A Woman for All Men (1975)

Boring

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

I'm not usually into these type of films: love triangles, jealousy etc., mainly because each film is basically the same plot but I keep watching them hoping for something different. Is this film different? Yes. Yes, this film is different. Probably because you have a Sexploitation director behind it; and yes, this film has elements of Sexploitation but it's less that and more of a Drama; one that, if it didn't have so much nudity, you could watch it with your mom, unless you have a free-spirited mother who isn't prudish. It does have its flaws. While there are some A-listers in this, the acting is wooden, at times. And while I think some of the actors improvised with their lines, it didn't help in certain scenes. There's a mystery element to the film, and I'm not talking about the supposed murder but the introduction of the characters like Sarah (the housekeeper), Cynthia (the daughter), who's just creepy and a bit incestuous, in my opinion; and though the character of Paul barely breathes in this film, even he has a bit of a mystery to him. Are the mysteries hard to figure out? No.Some of the photography is lame. Like the 'dun dun dun' moments. You know: the freeze frame at the end of certain scenes. The haziness when a scene approaches a 'dun dun dun' moment. Even the paranoia scenes become pretty lame. The 'murder' scene isn't even murder, it was clearly self-defense. Adultery isn't a crime, even with your step-mother. The ultimate problem with that scene is: it seemed to imply or outright state "It was murder!" The father attacked his son, and then tried to shoot him with a pistol. The son fell to the floor and grabbed something nearby and stabbed his father with it, killing him. Self-defense. Yet the next scene Steve tells his step-mother "We're not guilty of anything. We've killed someone who's already dead." That last part eludes to the fact that Steve's father went missing earlier and was presumed dead. Also, "we" is nonsensical. Steve killed his father (in self-defense), it wasn't planned, at least not by Steve. Adultery isn't a crime in the US, it may be immoral but not a crime. The crime they both commited was getting rid of the body and making it appear as murder to anyone who doesn't know it was self-defense. Of course Karen (the step-mother) mentions this later but Steve's an idiot and thinks he knows what he's doing. Of course, to a point: the same could be said of Karen. If one thinks I gave too much away, you're mistaken. The true villain is revealed in the beginning and one is just waiting for s/he's grand entrance. You get it in the last two minutes of the film.The film, as a whole, is cliché, subplots hurried along, main characters (like Paul and Sarah) who are prominent in the beginning and disappear entirely in the last second act, and questions unanswered yet I still enjoyed it. That's something.

The title character is Karen (Judith Brown, "The Big Doll House"), a young lady from Vegas with a dubious past. She marries the cranky, domineering construction company magnate Walter McCoy (Keenan Wynn at his most amusingly irascible), which doesn't sit well with his young sons Steve ("Dirty Harry" villain Andrew Robinson) and Paul (Peter Hooten, "The Inglorious Bastards"). Not unjustly, they wonder if they'll now be shut out of his will. Things take an even seedier turn when sexpot Karen comes on to Steve, leading to various other complications, such as death and cover-ups.Written by producer Robert Blees ("Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?"), and directed by prolific 70s exploitation filmmaker Arthur Marks ("J.D.'s Revenge"), "A Woman for All Men" definitely owes a fair bit to classic film noir, but spices it up with a "modern", drive-in style approach. As such, it's not a great story, or even that well written, but it IS entertaining and watchable all the way through. It's very well shot by Robert Birchall and nicely scored by Luchi De Jesus ("Black Belt Jones"). There's a little bit of violence and a minimal dose of female skin. Blees tries to keep you on your toes throughout, as you figure out what's going on, and ends things with a twist.Really, the main reason to watch is for this impressive cast of familiar faces. Certainly, this is a more high profile cast than one might ordinarily see in this sort of thing. And that includes Alex Rocco as an investigating Missing Persons detective, and Don Porter ("White Line Fever") as the McCoy family lawyer. The female cast are all very attractive, including Lois Hall as family housekeeper Sarah, Patty Bodeen as the teen aged daughter Cynthia, Ginny Golden as Steves' gal Rodell, and Elaine Fulkerson as Pauls' girl Allison. Veteran character actor Tom Bower ("Die Hard 2") has a bit as a construction worker. Brown makes the most of her meaty role, but the movie just doesn't pop as much when Wynn's not around.Worth a look for 70s exploitation devotees.Six out of 10.

Compact but talented cast headlined by sexploitation starlet Judy Brown as "the woman" brought home from one of cantankerous millionaire Keenan Wynn's frequent Las Vegas excursions, only to be mistreated by Wynn's drunken abuse and jealousy. His sons soon discover she's 'too much woman for any one man' (quote, unquote) and the web of seduction, murder and double cross is spun. But just who is the spider? Notable in the cast are Andy Robinson and Peter Hooten playing the sons, while Alex Rocco has a small role as a police detective. There's not much prohibited content to warrant the R rating; a lot of semi-nude embraces, vaguely transparent negligees and soap opera dialogue but the film still manages to look like a 70's style loop. The trashy wallpaper, cheap sets and stage decor give an authentic render, but there's often too much talk, and too little action to sustain the interest.Still, it's good to see Wynn in both a dominant and vulnerable characterisation, showcasing some acting talents he rarely had the opportunity to display in the latter part of his career (even if his screen time is limited).

"A Woman For All Men" aka "Deadly Intrigue" is a good movie. It's about two brothers: Steve (Andy Robinson) and Paul (Peter Hooten) who work for their father Walter (Keenan Wynn). When Walter brings home the beautiful Sarah (Lois Hall), everything spins out of control. Soon, blackmail, double-crosses, and murder become family traits.The performances are well-acted, and the plot has some fun twists. Alex Rocco is only in it for 10 minutes, but his presence is always welcome. The only problem with the movie is that the 2nd half drags a little.In the end: If you can locate this movie, it's definitely worth watching.For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com