UNDERCOVER (3 outta 5 stars) Well, I assumed this was a "real" movie... the video box and plot description seemed to indicate that... but 5 minutes into the flick it becomes obvious that this is softcore porn (tipoffs: frequent gratuitous nude grappling, obviously phony names in the credits). The amazing thing to me was: it actually works as a fairly routine police thriller as well as a sex movie! Not a great thriller by any stretch of the imagination... but the acting is competent, the script is decent and the premise is actually explored with more candor and honesty than it would have been in a "real" movie. A sexy, tomboy female cop (Athena Massey) goes undercover in a high-class whorehouse to try and track someone who is killing off the girls. She is supposed to be sheltered from having actual sex by other undercover cops posing as clients and giving a secret password. Unfortunately the password turns out to be a little too commonplace an expression in a place like this and she finds herself having to deal with actual clients. Well, you don't expect the girl to break her cover, do you? This is her job after all... This has always been a favorite theme of mine in undercover cop movies... how far can/should a cop go in order to play their role? Usually in mainstream movies the issue gets side-stepped and the cop never has to actually go all the way to protect their cover... but that's not the case here. Nice performance by actor Tom Tayback as the police sergeant (something about his voice and manner made me think he was related to Bruce Dern).
12 Reviews
Art or exploitation
neil-4764 April 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Well, Meg Foster (she of the scarily blue eyes) is in it, which gives the superficial impression that this is a "proper" movie, but it's actually soft porn exploitation. Also, it's actually Athena Massey's film.
She plays the central role of the undercover policewoman investigating a murder by posing as a hooker, who then gets more involved in her undercover role than she had expected to.
She spends a fair amount of the movie out of her clothes. This, in my view, is not a bad thing. So do assorted others. My opinion remains unchanged.
Oh, and there's a tolerable plot, too.
She plays the central role of the undercover policewoman investigating a murder by posing as a hooker, who then gets more involved in her undercover role than she had expected to.
She spends a fair amount of the movie out of her clothes. This, in my view, is not a bad thing. So do assorted others. My opinion remains unchanged.
Oh, and there's a tolerable plot, too.
"The Room" of softcore?
Groverdox31 October 2018
Cindy is tired of being treated like a little girl who needs men to come in and save her. Her brothers and dad were always doing that, so she got out on her own. She allegedly joined the police force, where she continues to be watched over by too-chivalrous men, to her annoyance. And yet, who can blame them? She shows up to "work" dressed like a barmaid at "Hooters", wearing enough to cover and accentuate her breast implants, and not much else.
The male cops on her team don't seem to do much either, though, so maybe you can't blame them for not wanting to rock the boat. They hang around the police station like they are, I dunno, actors whose only job in a softcore movie is pretending to care about the starlet, and are never remotely belieavable as cops. They look like extras from early episodes of "Friends".
Someone is killing prostitutes, so Cindy gets the job of posing as a prossy in a brothel and maybe catching the perp. This idea is idiotic, but a better movie could have gotten away with it without you thinking, for example, if the killer has already struck there, why would they expect him to come back when there must be many other brothels in the city. "Undercover", however, adds extra layers of idiocy: the madam, played by Meg Foster of the strikingly pale blue eyes, doesn't even know that Cindy is a cop. Why, or how, would they keep that a secret from her? It gets better though: Cindy is told by the Keystone Kops back at her station house that all the johns that come to see her have been selected by them so she won't have to actually do anything sexual. Um, that's understandable, but if that's the case, how is she going to catch the killer? Immediately, though, clients start coming to her who haven't been vetted by the kops. I guess it makes sense that they would stuff that up, inneffective as they seem.
One of these clients is a guy who just "likes to watch", by which I mean, he likes to watch TV. Sure, guys pay to watch women have sex. Not so sure one would pay through the neck to watch a porno on TV in the mid-'90s when videotape was in full bloom and so was cable. Why didn't they show him watching some of the softcore action the movie dishes up? That would have been a great opportunity to show Cindy exploring her sexuality - which is basically the movie's reason for existing. The sight of a guy watching TV really isn't that interesting, but in this movie, it is inexplicable.
Did I mention that Jeffrey Dean Morgan has a role? I didn't? Well, that's because he doesn't do much - certainly nothing to make you understand how he went from this to roles in "Supernatural", "The Walking Dead" and "Grey's Anatomy". He's often been compared to Javier Bardem, but here, he looks more like Brad Garrett from "Everybody Loves Raymond".
The movie culminates in perhaps the most unrealistic gunshot I have ever seen in a movie. We have a sound effect, a guy keels over, and it's done. The sound effect seems to come from behind you, not in front on your screen, and there is no attempt to really make you think a gun went off. The guy was apparently shot in the back, so why does he die right away? Why didn't the gunpowder make the room light up? Why doesn't smoke come from the barrel after it was fired? Oh, that's right: because it wasn't fired. The movie doesn't even try to make you think it was.
All this had me wondering if "Undercover" is "The Room" of softcore flicks. I hesitate to label it as such, though, because it's nowhere near as entertaining as that film. It does have the same bizarre "Twilight Zone" feel to it, however, where you wonder if what you're watching is actually meant to be as unconvincing as it is, and you start looking more closely at the actor's faces, expecting them to wink at you and show you, yeah, this isn't really as inept as it seems.
It is a softcore flick, and you might notice I haven't said anything about the sex scenes. That's because there's not much to be said about them. The movie really isn't erotic. The plot could have worked on multiple levels - I'd love to see this idea done by Almodovar, for example. It could have showed a woman cutting loose and discovering what really turns her on, while also being a comment on the way sex workers are treated by the men they encounter and how they are viewed by society at large, represented by the already-paternal police force. But instead it goes for the lowest hanging fruit, and what's worse, it doesn't even get it.
The male cops on her team don't seem to do much either, though, so maybe you can't blame them for not wanting to rock the boat. They hang around the police station like they are, I dunno, actors whose only job in a softcore movie is pretending to care about the starlet, and are never remotely belieavable as cops. They look like extras from early episodes of "Friends".
Someone is killing prostitutes, so Cindy gets the job of posing as a prossy in a brothel and maybe catching the perp. This idea is idiotic, but a better movie could have gotten away with it without you thinking, for example, if the killer has already struck there, why would they expect him to come back when there must be many other brothels in the city. "Undercover", however, adds extra layers of idiocy: the madam, played by Meg Foster of the strikingly pale blue eyes, doesn't even know that Cindy is a cop. Why, or how, would they keep that a secret from her? It gets better though: Cindy is told by the Keystone Kops back at her station house that all the johns that come to see her have been selected by them so she won't have to actually do anything sexual. Um, that's understandable, but if that's the case, how is she going to catch the killer? Immediately, though, clients start coming to her who haven't been vetted by the kops. I guess it makes sense that they would stuff that up, inneffective as they seem.
One of these clients is a guy who just "likes to watch", by which I mean, he likes to watch TV. Sure, guys pay to watch women have sex. Not so sure one would pay through the neck to watch a porno on TV in the mid-'90s when videotape was in full bloom and so was cable. Why didn't they show him watching some of the softcore action the movie dishes up? That would have been a great opportunity to show Cindy exploring her sexuality - which is basically the movie's reason for existing. The sight of a guy watching TV really isn't that interesting, but in this movie, it is inexplicable.
Did I mention that Jeffrey Dean Morgan has a role? I didn't? Well, that's because he doesn't do much - certainly nothing to make you understand how he went from this to roles in "Supernatural", "The Walking Dead" and "Grey's Anatomy". He's often been compared to Javier Bardem, but here, he looks more like Brad Garrett from "Everybody Loves Raymond".
The movie culminates in perhaps the most unrealistic gunshot I have ever seen in a movie. We have a sound effect, a guy keels over, and it's done. The sound effect seems to come from behind you, not in front on your screen, and there is no attempt to really make you think a gun went off. The guy was apparently shot in the back, so why does he die right away? Why didn't the gunpowder make the room light up? Why doesn't smoke come from the barrel after it was fired? Oh, that's right: because it wasn't fired. The movie doesn't even try to make you think it was.
All this had me wondering if "Undercover" is "The Room" of softcore flicks. I hesitate to label it as such, though, because it's nowhere near as entertaining as that film. It does have the same bizarre "Twilight Zone" feel to it, however, where you wonder if what you're watching is actually meant to be as unconvincing as it is, and you start looking more closely at the actor's faces, expecting them to wink at you and show you, yeah, this isn't really as inept as it seems.
It is a softcore flick, and you might notice I haven't said anything about the sex scenes. That's because there's not much to be said about them. The movie really isn't erotic. The plot could have worked on multiple levels - I'd love to see this idea done by Almodovar, for example. It could have showed a woman cutting loose and discovering what really turns her on, while also being a comment on the way sex workers are treated by the men they encounter and how they are viewed by society at large, represented by the already-paternal police force. But instead it goes for the lowest hanging fruit, and what's worse, it doesn't even get it.
Everything you want to see on TV at 2am
ryansfav19 December 1999
This movie is a very nice Erotic-Thriller. If I had to compare this movie to a more mainstream movie, I'd go with "Scream." A call girl from a high price whorehouse is murdered, and it is up to the tom-boy police woman (Athena Massey) to go undercover as a prostitute to find the killer. At the same time, she sees a "sexy" side to her that she didn't know she had.
Cindy (Athena Massey) does a very good job at making you believe she is an innocent tom-boy at the beginning of the flick, which really makes it hot when you finally see her cut-loose and explore her sexual side.
The main plot is trying to guess who the killer is. It isn't revealed to the viewer until the end of the movie. Unlike the "Scream" series, I think this movie did a better job of "surprising" you with who the killer actually is.
All in all, a well-rounded film. A definite "don't miss" if you're in the mood for some sex, and mystery.
Cindy (Athena Massey) does a very good job at making you believe she is an innocent tom-boy at the beginning of the flick, which really makes it hot when you finally see her cut-loose and explore her sexual side.
The main plot is trying to guess who the killer is. It isn't revealed to the viewer until the end of the movie. Unlike the "Scream" series, I think this movie did a better job of "surprising" you with who the killer actually is.
All in all, a well-rounded film. A definite "don't miss" if you're in the mood for some sex, and mystery.
One of the Worst Movies I've Ever Seen
artpf16 January 2014
A female cop goes undercover in a high price whorehouse to find a murderer and discovers she likes the assignment more than she should.
Good for her. This movie is an abomination. This is zero acting ability, zero story, the writing is horrendous and it appears they just stuck a camera on the ground and filmed because there is no direction either.
And the sound is out of sync by a second which makes the entire affair annoying.
I cannot tell you enough to stay away from this horrible horrible movie! There is not one redeeming aspect to it. Not one.
Good for her. This movie is an abomination. This is zero acting ability, zero story, the writing is horrendous and it appears they just stuck a camera on the ground and filmed because there is no direction either.
And the sound is out of sync by a second which makes the entire affair annoying.
I cannot tell you enough to stay away from this horrible horrible movie! There is not one redeeming aspect to it. Not one.
Dark's cop film (well, one of them)
BandSAboutMovies22 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Cindy Hannen (Athena Massey) has gone undercover as a high priced call girl to track down a killer, but soon she discovers that she likes her new life.
There are a few reasons why I picked this movie.
Obviously, as you can tell from the title, it's Gregory Dark week. These quasi-giallo erotic thrillers are kind of his thing, so you know that you're in good - if somehwhat dirty - hands.
Mrs. V, the woman who runs the brother, is Meg Foster and I can't tell you how many movies I've stuck with just because she's in them. And hey! There's our old friend Rena Riffel, a woman brave enough to make her own sequel to Showgirls. And is that Jeffrey Dean Morgan in a pre-fame part? It sure is. And the more prurient minded of you will recognize Lisa Ann.
With I enjoy about Dark's erotic thrillers is that he makes them better than they need to be, but he never tries to go all Adrian Lynn and make an artistic statement. He knows that he's making a sexy cop movie and works to make both parts of that, well, work well.
There are a few reasons why I picked this movie.
Obviously, as you can tell from the title, it's Gregory Dark week. These quasi-giallo erotic thrillers are kind of his thing, so you know that you're in good - if somehwhat dirty - hands.
Mrs. V, the woman who runs the brother, is Meg Foster and I can't tell you how many movies I've stuck with just because she's in them. And hey! There's our old friend Rena Riffel, a woman brave enough to make her own sequel to Showgirls. And is that Jeffrey Dean Morgan in a pre-fame part? It sure is. And the more prurient minded of you will recognize Lisa Ann.
With I enjoy about Dark's erotic thrillers is that he makes them better than they need to be, but he never tries to go all Adrian Lynn and make an artistic statement. He knows that he's making a sexy cop movie and works to make both parts of that, well, work well.
One of very few good B-Movie's out there!
caspian197819 January 2002
You need three things to have a good B-Movie. 1, you need nudity. Undercover Heat has a lot of it. 2, you need a face passed story without a lot of dialogue and hard to follow plots. Undercover Heat is far from confusing. And 3, a strong leading actress that can act. Athena Massey not only carried this film that made her into a sex image, but she made her role as the "Tom Boy" cop believable.
A wonderful supporting cast that doesn't take away from the film. Athena is amazing to watch on screen. That reason alone makes you want to rent this one over and over again.
A wonderful supporting cast that doesn't take away from the film. Athena is amazing to watch on screen. That reason alone makes you want to rent this one over and over again.
my very first enlightenment
fyw32124 April 2018
My very first enlightenment about how people do it.
i found this (possibly) bootleg VCD in a little hill back of my primary school, then i went home and insert the disc into my computer.
days after that, i throw the disc out the window, but something different stayed.
years later, i remembered this movie, and managed to get a copy, i will not throw it away again.
Best erotic thriller ever!
Joxerlives7 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I think Undercover/Undercover Heat plays to a very primal male (and female escapist?) fantasy, that beneath the surface of every tough, intelligent, attractive, independent woman is an insatiable nymphomaniac just dying to slip on some kinky lingerie and have sex with everyone in sight, they just need a little nudge and will then be overwhelmed by the sexiness of the situation. It succeeds admirably and is a darn sight more entertaining than many big budget Hollywood efforts.
On the good side Athena is just amazingly beautiful, a shame she seemed to largely give up acting after this. What's more she's not a bad actress convincing both as the tough tomboy cop and the supersexy hooker she transforms into once she succumbs to her suppressed femininity. As always Meg 'Scary Eyes' Foster effortlessly improves any film she graces with her presence. Jeffery Dean Morgan in an early role before going on to a good deal of mainstream success (bet he's taken this film off his CV). The story isn't bad and the whole thing zips along at a fair old pace. The sex scenes are imaginative and truly erotic, going a lot further in terms of kinkiness than you normally get in these sorts of films, especially the stunning sequence with Athena in her dominatrix policewoman outfit which leaves you drooling with lust (her entrance wearing it generated an actual collective groan of desire from the audience the first time we watched this!).
On the bad side the central idea that Gold could be certain that Cindy would only receive the phony clients he sets up for her takes some swallowing (although a quick scan of the net reveals several real life cases of off-duty policewomen moonlighting as prostitutes). Madame V's seems to be the only brothel in the world where all the clients are young, attractive and fit as well as the working girls. The production values are pretty poor, you can see the shot of the outside of the police station repeated again and again. Some of the supporting actors aren't so great and the dialogue rather flat. The one line that always makes me laugh is when Cindy is trying on her new hookerwear in front of the mirror (love to see the expenses claim for that!"Hot pants, check, thigh boots, check, black lace stockings with matching thong and push up bra, check...") "Being a cop doesn't scare me but being a woman does". Because obviously the essence of being a woman is slutting it up in skimpy black lingerie? Sadly we only see Athena in a sexually dominant role, I'd also have liked to have seen her explore her submissive side. You wonder would Gold be so resistant to Cindy 'sowing her wild oats' if she was male? Cindy doesn't really make much headway in solving the case but then she's probably too busy having fun lolling around in sexy lingerie and screwing everyone in sight.
So all told a great film and I always wonder why we didn't have a whole series of them in the same vein?
On the good side Athena is just amazingly beautiful, a shame she seemed to largely give up acting after this. What's more she's not a bad actress convincing both as the tough tomboy cop and the supersexy hooker she transforms into once she succumbs to her suppressed femininity. As always Meg 'Scary Eyes' Foster effortlessly improves any film she graces with her presence. Jeffery Dean Morgan in an early role before going on to a good deal of mainstream success (bet he's taken this film off his CV). The story isn't bad and the whole thing zips along at a fair old pace. The sex scenes are imaginative and truly erotic, going a lot further in terms of kinkiness than you normally get in these sorts of films, especially the stunning sequence with Athena in her dominatrix policewoman outfit which leaves you drooling with lust (her entrance wearing it generated an actual collective groan of desire from the audience the first time we watched this!).
On the bad side the central idea that Gold could be certain that Cindy would only receive the phony clients he sets up for her takes some swallowing (although a quick scan of the net reveals several real life cases of off-duty policewomen moonlighting as prostitutes). Madame V's seems to be the only brothel in the world where all the clients are young, attractive and fit as well as the working girls. The production values are pretty poor, you can see the shot of the outside of the police station repeated again and again. Some of the supporting actors aren't so great and the dialogue rather flat. The one line that always makes me laugh is when Cindy is trying on her new hookerwear in front of the mirror (love to see the expenses claim for that!"Hot pants, check, thigh boots, check, black lace stockings with matching thong and push up bra, check...") "Being a cop doesn't scare me but being a woman does". Because obviously the essence of being a woman is slutting it up in skimpy black lingerie? Sadly we only see Athena in a sexually dominant role, I'd also have liked to have seen her explore her submissive side. You wonder would Gold be so resistant to Cindy 'sowing her wild oats' if she was male? Cindy doesn't really make much headway in solving the case but then she's probably too busy having fun lolling around in sexy lingerie and screwing everyone in sight.
So all told a great film and I always wonder why we didn't have a whole series of them in the same vein?
detective story with sex and humour
bill-729-6375514 July 2013
Not really for intellectuals, but instead a mixture of detective story, softcore sex and humour (the latter being sparsely dosed but nicely done). A lot of girls, but really mainly a vehicle for Athena Massey, whose beautiful body is shown to around 98% on various occasions, and who also has a way with deadpan humour. Anyone who hasn't yet seen it should catch up on this amusing 93 minute-film, which stops (if only just) short of full frontal nudity but was apparently still considered worthy of the US "R"-rating. My DVD had a crystal clear picture with fine colours, which more than made up for the cost-conscious props and locations.
Athena and Anthony Guidera a nice couple
asimzafar9 August 2005
I saw that film in 1998. The film was based on the story of a cop which is played by Athena. The adventurism which was basically shown in the film kept my attention from first scene to the very last scene of the movie.I throughly enjoyed the performance of Athena. She looked gorgeous in the film, specially her sex scenes with Anthony Guidera were awesome. I thought that Athena should work with Guidera in other films as well. Because that couple seems to me a great one. The passion which Athena showed during her sex scenes was excellent. But she looked more passionate particularly in doing sex with Anthony Guidera. I think this couple should work with each other in more films.
gregory dark has style
boudu_sauve_des_eaux6 January 2003
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