Customer Reviews

Ladykillers [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Lesley-Anne Down stars as the owner of 'Ladykillers', a hot nightspot where hundreds of women cram in to watch the endless stream of male strippers. The final routine each night consists of a top hat and tails number which drives the girls wild. Until one night, when the dancer is brutally killed. From then on, every dancer who attempts the closing routine is slain in full view of the audience. Marilu Henner leads an all-male homicide team who are assigned the task of finding the killer.
This is a fun gender role reversal movie if somewhat cheesy, instead of the usual movie with a psycho guy runs around killing female strippers, here the killer is female the person in charge of the crime investigations is female (and in charge of a group of men), and the owner of the strip joint in charge of the strippers is a woman.
All of the dominant characters in positions of power are women, whilst the the usual submissive eyecandy roles here are provided by men. Here the men are parading round half-naked as sex objects and serving to please women. It does make a pleasant change to see the heroin rescue her toy boy from the woman who's been slicing and dicing the sexy hunks.
This movie is definitely worth watching for women, combined with its feminist slant and numerous strip scenes of gorgeous men with awesome bodies taking thier clothes off (not fully mind, this is a TV movie) there is alot of fun entertainment to be had here, if only there were a unrated version!

This movie is so great! I love it! Its about a dance club, where women go to watch men dance! It has a great musical score, lots of mystery and suspense. During one of the shows one of the dancers get murdered, and the chase is on to catch them before the next unlucky victim dances his way into danger! Marilu Henner plays the police leitenant and handsome, hot Thomas Calabro plays the detective working together to catch the suspect. Lots of steamy scenes, and very hot dudes!

Ladykillers is a made-for-TV feminist role-reversal movie with "80s" written all over it. Male strippers at a club called Ladykillers are being murdered during their stage act by a shadowy female (or female impersonator?) wearing a fright wig. An attractive male cop (Thomas Calabro) is given the job of going undercover as a stripper and luring the killer into making another attack. His boss (who is also his lover) is played by Marilu Henner. Lesley-Anne Down has a relatively minor role as the club owner. The acting, in general, is good. Most of the dance sequences are well done, although there is one where the guy is dressed up in a furry costume that makes him look like a huge French poodle. Good use is made of period music, especially Jeffrey Osborne's "Stay With Me Tonight". The plot drags, though, and as a mystery story, it doesn't quite make the grade. Obvious red herrings are dangled in front of the audience. When the killer is finally revealed, in the last ten minutes, it turns out to be someone we haven't heard of before. This is a classic mystery-writer's copout. The role reversal business gets carried away, too. There is a comical seduction scene where the club publicist (Susan Blakely) tries to get it on with Calabro. He ends up leaving her unsatisfied as she calls after him, "You rotten tease!" The chemistry/conflict between Calabro and Henner is well done, and keeps the movie from degenerating into pure camp. Give it a try.

Imagine what TV was like back in the late 80s. Can you? My mind races to horrid sets, bad acting, and amateur dialogue ... yet, there was always a level of creativity. Television, especially made-for-television films pushed the envelope for what they could do, what they could say, and while the stories were full of one-line cliches and overproduced images, the stories had some heart to them. In today's cinema, this is what is lacking. We have great special effects, tremendous actors delivering great lines, but the stories feel and are quite bland. Not the case for the 80s. Recently, I had the opportunity to watch a forgotten 80s gem (which is only discovered on VHS or late night TV) that demonstrates this great dynamic shift. It has some great creativity, but utterly lacks in all other categories. "Ladykillers" uses the talent of Marilu Henner (from TVs "Evening Shade") as a cop determined to find the killer of male strippers as well as make sure that her secret relationship stays together. Can you have said that with a straight face? Not me, and that is my entire argument there - creativity! Combining male strippers, cop love, a cool weapon, and a villain that uses merely 70s glasses and a bad wig - and you have all the elements of "Ladykillers" that makes it memorable, despite the obvious lacking sets, acting, and dialogue. Can you look past the bad to see where the good blossoms?

Let me restate that this isn't a film that needs to be watched over and over again - the story could become tedious, the acting is so bad, and the music obviously dates this film, but for the 91-minutes that I watched of this film, I have to admit - I was pulled in. To begin, Marilu Henner sinfully pulls off the difficult cop determined to solve the case as well as keep her relationship together. Her flip-flop nature of trying to be this sex-symbol and a hard-nosed cop, just doesn't work - but in several scenes, you believe her. She makes this role simply unbelievable that you are tricked into believing that she could fill this part. Coupled with the fact that her relationship is with the quintessential newbie cop, Cavanaugh (no first name), aptly played by Thomas Calabro from "Melrose Place" fame, you know within the first minutes this is going to be a full-fledged layer cake. Cavanaugh, who is known for his muscles more than his brain, uses this male stripper case to boost his career within the force, which he oddly finds out is his passion in life, to be a male dancer. Again, I can't state this enough, where else are you going to find stories like this? Our actors are bad, but they keep you glued to the screen because you have no idea what is going to happen next. This isn't your A to B to C story, it has absurdest depth, which can confuse even the novice of film watchers. Adding to this already deflowered chemistry, is a band of 80s-hair male strippers, crazy women (literally), and a rag-tag group of police (quite literally the entire squad) whose sole case is to solve this one. These are the layers, and they only get better from minute to minute.

"Ladykillers" is also memorable for the killer and weapon. A unique choice which we are introduced to in the second scene, the weapon seems like it would only scratch your skin, but be forewarned, these razors are lethal. The weapon is interesting, and genuinely spooky, but what takes the cake it the killer. Using merely a wig and a pair of glasses, our cinematography for this film used every bit of light imaginable to freak out the audience. While there was not real threat, there were some well staged scenes throughout with this killer. Whether it was in the clubs or just looking behind our police friends, there was quite a bit of thought that went into this anti-hero. Not to sound like a "Ladykillers"-nerd, there was another great layer to this film. "Ladykillers" introduces this premise of a prostitute turned housewife late in the game, but it adds this undercoat of dirt that a typical made-for-TV film wouldn't even touch. The grand finale is a darkened ride into a world that wasn't otherwise that spooky. "Ladykillers" obviously gained momentum as the minutes passed, and for that I applaud this film.

FILM: Not great, but not bad. I was happy with the finished product, and with the level of creativity - but it oozes 80s, be forewarned.

VIDEO: 80s, VHS, but great cinematography when it came to the villain. There was just something extra creepy about their portrayal of this killer that remains with you long after this film ends.

SOUND: Classic 80s boom-box dancing and singing. Synthesizers galore.

EXTRAS: There was a preview for a hilarious looking Loni Anderson made-for-TV after-school-special-like program. Something about how Loni was a prostitute, but didn't want her daughter to be one, yet the inevitable occurs. I do remember seeing a Paul Sorvino - could it be that bad?

Overall, I was happy with the final product. I wish there was a DVD, but the VHS transfer did make it seem more ... authentic? Though, I should warn, not everything was a glorious as I portray it. There were horrible elements to this film. Cavanaugh being one of them. The lady that owned the strip club being another. The running scene with Marilu Henner was painstakingly bad, but it was the basis for this story - how the creativity flowed when the story needed to come together. The producers knew that they wouldn't have tons of money for everything, so they put their money where it counted, and it worked. The bad guy was spooky, the weapon (despite the science) was frightening, and the actors did fit their parts. Know what you are getting into when you watch this, but I was expecting the worse, and found something watchable. Be prepared - but enjoy

Grade: *** out of *****

WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THE QAULITY OF THIS FLIM MAYBE BECAUSE IT WAS VHS. AND THE FLIM DID NOT PLAY ON OUR VCR NEED AMERICAN VCR NTCS. PICTURE QUALITY WAS POOR NOT LIKE MENTION ON THE PRODUCT SAYING THE FLIM WAS IN GOOD CONDITION NO IT WAS NOT GOOD. !! NEVER AGAIN I WILL ORDER VHS TAPE FOR A MOVIE NOT A HAPPY CUSTOMER