Mr. Lipps' Rating:

Starring: Krista Lane has the lead here, and she competes ably with some better-known pornstresses in this 1987 film by writer-producer Harold Lime and director Jack Remy. Nina Hartley, Tracey Adams, Ona "Zimmerman" (Zee), and an unbilled Nikki Knights provide enthusiastic support. Alex Greco has a brief non-sex role, and Veronica Hart reprises her title role from the original "Amanda" but, alas, doesn't perform sexually. Robert Bullock leads the male contigent, which also includes Billy Dee, Herschel Savage, Eric Edwards, and Mike Horner. The cast looks great (a compliment to makeup artist Alexis Vogel, who once performed in front of the porno camera as "Laurie Smith,") but the acting outside of the sex scenes is way overdone. Someone should have reminded the actors they were in a movie and not on the high-school stage. The sex scenes, however, are very satisfying.

The filmmakers here were out to make a porn film that looked like a real movie, a la the first "Amanda," but most of the sets in this semi-sequel look like the inside of a studio. Remy is usually noted for the quality of his cinematography, but here it's a bit muddy and too soft-focused. Worse, the direction of the non-sex scenes is dull, which doesn't help the Lime's lackluster script or the acting.

The original "Amanda by Night" of 1981 is a classic narrative-porn flick, skillfully combining an interesting story and some hot hardcore scenes. The makers of the "sequel" attempted that same balance of story and sex, but managed only to produce sequences of dull dialogue that FINALLY get into a sex scene. Each dialogue sequence is of the same general length, and there's little action in them, just people talking and talking some more. Once the sex starts, however, the film is pretty good. The tedious plot, if you care to follow it: Turner, a police detective (Bullock), enlists Melissa, a small-time hooker (Krista) in his investigation of her roommate's murder. Turns out that the roomie was involved in a ring of classy call-girls and ran afoul of a well-connected john. With the help of an undercover cop and former hooker Amanda -- now running a counseling service for prostitutes trying to leave the business -- the detective approaches an arrest while falling in love with Melissa. The script is more detailed than that brief description, but if you pay too much attention to it the holes in the story become apparent. As for the sex: Krista gives a customer (Mike Horner)a warm fuck; Billy Dee has a very hot office threesome with Ona and Nikki; Krista has a romantic coupling with pimp Herschel; Billy has a great bartop fuck with Nina; Krista again, this time discovering true love with Robert; then Tracey, playing a madam, treats her partner (Eric) to a hot-couch conga; and, as a capper, Nina gives Herschel a oily body massage before sucking and fucking him to bliss. All the women in this flick look terrific and show great enthusiasm, though Nina is a little more into it than the others.

The great-looking female cast and the hot sex scenes. Nina is very hot, Krista and Tracey are gorgeous, and the Ona/Nikki/Billy threeway leaves you wishing for more from them.

The plot is tedious, overly complex, and just not very interesting. The non-sex scenes are way too long, too talky, and poorly directed.

You might want to watch this film all the way through just once to dope out the plot. Fans of narrative porn may find it attractive, although there are better videos of that type out there. But what will keep you coming back to this flick is the great late-'80s cast and their sexual enthusiasm. Just keep the fast-forward button handy. RATING: Just barely a 7.

Posted By Mr. Lipps, www.excaliburfilms.com | 10/12/06 1:58 PM