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Reviews
Secret Games II (The Escort) (1993)
Performance Artist Risks Everything
Having long been a fan of low-budget, independent movies, I was pleasantly surprised by Secret Games II. Martin Hewitt as performance artist Kyle Lake shows a side of his acting that we haven't really seen before, and we are witness to an interesting psychological tug-of-war between his art, erotic call girls, and the hard, revealing truths behind their dangerous "games." As he sinks deeper into this world, it is Kyle's art (videotapes) that becomes the vehicle for the answers he seeks -- done ingeniously through dialogue directly to the audience. Add Amy Rochelle, Sara Suzanne Brown, and Marie Leroux, and the erotic quotient goes up considerably. But perhaps most exciting aspect of the movie is the reappearance of the writer Russell La Valle, whose skills I first noticed on his film Sins of the Night. Once again, La Valle shows a talent that stands above the rest in this genre. After "Sins" I would often come across other, non-entertainment writings of his and always came away with the feeling that here is a writer who deserves assignments that are commensurate with his talent. I can only hope that someone else takes notice of his capabilities and hires him to tackle movie projects of larger scope and importance. Until then, I will continue to champion these low-budget cable features whose entertainment value has been undervalued and under-appreciated for too long.
Sins of the Night (1993)
An ex-con turned private investigator enters a very dangerous world.
Jack Neitszche is one of those small-time ex-cons who never seem to catch a break. Now he is forced to track down Roxanne Flowers, an ex-stripper who has too many skeletons in her closet -- all of the kind that Jack should avoid like the plague. But Roxy is one woman who can't be ignored, and Jack falls hard -- even though he knows he shouldn't -- and very soon he finds himself in a dangerous triangle with none other than Tony Falcone, a mafia-type who has a penchant for violence and making people suffer. Very soon all hell breaks loose, and when the dust clears there are dead bodies, broken lives, and a dangerous world whose rules never seem to change.
Sins of the Night is a surprising sleeper of a movie whose low budget filmmaking actually adds to its appeal and in the process rivals much larger films like Basic Instinct. Besides creditable performances by Deborah Shelton, Nick Cassavetes, Richard Roundtree, Miles O'Keefe, and the rest of the cast, an added bonus is the writing. Russell La Valle is clearly a writer who should be watched, as he has a natural flair for dialogue and character development, and knows how to weave them into a compelling story. Certainly a talent to watch.
I hope Hollywood takes notice and understands the entertainment value of films like Sims of the NIght and begins duplicating the formula for good small budget movies that have been missing for too long.