| Vice Squad (1982) Cast:Season Gibney, Wings Hauser, Gary Swanson,Robert Miano When a prostitute (Gibney) helps the cops bring down a mean pimp (Hauser) who has escaped police custody aand has sworn revenge on her, along the way we meet some of the most sleazy people as well as some of the most shady sides of the city in this interesting and very well made thriller. If anything else Vice Squad at least sets up a very sleazy atmosphere which rings true. Indeed people often pan films for being sleazy but really if a movie has enough energy and goes out of it's way to depict the characters as well as underline the overall feeling that it wants to express. Indeed Vice Squad is about the underbelly of L.A and for that matter it needs to be sleazy. Let it be said though that this works mainly due to the performance of Wings Hauser, this is a guy who has down all the right mannerisms as well as the charm of a pimp, in which his performance rings very true to the part. The other actors themsevles are good enough for their roles, but it's really Hauser who really sells the movie. As another note this is a mean spirited movie, for example a guy's balls are cut off for no reason other than because Wings is pissed, but there's a good reason why because once again a story like this must be mean spirited to work, and it goes all the way to deliver the goods. D.Gary Sherman*** |