Les racines du mal

ROOTS OF EVIL's chief claim to fame (?) is that it may be the only "legitimate" movie remake of a porno flick (TRINITY BROWN, 1984 CalVista, starring Colleen Brennan and John Leslie in the Jillian Kesner and Alex Cord roles respectively as the cop duo/lovers). Both movies were helmed by director Gary Graver.

While TRINITY BROWN was an earnest effort to make a XXX hardcore detective drama, ROOTS OF EVIL started at the other end, sleazing-down the gritty, L.A. cop story. The plot and characters are mostly the same, just a slicker re-telling the second time around.

Jewel Shepard is hilarious as the near-sighted stripper who can't recognize the killer. Delia Sheppard gets back to her own (real) roots as a nude dancer. Brinke Stevens as (what else?) a B-movie queen and older rich bitch Deanna Lund set up a few surprises.

The plot twist at the end of ROOTS OF EVIL is the more effective of the two because it is more shocking.

If you see one, you should see the other, if for nothing else, Gary Graver's maturing as a director. ROOTS OF EVIL and TRINITY BROWN are both recommended for lovers of sleazy cop dramas.