey is a cynical cheat on the viewer. Tweed was 43 when she made this movie, and like Renee Russo, she has a fabulous body for her age, but it is still a fabulous 43-year-old body. So if you're an over-40 former Playmate who insists on making movies with nude sex scenes, either be honest, like Helen Mirren, and do them yourself or quit the business. Don't use a body double, which she so blatantly does in this flick. If the number of porn sites on the Web featuring over-35 "hotties" is any indication, there's a market for films with middle-aged women who get naked.

The bad guy, John Enos, has one of the least photogenic screen personas I've ever seen. He elicits no cinematic interest whatsoever and he and Tweed have essentially no on-screen chemistry. They are just going through the motions. Why anyone would think the Tweed character would develop an itchy-koo for him is beyond me, except that Enos, although not really that similar in features to Tweed's squeeze Gene Simmons, somewhat resembles him in physique and complexion. Maybe that's why Tweed chose Enos. Whether he resembles Simmons in other ways is something I have no idea about. (Let's not even get into Gene Simmons's public persona and what it says about Tweed's taste in men that she has been with him for years.) And it's somehow oddly appropriate, considering this movie, that in the IMDb photo galleries, Enos is seen accompanied by Traci Lords.

This flick is strictly desperation time.

Of all the "Basic Instinct" copies that have been made since 1992 (and there are plenty), "Dead Sexy" must be one of the most blatant. Sure, it switches the genders of the two main characters, but keeps almost everything else the same, right down to the only other suspect for the killings being someone within the police force who has hidden ties to the primary suspect. Of course "Dead Sexy" does not come anywhere near the style and suspense and general quality of the Verhoeven film, but on its own low-budget straight-to-video terms it's a fair way to pass some time. Shannon Tweed is acceptable, Sam Jones (as her partner) is even better, injecting some needed humor into the proceedings. As for the matter of the body double, I personally cannot understand why Tweed felt the need to use one. She showed everything - and it looked good as usual - in "The Rowdy Girls", made in 2000; what could have changed so much over a year? (**)