Las Vegas Lady

Very, very humdrum movie fare here with Stella Stevens taking directions from someone in disguise(it didn't take me long to guess who it was) in Old Nevada Town outside Vegas for a money heist in the Circus Circus Hotel in Las Vegas. Stevens leads her girl gang of three, and they find out that they must act much quicker than had been anticipated. Despite some neat looks at Las Vegas in the 70's, very average yet credible acting from most involved, and a plot line with potential, Las Vegas Lady lays one big boring egg. It seems forever for the film to kick into gear,and when it does it just sputters here and there and never really speeds up. I was somewhat disappointed with this film. Sure, I wasn't expecting anything great, but I at least thought this might be one of those neat exploitation films from the 70's or something like it. Not even close. No one dies. There is a lame gunfight between creaky Stuart Whitman and officious George DiCenzo, one year prior to his grand performance as the prosecuting attorney Bugliosa in Helter Skelter. The gunfight has all the suspense of watching a waterfall. There is one punch and one head hit with a blunt instrument. Beyond that nothing in terms of action. And as for the girls, don't expect much there either. Stella and her girls(both very mediocre yet pretty talents, get in a sauna and a bath. What do we see? Nothing but a fleeting side profile. Stella wears these nice open blouses accentuating her real talents, but I wish she would have been a bit more open with her performance. That way I could write one thing that would recommend the film. Alas, it was not to be, and I have little to say in this film's favor. It isn't a horrible film in any way, it just has nothing going for it either. YAWN.

I like the film, mostly for the great casting with Stevens and DiCenzo who appear together again in the 1986 comedy gem Longshots. The setting at the Circus Circus casino makes it a nice movie night combo with Diamonds are Forever set in the same casino. The heist itself plays out pretty well even if the lead-up is a bit lackluster. The sub plots are a little weak and it is a stretch to rely on only the vintage vegas scenery and the main plot to get this one over the line. The movie moves quickly, plenty of dialog packed into every scene and no boring bits; makes for an entertaining watch. Easily beats Ocean's 8!

In a wild west park, Lucky (Stella Stevens) meets a mysterious man where she's given a plan to steal $500k in Las Vegas. Lucky and two friends showgirl Carol and trapeze artist Lisa try to rob the sadistic manager of Circus Circus Casino Eversull who is also secretly an illegal gun dealer. Lucky's boyfriend Victor is 5 months from retiring as a security officer at the casino. Carol is in debt to the thug A.C. who suspects she's making a run for it. Lisa is suffering from bouts of vertigo.

Stella Stevens is not necessarily a bad actress but the other two are pretty close. The heist isn't that impressive and it takes way too long to get there. The production is poor although somebody hanging outside of the casino is fun. The movie oscillates between functional to badly made.

With a title like "Las Vegas Lady", and being released by Crown International Pictures, one might understandably think that this movie is some kind of sleazefest. But surprisingly it's far from that. For one thing, the movie barely warrants a PG rating, with some very brief nudity and a couple of harsh words. Plus, the movie aims to be a caper movie. Nothing wrong with that aim - caper movies can be fun - but the execution of this caper movie is almost totally botched. The first half of the movie is almost totally made of low energy scenes that seem to serve no purpose except to pad out the movie. Viewers will get really impatient quick. And when the caper is executed, there is absolutely no tension and no energy. There is a "twist" in the final few minutes of the movie, but it's a twist that you'll guess in the movie's first ten minutes! On the positive side, there is actual filming on Las Vegas and surrounding Nevada locations, which helps the look of the movie. Also, Stella Stevens and Stuart Whitman have welcome presence, and generate some chemistry in their (limited) scenes together. But this positive material won't prevent you from falling asleep long before the end credits start rolling.

Stuart Whitman made one of his very best movies in 1976 (Magnum Special per Tony Saitta, Una), the same year as Las Vegas Lady. I was hoping for a couple of things from LVL; a little of that kick-butt Stu and some cheezy 70's Vegas sights. I got a little - very little - Vegas cheez and virtually no Stu action. He hits a fat guy in the stomach.

This hang dog production is simply an embarrassment. We're talking Amateur Hour, folks, in all departments. There's a little swimming pool near-nudity, some implied violence, and a lot of non-suspense.

Stella Stevens' two female cohorts in crime are Lynne Moody (pretty bad) and Linda Scruggs (really bad) and the main evil guy (George DiCenzo) is severely lacking in menace.

Don't bother.