My review was written in May 1990 after watching the movie on Magnum video cassette.
This listless whodunit trades on the AIDS epidemic as a poor taste plot device. It's reviewed here for the record as a current direct-to-video feature.
Real-life couple Sam Behrens and Shari Belafonte add some chemistry to Paul Leder's plodding tale of murdered Walter, a gay man whose ex-wife (Debra Sandlund) hires Behrens to investigate the death. Walter was dying of AIDS, a story gimmick announced early in the script and key to the mystery.
There's an abundance of suspects to interview: Walter's mean mom (Jayne Meadows), his lover (Robert Hosea), shady real estate agent Dick Sargent. Identity of the killer is laboriously unveiled in the talky final reel, replete with flashbacks. It's Leder's answer to the format of the old tv series "Petrocelli".
Boring feature is notable only for the silly marketing gimmick wherein screening copies were sent to video retailers with the final reel missing, as a contest. Guessing the killer correctly could win one a Salvador Dali print! Too bad the use of pointless ballyhoo has shifted entirely from theatrical to the home video arena these days.
