Verdict
Summary
Notable mainly for being Playboy Playmate sensation Pamela Anderson’s film debut, Snapdragon uses Basic Instinct as its inspiration, right down to a last-second surprise ending, but director Worth Keeter doesn’t have the wherewithal or verve to give any of the proceedings an urgency or sultriness to make any of it worthwhile, particularly since this could’ve been a very sexy lower grade erotic thriller with some actors that could’ve delivered on the material.
Plot:
A series of sex murders points to a female serial killer, and a police psychologist may have fallen in love with the killer.
Review:
A little blonde girl’s missionary parents are murdered by an Asian cartel, and the girl is sold into sexual slavery, and years later, the girl has grown up into a beautiful young woman (played by Pamela Anderson in her film debut) who has amnesia. The hospital caring for her names her Felicity, and her doctor (played by Matt McCoy from Dead On) offers the case to a colleague named David Hoogstraten (Steven Bauer), who is a clinical psychologist for the police department. David is a little perplexed by the beautiful young woman, but he’s certain she was sexually and physically abused as a child, but to what extent he’s not sure. His on-again, off-again girlfriend on the force is Sgt. Peckham (Chelsea Field), who has just been promoted to detective on a series of serial homicides where the male victims were all killed during sex with a woman with blonde pubic hair, and the clues suggest that that the woman is interested in Oriental motifs and culture. While it doesn’t seem like the victims are connected, David begins to gather all the material on his own, and when he spends more time with Felicity and begins sleeping with her, he figures out too late that while she might not be the killer, she’s definitely involved in the case, but by then the killer strikes again, a little too close to home. If he doesn’t crack down and commit to sharing his work with Peckham, he might become the next victim.
Notable mainly for being Playboy Playmate sensation Pamela Anderson’s film debut, Snapdragon uses Basic Instinct as its inspiration, right down to a last-second surprise ending, but director Worth Keeter doesn’t have the wherewithal or verve to give any of the proceedings an urgency or sultriness to make any of it worthwhile, particularly since this could’ve been a very sexy lower grade erotic thriller with some actors that could’ve delivered on the material. Bauer is way too slouchy and sloppy to be a believable clinical psychologist, and by the end of the movie he’s a crybaby loser who is put in his place by his much more commanding girlfriend, played by an always-clothed, though frequently involved in sex scenes Field. Anderson whispers all her dialogue, and has several sex scenes, all of which have her on top. I was hoping for some pizazz from Snapdragon, but all we got was fizzle.
Long available only on VHS and full-frame DVDs, Snapdragon has made its way to high definition, widescreen Blu-ray from MVD Visual, and I’m happy to report that the picture quality was top notch. Erotic thrillers are not well represented on Blu-ray, so this one is welcome in my collection. No special features are included.
