Web of Seduction

"Web of Seduction" holds a special place in my heart, it's a nostalgia trip if you will. In the US, productions like these are usually kept on Cinemax, far away from impressionable children. In Belgium, nobody gave a damn and we just showed this on regular television. Oh boy, did we show it. I've seen this movie so many times I thought it was a test pattern. After careful revision, I feel like it holds up to this day.

The main attraction of this movie is obvious: the intricate plot, which is about two dissatisfied wives who form a pact to kill each other's husband. The plot somewhat resembles "Strangers On A Train", but it makes less sense because the women involved are not actual strangers but rather neighbors and friends. Like, I reckon the police could still figure all this out quite easily. Not everything goes according to plan, giving us the best twist I've ever seen outside of "Days Of Our Lives".

While the film moves at a brisk pace, it is slowed down somewhat by the characters' constant appetite for sexual intercourse. This movie has six characters and though I should have made a chart, I'm pretty sure everyone has sex with everyone. This makes no sense, because some of them are married and still bone somebody besides their spouses. As a devote Christian, I don't condone any of that. To add insult to injury, we also get a threesome, some girl on girl action and (albeit very tame) masturbation. For shame "Web Of Seduction", you don't need smut like that.

The stand-out performer of the movie is without a doubt Lauren Hays, who is actually very believable as the sultry femme fatale and clearly enjoys playing this role. Unfortunately she hasn't done much in the field of erotic thrillers, though curiously she has done half a dozen of movies that appear to be foot porn. As good as she is here, I don't think "Fondle My Feet!" and "Bare Feet A Trois" (both real titles) will show much of her acting chops. Traci Ryan is very cute as the naive wive who turns to murder surprisingly quickly, but Nancy O'Brien appears to think she's acting in a "Scooby Doo" climax. And if it wasn't for you meddling kids!

It's been a few years since I saw this one,but reading the comments of the featured imdb reviewer made me want to send a comment: I found ALL THREE women in this movie very attractive,and the sex scenes were actually very arousing,but this plot seemed made-up as it went along. Add in that none of the people in this flick(even the lovely Miss Smith herself)can barely act when they're not gettin' it on,and you have a film with only one true purpose,and that is to end up on Cinemax late at night.

I've seen lots of these low budget made for cable TV movies. This one stands out as better than most. First of all the plot twist (which of course I won't reveal) came as a real surprise. Secondly, the acting is better than most films of this type. Not Academy Award material, but better than usual.

Overall, it is tightly directed and you feel like every scene as a purpose, a reason for being there -- a sign of good writing and directing and also not typical of this genre. Sure, this one has the erotic content you expect but it's integral to the plot.

For this genre -- way above average.

In addition to being a sly post-Feminist meditation on the theme of empowerment via self-exploitation and violence, Web of Seduction is a timely liberal commentary on the US's recent/current state of affairs. Several allusions to the `theft' of the 2000 election (e.g. manipulating state statutes to bypass the normal unfolding of legal events; the political philosophy of `by any means necessary'; the anxiety of inherited position) make this biting satire a sure bet for any armchair politicians who like taking a hard look at the GOP along with a little TnA. Director Blain Brown once again pays homage to Hitchcock with his expert handling of the genre convention of voyeurism (more deeply explored in his 1997 debut I'm Watching You), perhaps as an acknowledgment of our own position as spectators rather than participants in the field of American politics. Gifted with an intuitive grasp of mis-en-scene (notice redhead Lauren Hays's deliberately false `tan'), Brown casts an unflinching spotlight on the corruption of the so-called `California lifestyle' where back room conspiracies are the norm, even in the most intimate of relationships everyone is `acting', and above all else, money reigns supreme. In a way, eerily prescient of the 2003 CA gubernatorial election, this film is equally accessible to political neophyte and expert alike.

Do these guys take have a computer kick out these same plots over and over again, only the names, places, and faces are changed to prevent complete boredom. Hubby is handsome and rich, but too busy to pay attention to his gorgeous wife. A situation she constantly tries to remedy. Her friend/neighbor has the same problem so they become interested in each others hubbies--the grass is always greener. Throw in a sexy scheming made who has designs on everybody and you get a lot of stripping and dipping and a salad bowl of an unintelligible plot.

The quality of bodies is pretty high here, although not much in the way of "contact", even simulated is shown. Good late night erotica if Jay Leno can't put you to sleep.