Le déclic (1985)

Directors:

Jean-Louis Richard
Steve Barnett

Writers:

Milo Manara (comic book)
Adam Moos (writer)

Release Date:

1985 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

A man, Dr. Fez, is blackmailed into taking a fall for his boss. However, with a cruel invention that he created, Dr. Fez has plans of his own to seek revenge against his blackmailer.

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Erotic Thriller | Mind Control | Erotica | Based On Comic Book

Cast

Florence Guérin	...	Claudia Christiani
Jean-Pierre Kalfon	...	Dr. Fez
Bernie Kuby		(as Bernard Kuby)
Géraldine Pernet
Jacqueline Chauvet
Corinne Corron
Gérard-Antoine Huart
Fabrice Josso
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Crofton Hardester
Jasmine Maimone
Lisa Marks

Also Known As:

Click (France)
The Turn-On (USA) (racier version)

Runtime:

USA:80 min | France:87 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:-12 | USA:R (1993)

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Trivia:

The film is based on the softcore graphic novel of the same name by Italy's master in erotic comic art, Milo Manara.

Quotes:

Guy in car: This is great--sex and death!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Faceless (1987)

It depends on your expectations

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Minor spoilers ahead.

Okay - the basic plot and most of the characters seem like they're from a bad comic strip - but they are based upon a strip by Italy's Milo Manara, who specializes in erotica, not plot or characterization.

The story: Dr. Fez, defrocked because of an incident with a student while he was researching at a university, now works for Mr. Christiani - the most evil and corrupt man in New Orleans. Bribed into taking the fall for a "job" that's never described, he plots revenge when he hears of research that enhances sexual excitement in lab rats. Constructing a projector, he changes sexual response for several people, working up to his bosses wife - with largely pointless but fun results.

The problems: The flaws in the story (the black box seems to work by radiating a signal, but only works on the women he wants it to work on - not the women standing next to them) are broad and obvious, the characters are more cardboard cutouts than usual, and there's a lot of weird stuff (the one-eyed detective with an attack dog - a black lab named 'Bazooka') tossed in to keep you from figuring out what's going on. The cars with the steering wheels on the wrong side, the non-USA license plates, the choice of a black lab as a killer attack dog, etc. will keep you from suspending disbelief - unless you really are ready to hang it by the neck until it's dead.

The pluses: Well, in the version I saw (_The Turn-on_, claiming to be from 1989 and unrated), there are plenty of good-looking women to fall prey to the doctor's black box, and nobody seems shy about full frontal nudity. The plot is tolerable, and the humor exists - it's not laugh out loud material, but it is amusing.

For a tawdry, "let's make up a plot as an excuse to ask the actresses to disrobe on camera" drama, it's fairly good. As I haven't read the comics it's based on, it may well be true to the source - I dunno. I've seen far worse plots, with worse camera-work, gain audiences.

This will be one of those "guilty pleasures" you'll share with your buddies, but never let your wife catch you watching. All in all, worth the rental.