An irresistible piece of 80's cheese. I actually remember this one from its initial broadcast. Back then I thought it was terrible. Now, though, seeing it through my world weary, irony-heavy eyes, it has a brand new appeal. Let's start with the premise. A killer is stalking and slashing male strippers in the middle of their act. Oh no! Well, I can only imagine the writers had intended this to be an antidote to the inherently misogynistic stalk and slash genre by putting a gender reversal spin on the proceedings. Here, the audience gets to see half naked men get butchered, and see the female protagonist(Marilu Henner)rescue her hunky young boyfriend from the the clutches of the killer. Being a made for television film, the slashings are remarkably tame. In fact, in the first kill scene, I had serious doubts the victim could die from the wound inflicted on him. It kind of looked like a big cat scratch. Also, the romance between Henner and a pre-"Melrose Place" Thomas Calabro(looking pretty comely here)is not particularly interesting. Better, is Lesley-Anne Down's Joan Crawford-like performance as the owner of the strip club and Susan Blakely's big hair. There's also a potentially interesting sub plot that's introduced early in the film involving a housewife/mother sneaking away to catch the strip shows. When her husband sees a story of one the murders on television, he asks "What type of woman goes to a place like that?". Unfortunately, we later find out this woman had been a prostitute. Although it probably was not intended, I think this plot point uncomfortably links her former life and her current interest in seeing men strip. It definitely underscores how marginalized women are sexually. Putting my soap box aside, though, this is still one of those oddities from the 80's that warrants at least one viewing.
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marat-530 September 2000
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Imagine what TV was like back in the late 80s. Can you? My mind races to horrid sets, bad acting, and amateur dialogue ... yet, there was always a level of creativity. Television, especially made-for- television films pushed the envelope for what they could do, what they could say, and while the stories were full of one-line clichés and overproduced images, the stories had some heart to them. In today's cinema, this is what is lacking. We have great special effects, tremendous actors delivering great lines, but the stories feel and are quite bland. Not the case for the 80s. Recently, I had the opportunity to watch a forgotten 80s gem (which is only discovered on VHS or late night TV) that demonstrates this great dynamic shift. It has some great creativity, but utterly lacks in all other categories. "Ladykillers" uses the talent of Marilu Henner (from TVs "Evening Shade") as a cop determined to find the killer of male strippers as well as make sure that her secret relationship stays together. Can you have said that with a straight face? Not me, and that is my entire argument there - creativity! Combining male strippers, cop love, a cool weapon, and a villain that uses merely 70s glasses and a bad wig - and you have all the elements of "Ladykillers" that makes it memorable, despite the obvious lacking sets, acting, and dialogue. Can you look past the bad to see where the good blossoms?
Let me restate that this isn't a film that needs to be watched over and over again - the story could become tedious, the acting is so bad, and the music obviously dates this film, but for the 91-minutes that I watched of this film, I have to admit - I was pulled in. To begin, Marilu Henner sinfully pulls off the difficult cop determined to solve the case as well as keep her relationship together. Her flip-flop nature of trying to be this sex-symbol and a hard-nosed cop, just doesn't work - but in several scenes, you believe her. She makes this role simply unbelievable that you are tricked into believing that she could fill this part. Coupled with the fact that her relationship is with the quintessential newbie cop, Cavanaugh (no first name), aptly played by Thomas Calabro from "Melrose Place" fame, you know within the first minutes this is going to be a full-fledged layer cake. Cavanaugh, who is known for his muscles more than his brain, uses this male stripper case to boost his career within the force, which he oddly finds out is his passion in life, to be a male dancer. Again, I can't state this enough, where else are you going to find stories like this? Our actors are bad, but they keep you glued to the screen because you have no idea what is going to happen next. This isn't your A to B to C story, it has absurdest depth, which can confuse even the novice of film watchers. Adding to this already deflowered chemistry, is a band of 80s-hair male strippers, crazy women (literally), and a rag-tag group of police (quite literally the entire squad) whose sole case is to solve this one. These are the layers, and they only get better from minute to minute.
"Ladykillers" is also memorable for the killer and weapon. A unique choice which we are introduced to in the second scene, the weapon seems like it would only scratch your skin, but be forewarned, these razors are lethal. The weapon is interesting, and genuinely spooky, but what takes the cake it the killer. Using merely a wig and a pair of glasses, our cinematography for this film used every bit of light imaginable to freak out the audience. While there was not real threat, there were some well staged scenes throughout with this killer. Whether it was in the clubs or just looking behind our police friends, there was quite a bit of thought that went into this anti-hero. Not to sound like a "Ladykillers"-nerd, there was another great layer to this film. "Ladykillers" introduces this premise of a prostitute turned housewife late in the game, but it adds this undercoat of dirt that a typical made-for-TV film wouldn't even touch. The grand finale is a darkened ride into a world that wasn't otherwise that spooky. "Ladykillers" obviously gained momentum as the minutes passed, and for that I applaud this film.
Overall, I was happy with the final product. I wish there was a DVD, but the VHS transfer did make it seem more ... authentic? Though, I should warn, not everything was a glorious as I portray it. There were horrible elements to this film. Cavanaugh being one of them. The lady that owned the strip club being another. The running scene with Marilu Henner was painstakingly bad, but it was the basis for this story - how the creativity flowed when the story needed to come together. The producers knew that they wouldn't have tons of money for everything, so they put their money where it counted, and it worked. The bad guy was spooky, the weapon (despite the science) was frightening, and the actors did fit their parts. Know what you are getting into when you watch this, but I was expecting the worse, and found something watchable. Be prepared - but enjoy
Grade: *** out of ***** -
BandSAboutMovies24 January 2024Originally airing on ABC on November 9, 1988, Ladykillers inverts the expectation of giallo - you'd expect that this would take place in an exotic dancing club with women on stage, not men - and has not only men be the object of the camera's gaze but a female detective in the lead.
Ladykillers is the kind of bar where women get dressed up to watch men get undressed to the hottest music of 1988, which means cover versions of "Glamour Boys" by Living Colour, "Pump Up the Volume" by MARRS, "Beds Are Burning" by Midnight Oil, "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" by Robert Palmer - well, originally Cherrelle and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis wrote it - as well as "Stay With Me Tonight" by Jeffrey Osbourne and "Nasty" by Janey Jackson and I hope Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis got paid for all their music in this. The film has an incredible moment right at the beginning where someone in a Tina Turner glitter wig and a frock emerges from the crowd and unleashes a box cutter like they're in A Blade In the Dark and slices a nude man to pieces and he dies in front of the women who were once yelling for him to take it all off.
Keep in mind that this is an American made-for-TV movie and not an Italian giallo!
Despite the murders in her club, owner Morgana (Leslie Anne Down) won't close the place with all the business. I mean, what women are coming out to...oh yeah, true crime. It all makes sense. The police are on the case with partners - and former lovers - Samantha Flannery (Marilu Henner) and Cavanaugh (Thomas Calabro) not just looking for the suspects but Cavanaugh going undercover with a g string. Plus you get Susan Blakely as an advertising executive and Keith David as a cop. What else do you need?
Director Robert Michael Lewis also made A Stranger Waits, Computercide, S. H. E: Security Hazards Expert and Pray for the Wildcats. It was written by Gregory S. Dinallo, who wrote another TV movie that's almost a giallo, Calendar Girl Murders.
The Los Angeles Times said that it was "inept" and "an excuse for a male flesh parade." The New York Times claimed that it was "leering" and "prurient." I enjoyed it. You knew that, right? -
Access Sanctuary16 June 2000A police detective assigned to a case where male strippers are being murdered at a club, commissions a gorgeous assistant to go undercover (or overcover) as one of the strippers and becomes slightly jealous of his success in the process. While it has it's down time, it has some good points as well. Some nice strip scenes help to polish this guilty pleasure up. Calabro is a great choice for the club's new star stud.
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PrincessMoreno28 May 2004Lesley-Anne Down stars as the owner of 'Ladykillers', a hot nightspot where hundreds of women cram in to watch the endless stream of male strippers. The final routine each night consists of a top hat and tails number which drives the girls wild. Until one night, when the dancer is brutally killed. From then on, every dancer who attempts the closing routine is slain in full view of the audience. Marilu Henner leads an all-male homicide team who are assigned the task of finding the killer.
This is a fun gender role reversal movie if somewhat cheesy, instead of the usual movie with a psycho guy runs around killing female strippers, here the killer is female the person in charge of the crime investigations is female (and in charge of a group of men), and the owner of the strip joint in charge of the strippers is also a woman. All of the dominant characters in positions of power are women, while the the usual submissive eyecandy roles here are provided by men. Here its the men are parading round half-naked as sex objects and serving to please women. It does make a pleasant change to see the heroin rescue her toy boy from the woman who's been slicing and dicing the sexy hunks.
This movie is definitely worth watching for women, combined with its feminist slant and numerous strip scenes of gorgeous men with awesome bodies taking their clothes off (not fully mind, this is a TV movie) there is a lot of fun entertainment to be had here, if only there were a more explicit version. -
felicia-blake19 December 2006I liked this film a lot. I saw it over 10 years ago, it must be now. I can just about remember what it was about, and I would love to get it on tape again though - will start my search. The male-lead went on to star in Melrose place as roguish charmer, Michael. This film did stick in my mind as a teenager, and the music in the film was particularly memorable. I liked the notion of the film, that this time it was the female in charge and that she called the shots, over her hunky partner. It made a change for the man to be given the role of stripping - this is probably why the memory of this film has stuck with me for so long - the premise was different and unusual
I would highly recommend this film as something like to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon -
abbylynn-2064327 April 2020I wish they would release this movie on digital so I can buy for my collection.. my favorite movie of the 80's