Review of Flareup

Flareup (1969)
6/10
My Life Is Ruined
10 November 2004
***SPOILERS*** Requel Welch in one of the most demanding roles of her film career as Michele a Las Vegas Go-Go dancer. Michele is stalked throughout the movie "Flareup" by a crazed killer Alan Morris, Luke Askew, who holds her as well as her friend and fellow Go-Go dancer Iris, Pat Delaney, responsible for the breakup of his marriage to Go-Go dancer Nikki, Sandra Giles.

Trying to get Nikki to reconsider at an outdoor café in Vegas, where she's with both Michele and Iris, she tells the hurt and despondent Alan to get lost where he pulls out a gun and shoots her! Alan then turns his gun on Nikki's fellow Go-Go dancers, Michele and Iris, as they run for their lives and escape.

Later Michele and Iris going to the hospital to find out how Nikki is doing, she died from her wounds, Alan runs down Iris and her police escort with his car as Michele escapes again. Michele is sent to L.A by the manager of the club that she dances in, the Pussycat, to work at the "Losers" nightclub in order to get away from the vengeful Alan.

At "The Losers" Michele meets Joe, James Stacy, the clubs parking attendant who changes her hose, car tire, and then gives her a sip of coke, the soft drink, from a bottle that he's drinking out of. This impressed the beautiful Michele so much that by the time the day was over she was shacked up with Joe in his apartment in L.A! I should be so lucky.

Alan gets the bartender at the "Pussycat" nightclub Silor,Ron Rifkin, to tell him where Michele is and then carjacks Mr.Willows, Tom Feddon, killing him and driving off with his car to L.A to murder Michele. Finding both Michele and Joe at the beach Alan is interrupted in his attempt to kill them by the police and runs down and kills a biker as he makes his escape.

Alan then tracks down Michele at a gas station as she out runs him, on wheels and on foot, to a zoo. It's at the zoo where she's rescued by the police with Alan again getting away and is put into a police guarded hospital room for her own protection.

Michele breaking out of the hospital goes to Joe's place only to be held hostage by Alan who was there waiting for her. After being held alive by Alan in order for Joe to come home; Alan plans to murder him so Michele can see it. Suddenly Michele breaks away from Alan and locks herself up in the kitchen and when Alan breaks in she pours a can of gasoline on him and lights a match setting him on fire thus the title of the movie "Flareup".

Luke Askew who's a pretty good actor seemed so embarrassed in the movie that he played it straight and tried to keep his emotions in regards to the part that he was paying under wraps. Especially in that incredibly unintentional hilarious last sequence with Miss. Welch, when he looked like he was either hypnotized or on drugs.
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