SWEET POISON

USA, 1991, 95 minutes, Colour.
Steven Bauer, Edward Herrman, Patricia Healy, Taylor Pruitt Vince.
Directed by Brian Grant.

Sweet Poison is a routine action thriller. A seemingly happily married couple are travelling together, the husband having told his wife that his millionaire father had not left him any money. Meanwhile a prison escape has taken place and two escapees abduct the couple. The film is really the interaction between the couple themselves and their captor, as well as the pursuit by the police, one of whom is vindictive, having shot some of the escapees in cold blood.

As might be predicted, the wife is infatuated with the criminal, betrays her husband. He, meanwhile, conscious of the break up, has not told her the truth that in fact he is a millionaire. There are various confrontations and finally the husband shooting the criminal. The wife wants to effect a reconciliation but he divorces her without a penny. It is not quite clear what the sweet poison of the title refers to, unless it is to the wife. Steven Bauer has played this kind of criminal a number of times. Edward Herrman is good as the seemingly ineffectual husband. Pruitt Taylor Vince (?? that's not how you said it in the credits) was to emerge during the '90s as a prominent character actor, especially in American independent films. The film is probably a straight to video thriller.

1. Psychological drama, action thriller?

2. Homes, prisons, the desert, the roads, motels? Action sequences? Musical score?

3. The title to whom did it refer?

4. The prison escape, the prisoners themselves, the travel in the bus, its overturning, the escape, Ray shooting some of the prisoners? Sams and Jimmy getting away? Their abducting the couple? Jimmy and his intentions of rape and molesting? Sams and his taking Henry into the desert, shooting Jimmy? Sams and his relationship with the couple, his outbursts of brutality? Ringing his mother (and the audience knowing that his mother had given evidence to put him in jail)? The story of his brother and his wanting to go to meet him? Terrorising the couple: motels, service stations, the desert? The various confrontations and the drugging of Henry? The seduction of Charlene? Her greed? The police coming, shooting Ray dead? The escape and the final confrontation between Henry and Sams? Charlene shooting Sams in the motel?

5. Charlene and Henry and their relationship, the opening sequence in the bedroom, in the car, the coolness between them, his father's death, telling her about the will? Their being abducted and their reactions? Terror? Going along with Sams? Henry and his nervousness, fear of death, being spared? Betrayed by Charlene? The discussions with Sams? The fights, the cliff top and Henry going over the cliff, surviving? Finding out the address of Sams' brother, being in readiness for him? The fight, the stabbing? His telling the truth to Charlene, the lawyers, his cutting her off without a penny?

6. Charlene, opportunist, relationship with Henry, the money, the father's funeral? The cooling of the marriage? Her attraction towards Sams after being afraid of him? The swimming, the nudity, the relationship? Their being caught by Ray, her shooting him? Her continuing with Sams, going to the hotel to pick up the man? The attempted reconciliation with Henry, urging Henry to kill Sams? The lawyers and her dismay at not getting anything?

7. Ray, the vicious warder, his pursuit of the criminals? His blackmailing the prisoner about his parole? Pursuit, inquiries, his death?

8. Conventional material for this kind of thriller?