Molly & Gina

MOLLY AND GINA is not a bad way to while away some spare time. I got an inexpensive copy through eBay because it sounded a little different; I don't regret the purchase but would if I'd paid first-hand market value. The lead characters, markedly different women bereaved in the same shooting incident, are well-played and not bad company, and the damsel in distress, as played by Elizabeth Berkley, is someone you want to protect. But far too much of the script seems to have been stenciled from every L.A. noir production ever screened. All the lines we know are coming arrive on schedule, sometimes as part of the action, sometimes within Frances Fisher's voice-overs. The audience is not much trusted; the film-makers really seem to think it necessary to have Molly explain what a missile is. But this movie does have some brisk action and cool gunplay.

Despite the low budget and familiar theme, "Molly & Gina" isn't a bad film. Francis Fisher and Natasha Greson Wagner make a nice team. Molly as a private detective's girl Friday and Molly as a green haired free spirit. When their boyfriends are murdered, they attempt to find out why. In the process they uncover a plot by a wealthy industrialist to murder his granddaughter played by Elizabeth Berkley because she knows too much. There is the usual mayhem but the story line is reasonably devoid of holes and the pacing is smooth and correct. Francis is perfect as the hardboiled detective substitute and Natasha as the able but inexperienced sidekick. Elizabeth is fine as the teenager fearfull for her life. All is all, a nice thriller.