This can be looked at as a sort of modern film noir with characters that have many things on their mind and a script loaded with crisp dialog and while it doesn't really have any bona fide surprises to deliver it's a film that's quietly effective in it's purpose. Story is set in Manhattan where we see Vera Barrie (Neve Campbell) who's parents are rich and lavish her with things to make her life comfortable but they want her to dump her boyfriend. Her boyfriend is Ford Welles (Fred Weller) who's a sleazy and conniving street hustler who is trying to pimp Vera to an Italian Count named Tommaso Lupo (Dominic Chianese) for $100,000 but Ford doesn't know her as well as he thinks he does.
*****SPOILER ALERT***** What Ford doesn't know about Vera is that she's a free spirited bisexual with a girlfriend of her own on the side and when she eventually meets the count she ups the ante to a million dollars in cash which he delivers to her! Vera has money of her own and she doesn't like the thought of men trying to use and buy her so she sets up a confrontation between Ford and the count which will benefit her.
This is made by writer/director James Toback who excels with small films about interesting characters and he made quite a mark for himself in 1978 with "Fingers" and his trademark dialog is evident in all of his films. Because Toback usually lacks a substantial budget for his efforts he has routinely shot his films quickly (this was filmed in 11 days!) and they have an undeniable raw quality and freshness. Toback's scripts also give actors a chance to shine but it has more to due with the fact that he allows them opportunities for creative moments and Campbell is especially strong. Showing her muscular legs from "The Company" Campbell is an exciting entity and it's her first venture into displaying her naked body on film but the nudity is more than just an exploitive option it's also to show that her character is open and very strong willed. One thing that I think hurts this film is the fact that audiences are supposed to buy into the fact that Campbell's character would have such a disgusting scumbag for a boyfriend especially when we learn early on how smart Vera really is. How much fun could a broke hustler be? Some may consider this too slow moving to appreciate but I found the scene with Vera and the count so intriguing that it's probably worth the price of admission alone. Interesting little film has a good and sexy performance by Campbell and while this is not exactly riveting in terms of drama it does give fans of Toback another chance to view his unique talent.
*****SPOILER ALERT***** What Ford doesn't know about Vera is that she's a free spirited bisexual with a girlfriend of her own on the side and when she eventually meets the count she ups the ante to a million dollars in cash which he delivers to her! Vera has money of her own and she doesn't like the thought of men trying to use and buy her so she sets up a confrontation between Ford and the count which will benefit her.
This is made by writer/director James Toback who excels with small films about interesting characters and he made quite a mark for himself in 1978 with "Fingers" and his trademark dialog is evident in all of his films. Because Toback usually lacks a substantial budget for his efforts he has routinely shot his films quickly (this was filmed in 11 days!) and they have an undeniable raw quality and freshness. Toback's scripts also give actors a chance to shine but it has more to due with the fact that he allows them opportunities for creative moments and Campbell is especially strong. Showing her muscular legs from "The Company" Campbell is an exciting entity and it's her first venture into displaying her naked body on film but the nudity is more than just an exploitive option it's also to show that her character is open and very strong willed. One thing that I think hurts this film is the fact that audiences are supposed to buy into the fact that Campbell's character would have such a disgusting scumbag for a boyfriend especially when we learn early on how smart Vera really is. How much fun could a broke hustler be? Some may consider this too slow moving to appreciate but I found the scene with Vera and the count so intriguing that it's probably worth the price of admission alone. Interesting little film has a good and sexy performance by Campbell and while this is not exactly riveting in terms of drama it does give fans of Toback another chance to view his unique talent.