Aimless rich nymphomaniac Lana Turner is one year into an alcoholic marriage with ex-beach boy Cliff Robertson. When one of Lana's earlier beach boy dalliances washes up on the Acapulco shore dead, will grouchy, self-loathing Robertson, egged on by gigolo from Hell Hugh O'Brian learn that his bitter, stormy, (but quite sex-filled) marriage to Lana is exhibit A for the proposition -- "LOVE HAS MANY FACES"?
This movie is one of those that is destined for that dismissive category "so bad its good", on the basis that its star was older than was fashionable for a sex symbol, and many of the men spend much of their time showing their manly torso to over age women. Since the subject is uncomfortable, the safe response for the male reviewer is to giggle, mock, and move on.
But the movie has real strengths despite its garish exterior, and Lana Turner, dressed in best screen siren style, and photographed so that the wrinkles are vague, but the smokin' hot body is in full view, may never have been put to better use in a movie. Hugh O'Brien, too, plays a loathsome character with such bare chested charisma and relish that one could conclude the whole Wyatt Earp TV show thing was epic miscasting. Thios isn't Shakespeare style emoting, but it is good solid acting by people who know how to keep the melodramatic plot fizzing along. Acapulco -- the setting under which all the eye candy is displayed -- looks great, too.
So, if the acting is good, and the melodrama solid, what's the problem? Mostly, Cliff Robertson, whose self-loathing is all encompassing (and really annoying) Also, the movie maker's ambition to get every male torso properly displayed does at time slow the action down to a crawl. Finally, the motivation of some of the characters does not make a whole lot of sense.
But this is a movie worth the time, and not just for the giggles.
This movie is one of those that is destined for that dismissive category "so bad its good", on the basis that its star was older than was fashionable for a sex symbol, and many of the men spend much of their time showing their manly torso to over age women. Since the subject is uncomfortable, the safe response for the male reviewer is to giggle, mock, and move on.
But the movie has real strengths despite its garish exterior, and Lana Turner, dressed in best screen siren style, and photographed so that the wrinkles are vague, but the smokin' hot body is in full view, may never have been put to better use in a movie. Hugh O'Brien, too, plays a loathsome character with such bare chested charisma and relish that one could conclude the whole Wyatt Earp TV show thing was epic miscasting. Thios isn't Shakespeare style emoting, but it is good solid acting by people who know how to keep the melodramatic plot fizzing along. Acapulco -- the setting under which all the eye candy is displayed -- looks great, too.
So, if the acting is good, and the melodrama solid, what's the problem? Mostly, Cliff Robertson, whose self-loathing is all encompassing (and really annoying) Also, the movie maker's ambition to get every male torso properly displayed does at time slow the action down to a crawl. Finally, the motivation of some of the characters does not make a whole lot of sense.
But this is a movie worth the time, and not just for the giggles.