Hollywood Vice Squad (1986)

A mother goes to Hollywood to find her runaway daughter. The Vice Squad discovers that a dangerous gangster has turned the girl into one of his junkie teen prostitutes. The Squad also investigates illegal betting and a BDSM pornographer.

Director:

Penelope Spheeris

Writer:

James J. Docherty

Stars:

Ronny Cox, Frank Gorshin, Leon Isaac Kennedy

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ronny Cox	...	Captain Jensen
Frank Gorshin	...	Walsh
Leon Isaac Kennedy	...	Hawkins
Trish Van Devere	...	Pauline Stanton (as Trish Van DeVere)
Carrie Fisher	...	Betty Melton
Evan C. Kim	...	Chang (as Evan Kim)
Joey Travolta	...	Stevens
H.B. Haggerty	...	Tank
Cec Verrell	...	Judy
Julius Harris	...	Jesse
Marvin Kaplan	...	Man with doll
Beau Starr	...	Farber
Robert Miano	...	Luchessi
Ben Frank	...	Daley
Tom Everett	...	Miller

Storyline

Three different teams of Hollywood Vice Squad officers work on three separate cases involving illegal betting run by the Mob, a sleazy BDSM porn director and a ruthless old gangster who runs a teenage prostitution ring. Officers Chang and Stevens work the streets busting hookers. Chang's favorite m.o. is turning into an exaggerated caricature of a stereotypical Asian tourist to gain the girls' trust and then bust them. Things take a serious turn when one of the girls turns out to be a dangerous man in drag who puts a knife to Chang's throat and forces him to take a ride with him, forcing Stevens to engage in hot pursuit. Officer Betty Melton is a rookie who wants to prove herself but her superiors, officers Chavez and Miller, won't let her. When she accidentally witnesses a sleazy backyard BDSM porn shoot involving what seems to be an underage actor, Betty turns to Captain Jensen in hopes of finally getting a case to investigate by herself, but Jensen orders Chavez and Miller to grow ...

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Plot Keywords:

drug overdose | topless female nudity | police sting | woman in bra and panties | teenage prostitute | 

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Taglines:

The most unusual police force in the world

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 July 1986 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Hollywood Vice

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First feature film of Robin Wright.

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Quotes

Betty Melton: Why did you move in on my bust like that?
Chavez: You were as nervous as a whore in church.
Betty Melton: You asshole. That was my bust. I could have handled it.
Chavez: That's Mr. Asshole to you.
Betty Melton: Listen, Rambo. I can do anything that you can do.
Chavez: Oh, yeah. I bet you can't grow a beard.
Man with doll: Bet you can't pee standing up.
Betty Melton: Bet you and Mike could teach me.

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Connections

Referenced in The Big Box: To the Devil a Daughter (2009)

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Soundtracks

Demon's
Performed and Composed by Chris Spedding

User Reviews

Undercover of comedy, masks good potential drama

Hollywood Vice Squad passes itself off as a comedy, even though it's really a drama. Given it's subject, it could of been a much better drama, as some bits work quite effectively, but I'm talking only a minority of scenes. The film has an interesting cast of actors, some lesser known types, like Evan Kim, and Joey Travolta, John Travolta's lesser known brother. It also stars veteran actor, Frank Gorshin, as a sleazy old pimp, well suited to his features. It also has Carrie Fisher, after her Star Wars days, a cop with potential, wanting to make a difference. Her frustration is only increased when stumbling across a kiddy porn flick being made in one of L.A.s own backyards. Ronny Cox, I guess, is kind of stereotyped here as a caring detective who tells mother (Trish Van Devere) straight out the facts on missing teenagers who go searching for their dreams. This film also has Robin Wright in one of her earlier roles, (years before becoming Mr Penn's better half) as a teen pro and junkie who works for pimp, Gorshin, (again what a sleaze). So it's up to the vice squad who must track her down, the missing teen, suspected as belonging to Gorshin's stable. Evan Kim is an asset to this movie in a parade of bad disguises, while working undercover, the last one, before the curtain comes up, a must see, though I did like the first one with as the eager sex tourist. Leon Issac Kennedy, another one of the squad, has his moments too. He plays cool, great, almost a clone of Lionel Richie. The scene in particular that convinced me mentally of this, was when one of Gorshin's women, a tall long legged hottie, strips for Leon's character, who's masquerading here as an upscale pimp, competing with Gorshin, who finds him a hoot as he does a joke, This scene is my favorite scene, that stands superior to the others, but also not forgetting the one with Ms Wright, in nightwear making out with an older client. One thing that freaked me out about the movie was Gorshin's, shockingly thin and short receptionist. Some scenes in this movie stay with me, one a raid with Fisher's mob crashing another kiddie porn flick, this one has it's youngsters in viking gear, horns and all. But this movie is really laughable, but a lot of fun too. It's a pity in one sense, as this flick showed promise, but on the other scale, it's really entertaining B grade fun, Evan and Leon as it's saving grace.