A private cop -- a divorced 30-something man who lives with his little daughter during the week -- is hired by a beautiful lady to find and bring back her younger sister who is the black sheep of the family. Later she also approaches him sexually but he does not seem to really believe his luck. She may have sinister plans and the rich husband's and some other people's lives are at risk. . . With an old clichéd Chandler or Hammett-style storyline this film desperately needs something extra that never comes; even the ending "twist" is very predictable.
Antonio Mayans, an experienced actor with some of the worst films ever made (like Zombie Lake) in his portfolio, is surprisingly good in this. Despite the macho mustache he is a softy and generally slow. He is clumsy and a coward when facing violence and does not have good investigation skills at all. But his interaction with the little girl (played by his real-life daughter who is cute as a button) is heart-warming, funny and feels genuine on-screen. They could have built on this, emphasizing the contrast between his family life and his violent and sleazy working hours -- but regrettably this thread never develops. His character is not interesting enough to save the whole film in itself. (He tried at least!) Moreover the outside world is not violent enough for a thriller/mystery (we hear about two murders that are never shown). And it is not very sleazy either, which is rather surprising from Jess Franco and his wife! Certainly Lina Romay is sexy as usual (despite the ugly blonde wig she's wearing) but we don't get but very short glimpses of her womanly body. Her erotic scenes with men are rather mild. She appears in a scene with an older bisexual woman and they engage in mutual oral sex, well, that one is hot but she is mostly clothed during that, too.
(The end credits reveal that the bill was partly paid by the local government of Costa del Sol -- the Spanish seaside is indeed shown in full Techicolor glory. Maybe they did nor want to be associated with too much sleaze? But in this case why did they hire Jess Franco to begin with?)
Antonio Mayans, an experienced actor with some of the worst films ever made (like Zombie Lake) in his portfolio, is surprisingly good in this. Despite the macho mustache he is a softy and generally slow. He is clumsy and a coward when facing violence and does not have good investigation skills at all. But his interaction with the little girl (played by his real-life daughter who is cute as a button) is heart-warming, funny and feels genuine on-screen. They could have built on this, emphasizing the contrast between his family life and his violent and sleazy working hours -- but regrettably this thread never develops. His character is not interesting enough to save the whole film in itself. (He tried at least!) Moreover the outside world is not violent enough for a thriller/mystery (we hear about two murders that are never shown). And it is not very sleazy either, which is rather surprising from Jess Franco and his wife! Certainly Lina Romay is sexy as usual (despite the ugly blonde wig she's wearing) but we don't get but very short glimpses of her womanly body. Her erotic scenes with men are rather mild. She appears in a scene with an older bisexual woman and they engage in mutual oral sex, well, that one is hot but she is mostly clothed during that, too.
(The end credits reveal that the bill was partly paid by the local government of Costa del Sol -- the Spanish seaside is indeed shown in full Techicolor glory. Maybe they did nor want to be associated with too much sleaze? But in this case why did they hire Jess Franco to begin with?)
