QUICK
A film review by Matt Simmons
Copyright 1994 Matt Simmons
Year: 1993
Length: 99 min
Starring: Jeff Fahey (LAWNMOWER MAN),
Teri Polo (PASSED AWAY, BORN TO RIDE, MYSTERY DATE, ASPEN EXTREME),
Martin Donovan (none found),
Robert Davi (JAMES BOND: LICENSE TO KILL),
Tia Carrere (WAYNE'S WORLD),
Director: Rick King (THE FORCED MARCH, HARD CHOICES, HOT SHOT, THE KILLING
TIME, PRAYER OF THE ROLLERBOYS)
Rating: 5/10 (the acting, Polo's in particular, makes up for some of the
plot failings. Not a very original story, though)
First, a plot summary:
Teri Polo stars as a hitwoman who is living with a cop. While on what is supposed to be her last hit, various circumstances cause her to run off with her intended target. Her target has stolen $3 million from a drug dealer, and they spend the rest of the movie trying to get it.
As Teri Polo is my favorite actress, the rest of this review will concentrate on her.
Now, on the outside, this file seems to be in the same genre as RESERVOIR DOGS and TRUE ROMANCE. Like the two, there is a sense of timelessness, in that predominantly 70s clothing is intermingled with 90s automobiles and car phones, for example. Secondly, there is a tendency to kill everybody but the hero(s). TRUE ROMANCE differed from RESERVOIR DOGS in that it had a female costar in it. As a natural extension of the violence in RESERVOIR DOGS, the sex between Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette was shown to be somewhat less than gentle, but it avoided showing too much (I don't remember seeing Arquette's breasts, for example). QUICK is like TRUE ROMANCE with the violence and the sex, but it (unfortunately) goes a little farther. In fact, QUICK is almost identical to TRUE ROMANCE: couple come together unexpectedly (though in QUICK, she doesn't fall in love with him immediately) and are pursued by people intent to kill them as they attempt to get a large sum of money.
I had always respected Teri Polo for a trait she shared with Julia Roberts: Never to show her breasts completely naked. However, that changes in QUICK. The sex is quite a bit more explicit and violent than in TRUE ROMANCE. In the first sex scene, she is depicted as being forced to endure domination from her boyfriend in what could be doggy style or anal sex. All that is shown is her naked rear end, as then the camera jumps to her face where we get to watch her pained expression. I don't think this counts as exploitive in that there is nothing sensual or erotic in this scene. It is depicted as dirty and perverted. The other sex scene in the movie has the tempo of the sex scene from MOTORAMA. It also shows just that much. The final instance of skin occurs between the first and second sex scenes and is not portrayed as sexual. It is also not frivolous as it helps to reinforce her character.
All in all, I found this to be a rather mediocre movie. Some of the plot seems rather contrived, and a couple things pop out of nowhere. However, like ASPEN EXTREME, she is the highlight of the film.
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