Deadly Desire (1991) (TV)

Director:

Charles Correll

Writers (WGA):

Jerrold L. Ludwig (story) &
Tobi Ludwig (story) ...

Release Date:

29 January 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Ex-L.A. cop, Frank Decker, now works for a private security firm in San Diego. During the course of...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Bare Chested Male | Adultery

Cast

Jack Scalia	...	Frank Decker
Kathryn Harrold	...	Angela
Will Patton	...	Giles Menteer
Joe Santos	...	Gus
Ned Bellamy	...	Sparrow
Douglas Rowe	...	Lynch
Thomas Babson	...	Harvey
Joe Faust	...	Garwood
David Sharp	...	Mike
Virginia Watson	...	Doreen
Art Frankel	...	Al Nichols
Jonathan Zeichner	...	Ron Clayton
Spike Sorrentino	...	Detective
William Anton	...	Judge
Elizabeth Soukup	...	Assistant D.A.

Runtime:

USA:93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

San Diego, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Television

Quotes:

Angela: [speaking of her husband] He's not at all like you.
Frank Decker: Oh yeah? How so?
Angela: He's colder. He's harder.
Frank Decker: Harder?
Angela: Hard as in mean and cruel.

An old plot re-hashed with made-for-TV competence

This is one of those movies in which even the plot twists meant to surprise the viewer are obvious, almost from the very start. Jack Scalia plays an ex-cop who, while working for a home-security firm, meets the beautiful Kathryn Harrold. She's unhappily married to the ominously-wealthy Will Patton. Soon Scalia and Harrold are involved in a passionate affair and ... well, you can figure out where this story is going. Most plots are old plots and they can still be made to work if done with proper care. "Deadly Desire" scrapes by but never rises above the level of a routine made-for-TV movie. The main problem is that Scalia's lust for Harrold never seems quite great enough to make plausible his blindness to the plot which is steadily enveloping him. For her part, while poised and attractive, Harrold never quite exerts enough allure to make her a convincing "femme fatale." The lack of fire in their relationship leaves a soft spot in the center of the story.

Jack Scalia's career began when he modeled briefs in print ads which used poses and expressions emphasizing his pleasing physique, sultry sexuality, and pubic bulge. As an actor, he's never much developed beyond the "pretty boy" stage, though he seems to have a modest flair for light comedy. This flair isn't much used in "Deadly Desire" but, even at age 39, he still looks good stripping down for "beefcake" scenes. There are five of them in this movie, three of them coming in sexual encounters with Kathryn Harrold. In one of these encounters you get a quick, dimly-lit view of his bare butt but, most of the time, attention is focused on his chest. Sometimes Scalia shaves his chest but here he displays a patch of black hair on his sternum.