The Hooker with a Heart of Gold is a fine example of why independent film making is still alive and well, even if said 'genre' is suffocated sometimes by big studio pretentiousness and over hyped advertisement. Hooker is a gem on the internet, in that it will remain a piece of modern cinematic genius for 20 years until someone picks up on it and tries to buy it off to Troma Entertainment or Asylum films.
Sarah Lewis plays the title role of the Hooker, a hard as diamonds girl with a need to be cared for, she brings about a performance that is truly reminiscent of actress Marisa Berenson as Lady Lyndon from Kubrick's Barry Lyndon. Lewis' husband Brian Lewis plays Dr Rogen, a failing medical inventor who's one goal to create a super artificial heart is met with great turmoil and eventual joy as he gets in deep with mobsters and crime lords, and Lewis bring in a performance that I couldn't help but compare to Rick Morranis as Louis Tully in Ghostbusters. Writer, Director, and Actor Brad Jones plays dual roles as pimp Zalman and crime boss Steele, one is a spaced out babbling character that the late Dennis Hopper would be proud of; the other is a sinister mad man, who only cares about money, power, and the feeling of being loved, done with acting that only could've been matched by Joeseph Pilato. And finally, Jillian Zurwaski plays Janet, best friend of The Hooker and love interest of Steele, and all I could think of during her performance was Jodie Foster as Iris Steensma of Taxi Driver.
The over all feel of the film is very much nostalgic, with the story feeling like something brought out of the 80's and into today. The use of classic music like Neil Young, Procol Harum, and Fleetwood Mac catches the music lovers mind and keeps them hooked into both the story and character development found within. Effects are fun to look at as you can tell that a lot of thought and effort were put into them, particularly the heart of gold prop, it gives off a sense of someone having had a good time finding the pieces for it and putting them together to the way that it was made.
Hooker with a Heart of Gold is a fantastic gem on the internet. I'm happy that I've seen it, and I can't wait to watch it again.
