Midnight Heat is Brad Jones's homage to the late night sleaze flicks of the 1980s. Like cult classics such as Angel, it is set in a world of street walkers, pimps, and drug addled cops. It pays tribute to virtually every cliché of this genre, and in so doing, loses itself in a morass of different plot lines.
The film incorporates far too many plot lines for its own good, tracing the lives of a streetwalker, her pimp, another 'bad' pimp, a serial killer, and a cocaine addicted cop on suspension. Had the plot settled on one protagonist, it could've been a great exploitation film, especially given Jones's obvious enthusiasm for the material. As it is, the film just meanders. Indeed, at roughly an hour and forty minutes, it could easily have lost twenty minutes of film, and been a much better film for it.
The most obvious protagonist would have been Jones's own character, an unwitting pimp cracking under the strain of his lifestyle. Jones gives a good performance and actually makes viewers care about the deeply flawed character. Unfortunately, the character gets lost in various subplots, only coming to the forefront about an hour into the film.
For all its flaws, the film does have its good points. Jones knows his eighties sleaze, and throws the obvious clichés for a few loops. The film also has a suspiciously good soundtrack for something filmed on such a low budget. Still, one wishes a bit more time had been spent paring down the script.
The film incorporates far too many plot lines for its own good, tracing the lives of a streetwalker, her pimp, another 'bad' pimp, a serial killer, and a cocaine addicted cop on suspension. Had the plot settled on one protagonist, it could've been a great exploitation film, especially given Jones's obvious enthusiasm for the material. As it is, the film just meanders. Indeed, at roughly an hour and forty minutes, it could easily have lost twenty minutes of film, and been a much better film for it.
The most obvious protagonist would have been Jones's own character, an unwitting pimp cracking under the strain of his lifestyle. Jones gives a good performance and actually makes viewers care about the deeply flawed character. Unfortunately, the character gets lost in various subplots, only coming to the forefront about an hour into the film.
For all its flaws, the film does have its good points. Jones knows his eighties sleaze, and throws the obvious clichés for a few loops. The film also has a suspiciously good soundtrack for something filmed on such a low budget. Still, one wishes a bit more time had been spent paring down the script.