My review was written in July 1989 after watching the film on Prism video cassette.
Previously titled, more appropriately "Tunnels", "Criminal Act" is a shaggy-dog, made-for-video feature that promises fantasy and horror but delivers a cornball story of greedy real estate developers.
When a rat appears in their bathroom at work, newspaper reporter Catherine Bach and photographer Charlene Dallas are escorted to basement tunnels by the exterminator (Vic Tayback). They imagine the sight down there of monsters (humanoid rats). But after many a weary reel it turns out no monsters exist, only nasty guys kidnapping and killing street bums to pave the way for a multimillion-dollar real estate development scheme.
Though the two heroines make for a pleasant starring team, poorly scripted pic fails to deliver an interesting or credible adventure for them. Bac shows off martial arts skills kicking some bad guys and there's one plot twist involving a double cross. If not for the video boom, this pic wouldn't have been made.
Overlong, padded feature has a pointless scene tacked on after the end credits.
