Mamba (1988)

Such a frustrating disappointment

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

A clever and intriguing concept is poorly handled in this 'killer snake' thriller starring Trudy Styler (wife of pop icon, 'Sting'). This starts off brilliantly as twisted boyfriend and video game engineer, Greg Henry purchases a deadly black mamba off of nomad snake-handler (played well as usual by Bill Moseley in an all-to-brief appearance). This opening scene does a tremendous job of displaying the icy remorselessness of Henry's character as he disposes of Moseley just before unleashing the snake into the giant loft apartment of his artistic ex-girlfriend, Styler in order to play a sick revenge game. This takes a turn for the worst as Styler acts in the most ridiculous of ways. Instead of avoiding the mamba, she taunts it by yelling at it, throwing matches at it...etc. She sinks an all time low in her eccentric display of stupidity when she dumps powder all over the floor and gets on top of the refrigerator, pointlessly attacking the snake with eggs and shouting "filthy, filthy!", meanwhile, Henry watches on his computer in a near-by, high-tech stakeout. Its a decent premise wasted by one of the most annoyingly absurd characters in screen history. Styler eventually redeems herself in a clever and final confrontation with Henry, but by then, it loses interest, and the camera prowling about the floors of the apartment imitating the snake looks unrealistic. Its worth seeing for the good opening and Greg Henry as the cold and abhorrent villain, but Styler's character's attempted self-redeeming woman is just so laughable.

I had the dubious pleasure of attending a pre-screening of this movie at a Los Angeles studio in 1987 or 1988, and I find it really hard to believe that it ever made it out of editing room garbage cans. On the other hand, maybe I should take that back; there are good bad movies, and there are bad bad movies, and I have to admit that I really enjoyed guffawing in disbelief throughout this one. Still, my favorite part of the screening was filling out the evaluation form after seeing this gem: I have never had a more fruitful opportunity to exercise my limited abilities in sardonic wit. If I remember correctly, that document was my masterpiece in the genre. I wish I had a copy. Many thanks to my friend and student at the time, Sergio Canto, who got the passes to the screening.P.S. I could take a line or two to outline what I remember about the plot of the "film," but that's as much as the writer did, so I guess I won't bother.

"Fair Game" is a really weak and barely worthwhile horror film.**SPOILERS**Conducting a business deal, Gene Campbell, (Gregg Henry) purchases a deadly mamba snake from Frank, (Bill Moseley) a renown dealer of exotic and deadly snakes. Still upset over his divorce from Eva, (Trudie Styler) he pays her a visit to her apartment and uses it as an excuse to leave the snake behind. Trapping her inside and watching the proceedings from a computer nearby, she becomes aware of the creature's presence but realizes she's still trapped within the house. Forced to defend herself, she tries to stay alive as the snake stalks her within the spacious building.The Good News: There wasn't much of anything to this one. The fact that there's a real snake to this one is a big plus, as those that are used to giant killer snakes will have been used to terrible CGI or barely realistic-looking prosthetics, and one where the creature is actual and real does draw some benefits to it. The house where it takes place is actually really nice, giving off a nice Gothic feel with it's spacious rooms, off-beat designs and intricate furniture all give it a unique look that serves well to make it really enjoyable and the perfect opportunity for something fun and enjoyable. The last big plus is that the final confrontation, which is the focal point of the whole film, deals with the snake stalking her through the house, and these are all full-on, tense and exciting scenes. From the bathroom confrontation to the scenes of the snake attacking in the living room, there's a lot to like about them. The fire scenes are just as good, and lend a little more believability to the film that, along with the real snake, make for a really fun scene. The extended length has it's benefits as well, as there's a lot to pack in while making it enjoyable, which this one does nicely. These here are the film's best points.The Bad News: This one here is really problematic entry. The biggest one here is the fact that nothing of real excitement happens in here. The fact that the whole film comprises the chasing around the house is about it, the rest of the film does nothing of importance. It's not entirely exciting watching her walk around doing yoga or trying wacky means of fitting food into refrigerators, or even stuff like the constant phone calls or flipping around the TV aren't that interesting at all, and the stuff that goes on while the snake's stalking her isn't any better. Granted, it does last a while, but it still doesn't do much of real interest and the film, as a whole, is terribly dull. This is also shown in the film's incredible lack of blood, gore or anything else horror fans are accustomed to. There's three people who have screen-time over ten seconds, and with a snake in the film, the deaths are guaranteed not to be too graphic at all, which is pretty common anyways. These here are the film's weak points.The Final Verdict: With a few good points about it and not a whole lot really wrong with it, this one ends up being incredibly underwhelming. If it must be seen, then go ahead and do so, but there's so much more worthwhile out there that it's hard to see any real point in giving in to this mediocre entry.Rated R: Adult Language, Violence and Brief Nudity

A narcissistic intellectual video game designer doesn't appreciate the fact that his "weakling" ex-girlfriend has moved on with her life, trying to earn a living from her putty sculptures(?!)enjoying the fruits of her labor in a posh vast loft, blessed with limited windows, highly secure. Gene(Gregg Henry)decides to put an end to this by "inheriting" a deadly venomous black mamba, required by a snake handler(Bill Moseley, in one his many grubby roles..the actor has a whole trunk load of these parasites he can pluck for use)he dupes and murders. Gene's plan at eliminating an "ungrateful" inferior girlfriend is to seal Eva's(Trudie Styler, and hour or so of running time spent with her is enough for any wary viewer to endure)home, locking her inside with the Mamba snake, with a special tracking device on both of them, watching their "progress" from his car. Gene injects more hormones in the snake supposedly giving it a limited life expectancy providing the Mamba with "extra motivation" for attacking anyone in it's proximity..Gene even has a timer set on his computer as to when the snake would die if it couldn't release it's venom in time. So the main meat of the film is Eva by herself practicing meditation and yoga, talking and joking to herself, making funny expressions to herself in the mirror, and generally goofing off until she realizes the snake is in there with her..and the fact that her loft is locked tight with no exit it seems. The film often cuts to Gene in his vehicle, "sweating" it out as the counter clicks away and Eva often evades the deadly fangs of the Mamba.I would recommend seeing this film for those interested in Gregg Henry. The DVD release of "Just Before Dawn", and films like "Slither", "Payback" and "Body Double" feature his talents. But, I think his work here is exceptional. I think the point-of-view shots of the snake slithering around in the loft are quite reminiscent to those snake-cameras used by thieves attempting to find passages through difficult security systems in hi-tech actioners. The director often uses this device probably because it's a lot easier, and a bit more realistic. On paper, this film could be a winner. It probably is if you find Trudie Styler interesting or entertaining, because, in just my opinion, the film hangs on her likability..she is in the film the most and it's her plight we must be concerned with. I found her pretty annoying so her plight didn't concern me, to be honest. I was more interested in Henry, because he created this air of pomposity and I've always been a fan of actors who could create a quiet menace, seething underneath this calm exterior. I like how the director often shoots him from below as if he were standing on a pedestal looking down on his prey. I say if you like Styler's performance and character, the film will work..if not, then you'll feel the same way I did. Really, the interesting premise on paper never quite materializes on screen although, as I've mentioned already, Henry's villain is quite memorable. To be honest, in a real movie, a character such as Styler's would've been mincemeat. The funniest scene would have to been when Eva stares down the mamba with a lit cigarette lighter.