Jane Bomb

I've seen a dozen Mike Beck films, imported only erratically to the U.S. over the years from Sweden, and randomly catching up with his 007 ripoff "Jane Bomb" I still wonder why his work didn't catch on here. This film was released stateside by an unlikely source, Jill Kelly Productions, and buried in the rubble of tens of thousands annual new porno DVD releases.

Porn fans unfamiliar with Beck's approach should be a bit shocked at the attention he pays to non-sex niceties. After an imitation Bond opening (dating back to the Sean Connery original) Linda Lust as Jane Bomb has an exciting 7-minute pre- credits danger assignment in the snow with fights, snow-mobile chases and all the other low-budget accoutrements aping many a Broccoli big-budget spy epic. Eight or nine solid XXX scenes follow, but throughout we have the core of a suitable C-level action pic being presented.

Jane works at M.I. Sex in Stockholm and her boss (Ake Gustavsson, a key crew member who doubles in non-sex acting roles in Beck films) "N" assigns her to a big mission involving an experimental sex drug which bad guys are trying to steal and use to turn the Swedish population into sex-crazed folk easy to invade from Norway and/or one of the former Soviet satellite states "Krablacstan". Sascha Baron Cohen wasn't consulted on the script but the satire is about on his infantile level.

Beck enjoys making fun of Sweden and its neighbors, permitting the film to have its own identity beyond the Ian Fleming ripoff status. The prof working on the sex drug formula is in Malibu (we get some 2nd unit footage shot in California as a montage) and his product is stolen by a lover wonderfully played by Vanessa Blond as Ivana Blofeldlt, her name par for the parody course.

The late great Vilgot Sjoman, of "I Am Curious (Yellow)" fame, made a unique, unsung soft-core porn film I loved called "Troll" in which the leading sex players were all played by real-life opera singers - a crazy picture worthy of Marco Ferreri. Beck is aware of this, and has Vanessa launching (direct sound) into sudden bursts of opera worthy song as she is humping or killing somebody. The effect is bold and unique, giving "Jane Bomb" a one-of-a-kind quality.

Beck falls back on porno expediency, cramming in many sex scenes where Jane is mere voyeuse, watching people hump as she attempts to carry out her derring-do. The big showdowns with Vanessa and the arch-villain Silverfinger, plus his steel- hatted henchman Blowjob (played by Beck's IR specialist, muscleman Samson Biceps) are well-staged, over-the-top action scenes. Britain's own secret weapon in porn Angel Long (currently prominent in John Stagliano's "Hard in Love I & II") pops up pseudonomously in the final sex orgy. N's sexy secretary at headquarters Miss Moneypussy (Sabina Star) gets a lesbian scene with Lust.

If narrative porn ever makes a comeback Beck's work is worth rediscovering, especially this one and "Arvsynden", a spoof of Agatha Christie style thrillers.

Film ends with the traditional: "Jane Bomb will return in 'Never Say Bomb Again'", but Beck instead issued a sequel titled "Thunderpussy". His regular actress and caterer (!) Nikki Dane replaced Lust in the title role, but that sequel was never released in America.