Broken Rose

A bit of an odd one is this. Made in 1996, it seems to have sat on the shelf until released only in the UK on video in 2000 and then again in 2002 on DVD. Also strange is the cast list. The leading actors and the bottom ones have few or no credits to their names whilst in the middle are established actors Lydie Denier, Robert Z'Dar and Chris Mitchum. The producers, director and the crew also have a good number of credits to their names. The opening credits mentions a scholarship foundation so could this film have been a sort of graduation qualification for the newcomers?

The film itself is nothing much to write home about. Trini, (Angela Torano) has escaped from sexual abuse by an unknown abductor. She returns to the night-club she knows, much to the pleasure and consternation of the people there. Brian (Jake Briest) still has feelings for her but his wife, Erika (Lydie Denier) is not so pleased. Add to this mix the club owner Luke, the gangster Anthony who has designs on the club, and the shady Harmon, Trini still has to figure out the identity of her captor.

It is difficult to feel any warmth for the characters. Almost all are engaged in some sort of illicit affair, financial or sexual. Quite why Trini captivates the men so much is a mystery, she may be attractive but so are the other girls of the club. A film based around a night-club is almost certain to feature erotic dancing and nudity and this film is no exception but the performances in this film are unlikely to get the pulses racing. This film could be classed as an erotic thriller but there is not much erotica and it is not much of a thriller. Perhaps it should have stayed on the shelf.