Play Murder for Me (1990)

Director:

Héctor Olivera

Writers:

José Pablo Feinmann (writer)
Daryl Haney (additional dialogue)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

Paul Slater, a down and out saxophone player, runs into his former lover at his nightclub in Buenos Aires...

Plot Keywords:

Jazz | Independent Film

Cast

Jack Wagner	...	Paul Slater
Tracy Scoggins	...	Tricia Merritt
William Paul Burns	...	Fred Merritt (as William Burns)
Ivory Ocean	...	Lou Venable
Rodolfo Ranni	...	Stanislav Gregorius
Gerardo Romano	...	Alejandro Molina
Jorge Rivera López	...	Victor Silberman
Francisco Cocuzza	...	A.J. Krieger
Maurice Jouvet	...	Patrick
Manuel Vicente	...	Phil Mendoza
Marcos Woinsky	...	Sound & Fury Manager
Selva Mayo	...	Gregorius' Mistress
Norma Ibarra	...	Concierge
Alejandra Sylvain	...	Stripper
Ricardo Ibarlin	...	Bartender

Also Known As:

Negra medianoche (Argentina)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

Argentina | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina

Company:

Aries Cinematográfica Argentina

Beneath The Level Of Olivera's Best, But Still A Worthwhile Effort.

Argentinian director Hector Olivera does not always aim his films directly toward a mass audience, as is the case here; however, combined funding from United States and Argentinian origins are decisive in his selection of subject and mood for this English-language effort, shot in Argentina and starring television performer Jack Wagner in his initial feature not made for T.V. For a production not given a theatrical release, Wagner plays Paul Slater, a tenor saxophone jazzman who has drifted into Buenos Aires where he is booked into a small night spot, coming to the attention there of an American mobster and "jazz fan" (William Burns) whose wife Tricia (Tracy Scoggins) is Paul's former lover, and soon the call of lust refuels their affair. Their amorous renascence is heightened when Fred is shot by a gangland rival, and his subsequent wheelchair confinement reduces his social graces to a level where he is physically abusive toward Tricia, and her plight and pleading are instrumental in convincing Paul that he should murder Fred, leading to expected complexities. Olivera's films are marked by tight construction and editing, but here overmuch cutting elides footage important for the storyline, resulting in logic and continuity flaws, yet, in spite of these weaknesses, the director, once noted primarily for exploitative movies, manages to create an interesting piece, distinguished by his customary dark and sardonic tone and creative camera and lighting skills.