Naked Obsession

'Naked Obsession' is a vintage T&A flick I viewed solely because of good reviews. Fans know that pics from this genre ultimately pass or fail on female nudity. Does it have a bunch of it and is it hot? We don't expect high budgets, deep stories or good acting. So imagine my surprise the most memorable piece here is the very latter.

Married straightlaced Councilman Frank Carlyle (William Katt) running to become mayor ventures to the rundown part of town under proposal to be cleaned up & gets carjacked. He befriends a homeless man Sam Silver (Rick Dean) who directs him to a payphone inside a strip club where a dancer Lynne (Maria Ford) takes a shine to him. Venturing back to that club with Sam finds himself bedding Lynne. It's when she turns up dead he becomes suspect #1 as his world begins to unravel.

No stranger to b-movies or taking her clothes off, Ford goes all the way as does pornstar Madison. Ria Coyne & Michelle Bauer go topless as dancers as do Wendy MacDonald & Elena Sahagun as Frank's wife, secretary. While I didn't find much of the nudity very hot, fans of Ford will enjoy her extended stage strip.

Real takeaway is actors Katt & Dean turning in good work. The story they're navigating isn't deep or super satisfying, but they make their characters come to life in a down to earth way. An unhappy man who has to take a trip on the wild side to figure it out ... and the other? A guardian angel or the devil himself. Looking, sounding like a b-movie version of Sam Elliot.

It's crazy good acting is the best part of a long forgotten T&A flick calling itself 'Naked Obsession', but it's the truth. The main murder mystery isn't much fun. Nudity pretty standard as the story unwinds in low budget fashion. B-movie director Fred Olen Ray shows up as a strip club DJ and ex-NFL star Roger Craig cameos as a homicide detective.

Pretty wierd film. William Katt's performance makes up for a lot in this thriller about a man who is framed for the murder of a stripper with whom he had sex with. The other performances are stale (especially Wendy MacDonald's) but Maria Ford is a hot one and the sex scenes are pretty graphic (which should amuse some people out there). Altogether, worth watching with a date or with a bunch of your friends and a six pack on a boring Friday night. 5/10

The soundtrack was surprisingly good. William Katt is perfect as the councilman pulled by a mysterious stranger who holds his fate. maria ford is totally HOT as the object of his desire. Becky Woo should be rich from the song Welcome to the Dark Side.

It's been a few years since I've seen it but Naked Obsession is one of the better "B" movies of all time. It stars William Katt who played TV's "Greatest American Hero". Also, look for a small role by former 49ers running back, Roger Craig. Not many stars here but a pretty good plot.

The movies begins with a city councilman, played by Katt, deciding to explore the darker side of town to research a community development initiative. He eventually ends up at a strip joint and is later framed for a murder. The movie gets very sexy from here which makes it worth checking out.

Perhaps not enough car chases or gratuitous sex for the under-25 crowd, but if dark psychological thrillers work for you, don't miss this one.

A very different film that seems straightforward at first but quickly descends to a dark, quirky film with outstanding performances by Katt and Dean, both very underrated and underused actors of great skill. Katt has come a long way since he was Carrie's ill-fated prom date. His dark partner-mentor in this film, "Sam Silver," keeps Katt -- and certainly the viewer -- confused and off-balance: who is this guy? Devil? Guardian Angel? The "666" address of the topless bar gives us a clue -- maybe. This guy Dean is further proof that Hollywood just doesn't know what to do with spectacular talent; he generally just plays strange character roles instead of the meatier stuff he should be doing.

This offbeat little offering is in a class by itself. Perhaps not the perfect family film for the little kiddies, but for the viewer with half a brain and a taste for juicy, twisting plots this is a rare treat.