Toni English brings great professionalism to her Vivid feature "Heist", which I saw via a Wave DVD with visual quality indicating probable 35mm shooting.
Unlike bloated movies in the caper genre typified by the "Ocean's Eleven" series, this is a simple tale of a group of 4 criminals eager for one decent score on which to retire. It opens with them executing a jewel robbery from a home's safe, with Julia Ann critical to the operation. Not only does she seduce both husband and wife of the household (Michael Knight, a fixture of NYC productions and the lovely, pre-boob enhancement Jill Kelly), but she unlocks the safe, all ready for her male confederates to rob.
But they were hoodwinked by the couple, who showed off her jewels in Vegas to whet the crooked crew's leader Tony Tedeschi's appetite, but put fake paste imitations in the safe, all the better to collect on the insurance money.
Tedeschi fortunately has another operation prepped: robbing a whorehouse where once a week the mob stashes a suitcase containing $300,000 to be laundered. This caper goes well, with all four members of the team getting laid before making off with the cash.
English employs a structure not used in 21st Century porn: after Julia's opening threesome scene, there are three simultaneous sex scenes involving cross-cutting that take place at the whorehouse. Finale has her predictably hooking up with Tony, before an open ending hints at potential further adventures, though no sequel was released.
The brothel madam, who gets to sample Julia Ann's wares in Sapphic embrace, is played by a mature Crystal Breeze, still a beauty but bearing a more regal countenance than the terrific starlet of the '80s we knew and loved to watch.
