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Vice Squad: Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Review

“Vice Squad” is a trashy but watchable exploitation movie.

In “Vice Squad,” the story revolves around a mother/prostitute who goes by the name Princess. While out trying to earn a living, she gets busted by 2 undercover cops led by Walsh. Walsh convinces Princess to work with him to take down a psychotic murderous pimp named Ramrod. She does so, but unfortunately, Ramrod escapes custody and is targeting Princess out of revenge. Princess has no idea that he is loose while she is (again) out on the job, but Walsh and a group of other cops are trying to stop Ramrod before he can get to her.

If you can get past the fact that this 1982 movie offends just about everyone, this strangely compelling, energetic, and fast paced movie set during one night on the seedy crime ridden streets of Hollywood is worth a spin. From a plot perspective, there’s not much going on here. It’s basically a race against time manhunt and revenge tale. The sheer oddities in the movie, however, make it stand-out above other similar B movies.

One can expect to find bizarre lines about things I can’t type here, a man shouting about paper clips, extreme violence, a car crash, what sounds liked a child dubbed by an adult, a character named Fast Eddie who has quite the face and head tattoo, and, of course, Wings Hauser as a villainous character named Ramrod. Truth be told, Hauser is what really makes the film worth watching. His wild, over-the-top performance as the loathsome and twisted pimp Ramrod is far and away the most memorable thing about the film. Without him, it’s just another gritty cop/crime drama.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 1080p. How does it look? Viewers can expect a 4K scan of the original film elements. The result? A quality transfer that maintains the grit and grain while also providing a solid upgrade.

Audio Track: DTS-HD Mono. How does it sound? A little low for my liking but still largely satisfactory.

Extras:
* A trailer, radio spots and TV spots for “Vice Squad.”
* A poster and lobby card gallery and a publicity gallery.
* “Hollywood Streetwalking: A Look At The Locations”- The title says it all
* A whopping 6 individual interviews with actor Gary Swanson, director Gary Sherman, producer Brian Frankish, actress Beverly Todd. Actor Pepe Serna and actor Michael Ensign (sadly, no Wings Hauser). Through these interviews, you certainly get an expansive behind-the-scenes look at the movie as well as plenty of facts about their lives.

August 11, 2019 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | 80s Movie, crime drama, Gritty Cop Movie, Shout! Factory, Vice Squad 1982, Vice Squad: Collector's Edition Blu-ray Review, Wings Hauser