Dangerous Passion Reviews

This is an expert retread of Hollywood crime formulas, infused with new life by a top-flight African-American cast. But the snugly constructed script stands on its own merits. Millionaire Lou (Billy Dee Williams) values his antique cars more than his spirited wife, Meg (Lonette McKee). After he kills an intruder, Lou pressures his mechanic, Kyle (Carl Weathers), to take the fall for him. Kyle feels even more threatened after Lou forces him to witness the drowning of Lou's wheelchair-bound attorney, Mr. Adelman (Daniel Ziskie). Risking his well-being by dallying with Lou's mistreated spouse, Kyle clings to hopes that Lou will release a promised $30,000 payoff that would enable Kyle to buy Napa Valley land as an upright citizen. Meanwhile, Lou hires a henchman, Frank Carmen (Charles Boswell), and Kyle finds out that Meg is pregnant and he s the father. Cashing in a luxury car given to him by the big boss, Kyle flees with Meg. After Frank fatally stabs Meg in a coffee shop, a frightened waitress-witness, Angela (Elpidia Carrillo), is sought by Lou's men and by Kyle, because only this illegal alien can clear him in Meg's slaughter. Although Kyle slays Frank, another henchman, Walt (Tony DiBenedetto), kidnaps Angela. During a confrontation in Lou's warehouse, Kyle trades Lou a sports car (which has been rigged with explosives) for Angela. Kyle escapes with his life and his witness, but indications exist that auto-fancier Lou may yet buy his way out of the bloody mess. DANGEROUS PASSION rings true even when its skirmishes seem improbable. The film doesn't merely pit its enamored fugitives against an implacable foe; it picks at their own insecurities as they turn on each other in waves of mistrust. Weathers more than fits the movie star bill as a handsome tuna swimming among barracudas like Lou. Matching McKee's enticing performance as the self-destructive Meg is Billy Dee Williams, whose Lou isn't just a grabby businessman but a collector of souls. DANGEROUS PASSION is an invigorating peek into the dark recesses of the human spirit--until McKee is killed off. Afterward, this once-promising film moves into more conventional macho action territory. (Graphic violence, extreme profanity, extensive nudity, sexual situations, substance abuse.)