Scorchy
Director: Howard Avedis
Year: 1976
Rating:
6.0
Somewhere
a while back I came across a comment that this film was a low budget take
on the French Connection and indeed it is about some cops chasing after drug
dealers with a few lengthy chases. Now I can't recall Gene Hackman smacking
a fellow cop on the butt or suggesting to his captain that he needed a blow
job, but maybe I am forgetting. While watching, I thought this was a TV movie
until the female cop takes a dip and removes her top or later has a shower
or even later has sex with someone in order to delay him from getting on
a plane. Talk about devoted to the job. Most surprising though is that this
female cop is Cricket. Aka - Connie Stevens. If you are my age and few of
you are thankfully, the chances are likely that you had a boy crush on Stevens
when she was on the private eye show Hawaiian Eye from 1959 to 1963. Cricket
was the adorably cute blonde who sang from time to time in the hotel where
the detectives had their office. She went on to a bunch of teenager
or innocent roles and put out a few albums - two of which I had - Concetta
and Connie Stevens as Cricket. Mellow music. And here she is no longer a
sweet teenager but showing her assets. For absolutely no reason. Oh well.
That is Hollywood.
Jackie (Stevens) has been after a drug operation
for a few years even going around the world disguised as a frowsy brunette.
In Italy one of the drug smugglers Henrich puts a gun in a messenger's mouth
and pulls the trigger. "I hear you like to talk too much". He flies to Seattle
with Jackie in a seat behind him. Once they land the police op goes into
action - follow the drugs to their final destination. A husband (Cesare Danova)
and wife (Marlene Schmidt - wife to the director Howard Avedis) are the point
people for the drugs and Jackie has been cultivating their friendship. They
ask/threaten her to transport the drugs for them. Our friend Henrich steals
the drugs back and then they are stolen from him and then so on - with one
pretty good chase across Seattle taking place. When Jackie is having sex
with a potential drug dealer, she leaves the drapes open which the two killers
appreciate and watch the show. Before using their harpoon.
Stevens doesn't come close to making you
believe she is a cop - too flirtatious with anyone wearing pants and quite
giggly cute - but this might have made a decent tv series. Henrich is played
by a favorite of many - the perennial psycho killer William Smith - who has
a larger role than normal and is as expected a mean son of a bitch. This
doesn't seem to be a particularly respected film (4.9 on IMDB) but there
are some well-done scenes - the chases, the helicopter buzzing within a few
feet of someone, the final shootout. I found it enjoyable enough. Good to
see Cricket again.
