Matialth
Good concept, poorly executed.
Doomtomylo
a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
Brendon Jones
It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
morrison-dylan-fan
With Christmas coming up a family friend asked me about a film which he remembered seeing on TV in the late '80s.Checking online,I was disappointed to find no sign of a DVD or Video of the movie.Talking to a DVD seller,I was pleased to discover that they had recently tracked down an uncut version of the title,which led to me getting ready to uncover the vices of the squad.The plot:Falling in love with her violent pimp Ramrod,Ginger decides to give him a second chance.Get his hands on Ginger,Ramrod beats Ginger up and kills her.With Ramrod having been involved in a number of cases,the police have been trying to arrest him for a long time,but nothing has ever stuck.Spotting Ginger's friend Princess working on the streets,an undercover cops gets Princess to offer him a service,which leads to her getting arrested.Expecting to be put behind bars,Princess is horrified to be shown the dead body of Ginger by police officer Tom Walsh.Desperate to get revenge,Princess agrees with Walsh's plans to work undercover,so that Ramrod can be caught in the act.Catching Ramrod's eyes at a club,Princess gets Ramrod to let his guard down,and take her to a place where they can get more intimate.Secretly following and recording their conversation,Walsh goes to arrest Ramrod as he starts to threaten Princess.Putting the handcuffs on Ramrod,Walsh & Princess soon discover that this is a ram who wont give up.View on the film:Inspired by real events taking place on the streets of Hollywood,the screenplay by Sandy Howard/Kenneth Peters & Robert Vincent O'Neill taking a refreshingly non-judgemental view of the prostitutes in the movie,with Princess being shown as a strong-minded,caring women who is determined to not having to rely on any man.Along with the black market,the writers give the cops fight to catch Ramrod a tough,to the bone mood,which goes from Ramrod killing anyone that stands in his way,to Walsh and his fellow cops pushing street hustlers to spill info on Ramrod's activities.Filmed on location,director Gary Sherman & cinematographer John Alcott (who also did Kubrick's 2001) hit the violence (which was cut by 6 minutes by the BBFC in the UK) with an unflinching fury, as the on location filming gives the title a deep murky atmosphere,as Walsh's bullets fly across the screen and Ramrod's punches landing with a real thud.Whilst treating the cops on the beat police work in a blunt manner,Sherman also displays a sly sense of humour,as the cops find themselves facing a kung-fu fighter,whilst one of Princess clients rises from the dead.Along with singing the catchy title track, Wings Hauser gives a blistering performance as Ramrod,with Hauser's burning red ravaged eyes making Ramrod a psychopath who has long passed his breaking point.Filmed as she was facing a divorce and custody battle with Kurt Russell, Season Hubley gives an excellent performance as Princess,due to Hubley balancing Princess stern,self determination,with an explosive femme fatale brittleness,as Walsh and the squad go after all the vices.
Michael_Elliott
Vice Squad (1982) ** (out of 4) Tom Walsh (Gary Swanson) proudly works the vice squad where his main goal is bringing down a violent pimp (Wings Hauser) who has no problem torturing and beating his women. Along with the help of a prostitute (Season Hubley) they get the pimp in a string but he escapes and goes to get revenge on the woman who set him up. Now the vice squad must try and find her before the pimp does. I must admit that I was really disappointed in this thing after hearing so much about it. When the Anchor Bay DVD was released there was a good amount of people who really talked this film up as being one of the last sleaze productions before movies really started to changed. In all honesty they must have been watching another movie because if you take out the bad language you're left with a rather tame movie. Sure, there's a tad bit of brief nudity but not enough to make one call this an exploiatation movies. The violence is mostly off screen and just suggestive so there's another reason this really doesn't enter the sleaze market. I'm really not sure why this film got the reputation of being a disturbing movie because it's actually just a low-rent police drama. As a police drama it doesn't really work either because I couldn't help but think the cops here were among the dumbest people to ever be put into a film. The movie kicks off with a disclaimer about the real vice squad and I really, really hope it wasn't like what's shown in this film. I won't ruin the ending but the pimp has the hooker in a car with the police following yet they don't try to pull him over because they're worried he will kill here. So what do they do? They let him take her into an apartment and be in there with her a good ten-minutes while they're all either outside or waiting to arrive on the scene. What in the hell did they think he was going to do when he had her inside a room with no one else around? I thought Swanson was pretty good in his role as he has the perfect look for a worn down cop. Hubley wasn't too bad either but I did have a hard time believing she was one of the more popular prostitutes out on the streets. Hauser doesn't give an Oscar-worthy performance but he's so over the top that you can't help but enjoy what he brings to the film. Director Sherman at least builds up a very nice atmosphere and one really gets the dirty feeling that they're on the streets with these women. This overall mood and feel makes the film worth sitting through at least once but there's still not enough to make this a complete winner. BTW, Frank Capra, Jr. was one of the producers.
lost-in-limbo
Gary Sherman's "Vice Squad" is all show, but powerfully biting and sordid exploitation of the seedy strip of Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard when the sun finally goes down. For such luridly unpleasant context, the film manages to amuses with rousing suspense, sharply-witted (if foul) script and its authentically raw atmosphere. Even the performances figure prominently. Wing Hauser deservedly dominates the limelight as the frighteningly, aggressive pimp Ramrod. His turn is that of pure spontaneous and nightmarish intensity. Truly hard to forget. Gary Swanson's courageously humane performance as Detective Walsh, the leader of the 'Vice squad' is downright solid, and there's a confidently brassy and strong-willed go-it-alone portrayal by Season Hubley as the prostitute Princess that Ramrod is after for setting him up. The support cast racks up recognizable bit players (Pepa Serna, Beverly Todd, Maurice Emanuel, Nina Blackwood, Michael Ensign, Cheryl Smith, Fred Berry and the list goes on) of rich characterisations. Sherman's sensationally gripping direction doesn't let up or beat around the bush, as he cranks up the energy and brutality. Still there's a slickly professional manner about it, and cinematographer John Alcott shots it with great ticker, and stylish verve. The screeching rock title track "Neon Slime" sung by Hauser sets the tone, and the saucy score has a feverish pitch that enhances the downbeat atmosphere and daring intensity.
murking
I was in my early teens when this film began in heavy rotation on HBO. My mother didn't screen many films, but she happened to catch one or two scenes of Ramrod brutalizing Ginger or Princess and forbade me to watch it. Of course I could not resist, was caught, and had my TV privileges taken away from a month.Are these scenes of brutal violence towards women tame by today's standards, have they since been topped? Not really! Perhaps if it was tried today we'd get a bit more insight into Ramrod's motivations. Childhood trauma and what not, not just revenge. The actors play this pretty much straight forward. Hauser is singular in his approach, and Hubley alternates between faux-demur and animalistic rage. Quite a lot of anger in her own right. Sherman the lead/director comes off as rather wooden, but give him credit for his Dirty Harry-esqueness and his place in cinematic history. Cable TV audiences have enjoyed this sleazy classic for three decades with more to come!
