This film feels like a dark spin-off of THE BREAKFAST CLUB with Judd Nelson's highly disturbed rebel teenager now a depressed loser haunted by memories of his father, turning to serial killing to add meaning to his life. He crosses over universes into DTV cop movie territory though by running afoul of detective Leo Rossi, who himself is struggling to cope with a transfer from NYC with his wife (an against-typecast supportive and trustworthy Meg Foster), his partner (the always fatherly and reliable Robert Loggia), and his textbook pre-Frank McRae angry yelling stupid chief (played by Bleeding Gums Murphy & ICE PIRATES pimp robot voice, Rod Taylor).
While those expecting the sleaziness of Lustig's earlier MANIAC or the nonstop gritty excitement of his MANIAC COP and VIGILANTE movies will be disappointed, he shockingly turns this cliché'd cop thriller premise into something very watchable. While 80's LA isn't quite as seedy as 80's NYC, Lustig takes the transition in stride and makes excellent use of the environment.
As someone who has lived in Los Angeles for a few years and spent a lot of time along the Sunset Strip, I was delighted to recognize just about every location in the film. Some parts of town have changed a lot in 27 years, while others have not changed at all. So this film works effectively as a time capsule for Los Angelinos.
Lustig keeps the plot zipping along at a brisk pace and gives it just enough of his warped and demented style (coupled with characteristic Jay Chattaway music) to keep even jaded modern audiences interested. However the real selling point here are the performances. Nelson's creepy portrayal of the killer may well be his career highlight and the B-movie veterans like Rossi, Foster, and Frank Pesce all get good scenes in that I hope they put on their show-reels.
The main weakness I feel is some plot confusion regarding Rossi's relationship with his old precinct. At first it feels like he's leaving a job in NYC but then we see him go back there a few times later in the movie, making me wonder if he jumped into a THE FLY-style teleportation chamber off-screen or the writer/director/editor just didn't communicate too well where his old precinct was. It feels like something was lost in the editing, perhaps owing to being cut for time, but the ending could certainly have been more satisfying too had they shown what the fallout was both in the news and at Rossi's workplace after all his loose cannonry.
Although certainly not perfect and an unfortunately forgotten film, RELENTLESS is a wonderful example of how to make a very watchable film out of unoriginal subject matter.
While those expecting the sleaziness of Lustig's earlier MANIAC or the nonstop gritty excitement of his MANIAC COP and VIGILANTE movies will be disappointed, he shockingly turns this cliché'd cop thriller premise into something very watchable. While 80's LA isn't quite as seedy as 80's NYC, Lustig takes the transition in stride and makes excellent use of the environment.
As someone who has lived in Los Angeles for a few years and spent a lot of time along the Sunset Strip, I was delighted to recognize just about every location in the film. Some parts of town have changed a lot in 27 years, while others have not changed at all. So this film works effectively as a time capsule for Los Angelinos.
Lustig keeps the plot zipping along at a brisk pace and gives it just enough of his warped and demented style (coupled with characteristic Jay Chattaway music) to keep even jaded modern audiences interested. However the real selling point here are the performances. Nelson's creepy portrayal of the killer may well be his career highlight and the B-movie veterans like Rossi, Foster, and Frank Pesce all get good scenes in that I hope they put on their show-reels.
The main weakness I feel is some plot confusion regarding Rossi's relationship with his old precinct. At first it feels like he's leaving a job in NYC but then we see him go back there a few times later in the movie, making me wonder if he jumped into a THE FLY-style teleportation chamber off-screen or the writer/director/editor just didn't communicate too well where his old precinct was. It feels like something was lost in the editing, perhaps owing to being cut for time, but the ending could certainly have been more satisfying too had they shown what the fallout was both in the news and at Rossi's workplace after all his loose cannonry.
Although certainly not perfect and an unfortunately forgotten film, RELENTLESS is a wonderful example of how to make a very watchable film out of unoriginal subject matter.