Oscar Bonsetter (C. Thomas Howell) is a punk and during a robbery to a liquor store, he is arrested. He spends many years in prison, where he becomes friend of the old prisoner Mac (R.G. Armstrong). There is a legend in the prison that Mac has a great fortune, fruit of a robbery, hidden somewhere. Trying to get information about the location of this amount, Mac is badly treated by the guard Gully (Marshall Bell). Mac becomes very ill, and a few minutes before he dies, he tells Bonsetter where the money is hidden, under the promise that he would kill Gully first. However, Bonsetter depends on a drawing exposed in Mac's jail to get the precise spot, but Gully takes all Mac possessions with him. Gully starts pressing Bonsetter, believing Mac told him the place where the money is hidden, but suddenly he suffers a car accident, becomes blind and is not able to work in prison anymore. Three years later, Bonsetter finishes his sentence, gets his freedom and looks for Gully, who owns a small bar on a road. Bonsetter meets Gully's wife Rose (the delicious Joan Severance), is hired for working there and becomes his lover, while trying to recover the map from Gully. Many plot points twist this story, until a surprising end, full of betrayals.
I have bought this B film about six years ago and only yesterday I decided to watch it. I was surprised, since it is an excellent film noir, with touches of the 1981 version of 'The Postman Rings Twice'. C. Thomas Howell and Joan Severance have a great performance and one of the hottest sex scenes in the cinema history, comparable, for example, with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in the foregoing mentioned movie, or Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin in 'Sea of Love'. The story has many plot points and hooks the attention of the viewer until the last scene. Further, it is very well directed. This is the proof that a low budget movie can be a good film, when having a tight screenplay and a good director, actor and actress. Joan Severance is very gorgeous and sexy, besides the great performance. It is highly indicated for viewers who likes films noir and amoral. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "O Preço do Desejo" ("The Price of the Desire")
Note: On 23 Sep 2018 I saw this film again.
