Vice Squad (1982)

i must have seen a different film!!

A Masterpiece!

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

If one looks at my other reviews, one would be very much forgiven if they thought that 'Vice Squad' wouldn't be my style or something that would typically be watched by me. Actually have a diverse taste (or at least that's intended) in film and television, spanning all genres and decades with a wide interest in actors, actresses and directors with no bias intended.Like action-crime-dramas a good deal and while not one of my absolute favourites, 'Vice Squad' was a very enjoyable and well done film for what it was and achieved what it set out to do. It may not have the best script in the world, some of it is laughably cheesy even by 1982 standards. The ending is a bit silly and lacks the tension and suspense of the rest of the film. Gary Swanson does his best and does decently, but the rest of the characters are more colourfully written and stay in the memory longer (especially Ramrod).It didn't actually bother me, due to the entertainment value and being pleasantly surprised by how well most individual components worked, that for a film about prostitution it's fairly tame in terms of nudity and sex and that it's talkier than one would expect. It may do for others though.However, 'Vice Squad' is made with plenty of atmosphere and style, the photography is stylish and almost eerie and the editing is suitably crisp. The soundtrack is infectiously funky as well as hauntingly creepy.Story-wise, it's remarkably compelling and always goes at a snappy pace without being rushed. It's a lot of fun and is very rich in tension and suspense. The exploitation and prostitution world is certainly suitably sleazy, while the violence is relentless but never gratuitous, the film admirably doesn't hold any punches or take any prisoners which adds to the intensity. Gary Sherman directs tautly, and of the characters Ramrod and Princess (especially the former) maintain a lot of interest.Season Hubley brings a strong-willed and sassy personality to Princess. Sticking most in the memory is the star-making performance of Wings Hauser, Ramrod is one of the nastiest pieces of work one will ever find on film and Hauser chills the bone in a truly incredible performance.Overall, very enjoyable. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Vice Squad (1982) ** (out of 4) Tom Walsh (Gary Swanson) proudly works the vice squad where his main goal is bringing down a violent pimp (Wings Hauser) who has no problem torturing and beating his women. Along with the help of a prostitute (Season Hubley) they get the pimp in a string but he escapes and goes to get revenge on the woman who set him up. Now the vice squad must try and find her before the pimp does. I must admit that I was really disappointed in this thing after hearing so much about it. When the Anchor Bay DVD was released there was a good amount of people who really talked this film up as being one of the last sleaze productions before movies really started to changed. In all honesty they must have been watching another movie because if you take out the bad language you're left with a rather tame movie. Sure, there's a tad bit of brief nudity but not enough to make one call this an exploiatation movies. The violence is mostly off screen and just suggestive so there's another reason this really doesn't enter the sleaze market. I'm really not sure why this film got the reputation of being a disturbing movie because it's actually just a low-rent police drama. As a police drama it doesn't really work either because I couldn't help but think the cops here were among the dumbest people to ever be put into a film. The movie kicks off with a disclaimer about the real vice squad and I really, really hope it wasn't like what's shown in this film. I won't ruin the ending but the pimp has the hooker in a car with the police following yet they don't try to pull him over because they're worried he will kill here. So what do they do? They let him take her into an apartment and be in there with her a good ten-minutes while they're all either outside or waiting to arrive on the scene. What in the hell did they think he was going to do when he had her inside a room with no one else around? I thought Swanson was pretty good in his role as he has the perfect look for a worn down cop. Hubley wasn't too bad either but I did have a hard time believing she was one of the more popular prostitutes out on the streets. Hauser doesn't give an Oscar-worthy performance but he's so over the top that you can't help but enjoy what he brings to the film. Director Sherman at least builds up a very nice atmosphere and one really gets the dirty feeling that they're on the streets with these women. This overall mood and feel makes the film worth sitting through at least once but there's still not enough to make this a complete winner. BTW, Frank Capra, Jr. was one of the producers.

Gary Sherman's "Vice Squad" is all show, but powerfully biting and sordid exploitation of the seedy strip of Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard when the sun finally goes down. For such luridly unpleasant context, the film manages to amuses with rousing suspense, sharply-witted (if foul) script and its authentically raw atmosphere. Even the performances figure prominently. Wing Hauser deservedly dominates the limelight as the frighteningly, aggressive pimp Ramrod. His turn is that of pure spontaneous and nightmarish intensity. Truly hard to forget. Gary Swanson's courageously humane performance as Detective Walsh, the leader of the 'Vice squad' is downright solid, and there's a confidently brassy and strong-willed go-it-alone portrayal by Season Hubley as the prostitute Princess that Ramrod is after for setting him up. The support cast racks up recognizable bit players (Pepa Serna, Beverly Todd, Maurice Emanuel, Nina Blackwood, Michael Ensign, Cheryl Smith, Fred Berry and the list goes on) of rich characterisations. Sherman's sensationally gripping direction doesn't let up or beat around the bush, as he cranks up the energy and brutality. Still there's a slickly professional manner about it, and cinematographer John Alcott shots it with great ticker, and stylish verve. The screeching rock title track "Neon Slime" sung by Hauser sets the tone, and the saucy score has a feverish pitch that enhances the downbeat atmosphere and daring intensity.

I was in my early teens when this film began in heavy rotation on HBO. My mother didn't screen many films, but she happened to catch one or two scenes of Ramrod brutalizing Ginger or Princess and forbade me to watch it. Of course I could not resist, was caught, and had my TV privileges taken away from a month.Are these scenes of brutal violence towards women tame by today's standards, have they since been topped? Not really! Perhaps if it was tried today we'd get a bit more insight into Ramrod's motivations. Childhood trauma and what not, not just revenge. The actors play this pretty much straight forward. Hauser is singular in his approach, and Hubley alternates between faux-demur and animalistic rage. Quite a lot of anger in her own right. Sherman the lead/director comes off as rather wooden, but give him credit for his Dirty Harry-esqueness and his place in cinematic history. Cable TV audiences have enjoyed this sleazy classic for three decades with more to come!