IN DANGEROUS COMPANY

US, 1988, 92 minutes, Colour.
Tracy Scoggins, Cliff de Young, Chris Mulkey. Steven Keats.
Directed by Ruben Preuss.

In Dangerous Company is a routine thriller, quite efficiently made. It has the tough private eye style hero, the heroine who turns out to be completely wicked, the rich tycoon who manipulates people, along with assorted criminals. It is the kind of material that was the old film noir of the '40s but becomes the routine thriller of the '80s - with touches of sex and violence.

1. Interesting and enjoyable thriller? The world of crime?

2. City locations, atmosphere, down and out areas, the wealthy? Little Saigon? Action, stunts, special effects? Musical score?

3. The title, the focus, the relationship between Blake and Evelyn? Evelyn and all those that she encountered?

4. Blake, tough, past jobs, infatuation with Evelyn, his relationship with the Vietnamese, loyalties and friends? Her approach, love, sexual encounters? Her story? The pursuit by Ritchie and Blake fighting him? Going to work for Ryerson? The jobs? Evelyn's visits, under surveillance? Alex and the paintings? The confrontation? Ryerson's death, the truth about Alex and Evelyn? Her shooting Alex? Blake going off by himself - after burying his Vietnamese friend?

5. Evelyn as the evil woman, her beauty, relationship with Blake, the encounters and stories, the pursuit by Ritchie? Going back to Ryerson? Her liaison with Alex? Leading the men around? Her overall plan? Her emotional bewilderment? The deaths of all the men? Blake taking her to the drainway, leaving her alone?

6. Ryerson, his wealth, his thugs, the forged painting business, his death? Ritchie as his assistant, his liaison with Evelyn? His death? The thugs, their brutality, killing the Vietnamese? Deaths?

7. Alex, his portraits, his Cuban background, the liaison with Evelyn, her turning on him?

8. Popular and familiar ingredients for this kind of thriller? Variations on the theme?