1982 - I THE JURY, very sleezy but entertaining private eye film

Ralph Meeker was the definitive detective Mike Hammer in the 1950's Aldrich film Kiss Me Deadly.  This updated version of  the Hammer character features Armand Assante as the brutish private eye a bigger lowlife than even Ralph Meeker was.  The formula is lots of sleazy sex scenes and lots of gun play.  The plot has something to do with the CIA programming people to become assassins with the unfortunate side effect being that they end up also becoming deranged sex maniac killers.  Mike Hammer in his own nasty way has to sort this all out and put a stop to it. by killing a whole bunch of people.

This is probably one of the few films I have seem that makes sex and eroticism kind of disgusting especially when in involves crazed sex killers.  The action scenes are actually well done since this is right before the era of computer imaging where the stunts and action are basically manipulated by some nerd in front of a computer.

 

Mike Hammer's assistant is the ever faithful Velda who is either his secretary, lover or maid played by a stunning blonde named Laurene Landon.  She's equally capable of flirting with Hammer or pulling out a gun and blasting away at some disagreeable bad guy.  Also in the cast is 1980's babe Barbara Carrera as a creepy sex therapist who Mike Hammer gets involved with. 

This is not a film that you want to watch with your mother or spouse, its tough, brutal, nasty and very entertaining.

The screenplay was by  B movie and exploitation screenwriter Larry Cohen in the best cinematic tradition of completely unredeeming story telling. The running time is 111 sordid minutes.