2 reviews
The defunct production/distribution company, PM Home Video, accountable for generally some of the least captivating feature film releases of the late 20th century, is the firm behind this routine adventure romance that offers only occasional splodges of watchable footage during a scenario that teems with PM's standard menu of bare (store-bought) breasts, and jejune violence, its storyline earmarked by continuity-free scenes that fail to provide sufficient information to viewers who might prefer that there be some rationale behind the plot's events. A "scientist" (of an unstated sort), Elvin Gambit, has developed the film's titular formula, a prescription for some system or product that will "end world hunger". A described prototype for this miraculous procedure or item has somehow been transferred onto a videotape, to capture which a stealthy assassin kills the scientist, along with his wife, the couple slaughtered in their bed while fervently engaged in an act of coupling (more exposed boobs). The sought-after tape then falls into the hands of Tracie Gambit (Sabryn Gene't), teenage daughter of the slain Gambits, and before long she, accompanied by her boyfriend Adam (Gregory Vignolle) are frantically attempting to avoid the mentioned killer, an unconvincing gunman, to be sure, as he seems to be incapable of shooting anyone unless at point blank range. Directed in humdrum fashion by Henri Charr, who holds a distinction of being Hollywood's lone director of Assyrian descent, the production operates with an expectedly low budget, with a result that bears evidence to this shortfall. Viewers may tend to reproach a scenario that is honeycombed with failures of logic that beggar any essay at establishing continuity. Filmed largely in the southern San Fernando Valley community of Sherman Oaks in the city of Los Angeles, there is little or nothing here to animate discerning cinema enthusiasts. An apparently rudderless cast mechanically ambles through the affair, although Paul Brewster, as an earnest supervising homicide investigator, does manage to create a role. Any inclination to watch this dross should be averted by all having good sense.
When I started to watch "Illegal Entry: Formula for Fear", I felt rather secure in the fact that it was going to be cheesy. And I was right. BUT, what I wasn't in for was the brisk, action packed pace and thought provoking dialogue that the movie was loaded with. Sabryn Genet, who is famous only for her role on television's "The Young and the Restless" was mind-blowing in her excellent performance as Tracie Gambit, the heroine of the story, and her escapades avoiding the bad guys. I really cannot do this movie the justice it deserves in this small review. Just watch it and see for yourself.