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Star of Jaipur
Subject: RJM, VZ
in "Star of Jaipur"
From: William A.
Arvola <arvola@gte.net>
Digest:
volume99/148
Date: Wed, 17 Mar
1999 03:20:44 -0600
Here's a quick review of the movie "Star of Jaipur" featuring Rachel [Jean] Marteen and Victoria Zdrok in modest supporting roles.
Title: Star of
Jaipur
Director/Writer:
Chris T. McIntyre
Produced by:
Pittsburgh Pictures
Starring:
James Kohli, Linda Gray, George Lazenby, Julianne Shinto, and
Erika Weinstein.
Supporting Cast:
Rachel Marteen, Victoria Zdrok, et al.
Copyright Year:
1998
Now available for rent at Blockbuster.
Synopsis: Small-time New York private detective [and former ace covert operative for the government of India], played by James Kohli, investigates the seemingly nonsensical murder of a distant relative who worked as a cook on the cargo vessel Star of Jaipur which, unbeknownst to our hero, had been used to smuggle our villians into New York for undisclosed evildoing. Erika Weinstein plays our hero's secretary [and former ace covert operative for the KGB]. The villians, lead by a former ace covert operative for the government of France now turned terrorist [Julianne Shinto], attempt to preemptively kill our hero and succeed at hospitalizing his secretary, which of course only arouses their anger and curiosity. Enter tough-talking NYPD detective played by Linda Gray [former star of the TV show "Dallas"]. Assisting the NYPD is ace computer operative [and former Unkrainian] played by Victoria Zdrok.
Repeated attempts to finish off our heroic secretary in the hospital are foiled with the very minor assistance of a nurse played by Rachel Marteen [a former Georgian].
As the villianous agenda slowly comes to light, our hero calls in his old pal, a former ace covert operative for the British goverment [who alludes to having a colleague named James, as a vaguely Bondian theme flows from the soundtrack], played by George Lazenby. The combined forces of good race to foil what is now apparently a plan to release a biological weapon at a posh New York banquet. Good triumphs over Evil as the newly revealed master villianess neglects Newton's third law of motion and hoists herself through a window with her own petard, er, shotgun in true Shakespearan fashion. Fiction blends into fact as the audience is proselytized by a micro-documentary on the ease with which Saddam Hussein or Muammar Khadafy could manufacture and deploy biological weapons due to American laxity of security.
Comments: This film gets an F for technique. The gunfights are certainly good for a snicker or two, with some of the scenes being shot with what appears to be toy guns!! And the astute observer can predict the expected location of hand-to-hand combat by the overt placement of wrestling mats on the floor of the set. In one scene, Rachel is completely engulfed in shadow while standing in the middle of a supposedly brighly lit hospital ward. In another scene, the boom-microphone operator slowly loses track of Rachel's movements as her voice fades into inaudibility. In fact, the sound was poor throughout the film with this listener often having to strain to hear the dialogue. Continuity and transition between scenes were terrible making the plot obtuse. Both the hero and the villians appeared to be psychic in the rationale for their respective actions.
On the plus side, the film gets a B for effort. There's a potentially interesting and complex plot here somewhere. Many of the lines are worth a chuckle rather than a snicker. And the Bond gag almost comes through. Even though neither girl "shows" anything, the use of the Playmates [and Playboy Promotions] apparently prompted Blockbuster to rate the film YRV [Youth Restricted Viewing]. Both Playmates are prominently credited on the video slipcover. There is one pair of gratuitously bare breasts in a stripjoint scene.
Rachel's performance is decidedly unspectacular, though in her defense her largely irrelevant part never gave her center stage and a chance to shine. On the other, Victoria's part was integral to the plot and her short time on camera did show sparkle and charm.
Curiosity and blind support for the girls are the only reasons to see this film. A pass is in order otherwise.
P.S. For RJM at her finest in a dynamic medium, be sure to see her as Miss October in the 1997 Video Playmate Calendar. And VZ is spectacular in her spectacles as Miss November in the 1996 Video Playmate Calendar.
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1999/05/02