Flareup
                            
Director: James Neilson
Year: 1969
Rating: 5.0
I guess I know why this one is never mentioned when people talk about Raquel Welch's best films. It is a dull hackneyed woman in danger film that seems to go on forever. Make that a "stupid woman in danger" film which is the worst kind. The film I expect was marketed on a few scenes of go-go girls dancing and Raquel in this flimsy white cleavage revealing outfit on stage. That was the highlight. And it is about ten minutes into the film. Raquel had been in a series of pretty good films when she agreed to this one but in Bandolero, 100 Rifles and Lady in Cement she was second fiddle to her male stars. She owns this film and is in about every scene and her co-stars - not to be mean - are basically nobodies. So, it was a chance for her to take center stage and emote to her hearts content and she hits about every emotion there is - joy, grief, fear, tears, love. And she is fine but what a lousy script. Except for the nudity - not Raquel's - this could have been a CBS Movie of the Week.



Michele (Raquel) and her two female friends are having a pleasant lunch by the hotel pool in Las Vegas. Across the street is a sign that Ann-Margaret is appearing and another one for Celeste Holm in Mame. Lovely day until Alan (Luke Askew) shows up and kills his ex-wife and tries to kill the other two. They go to the police department to give a statement and Michele begins a series of really stupid moves by refusing police protection. Not that it helps her friend who is then killed. The three women had been working at that classic Las Vegas establishment - The Pussy-Cat-a-Gogo - where they do their time on stage. Michele does as classy a dance as that place allows. Going to work that night is stupid move number 2. After her friend is killed, she rips off for Los Angeles but tells her boss where she is and is overheard by the gay drug addicted barman (Ron Rifkin) who tells Alan. Stupid move number 3.



In L.A. she goes to work in another club and within ten seconds falls for the parking attendant (James Stacy) and moves in with him. So much for grief for her two dead friends. The film might have gotten interesting if he had turned out to be a psycho but no such luck. But Alan of course finds her - chases her into a zoo - and then when she is hospitalized, she crawls out the window and goes home. Stupid move number 4.  All predictable - except one thing - which is how the film got its name and that one bit makes the film memorable. The elements are there for a decent film but it slogs along spending a ridiculous amount of time on Raquel and her new love snogging when there is a killer out there. Still, it's Raquel in 1969 when she was at the height of her beauty.