Bounty Huntress: Undercover

First, some comments. I had recently rented Bounty Huntress 2 also on DVD (I forget the Subtitle on that one). The "2" implied it was a sequel, even though I had never heard of it. When I found Undercover, I said "Ah ha", here's the first one. Well, not only are they not related, and have none of the same characters or actors, but the actress on the DVD cover and shown in the intro stills when the DVD plays (a definite Lara Croft clone - complete with big boobs, short tube top, short shorts and long legs, pistol holster and grenades) is nowhere to be seen.

No grenades, either, now that I think of it.

The IMDB has a Beautiful Bounty aka Bounty Huntress, but it definitely isn't this one, so there may be another one. While I'm complaining, why is it called Bounty Huntress? There is no such character in the movie, or even a reference to her. There is a female police detective, that sort of goes undercover, with her male partner and lover, in a brothel. But she's on the public payroll. "Born to seduce. Trained to kill" according to the cover, but she does neither in this movie.

The Madame of the Brothel they are staking out is played by Chloe Nichole, who is actually a good choice. For one thing, she looks just a little older (30-something) so you can believe she has been in the business long enough to start her own house. The female detective (Bounty Huntress) is played by Nicole Hilbig, and if that sounds like a foreign name, it is. She speaks English with an accent, almost like
she memorized the lines without understanding them. It almost reminds me of someone who is totally deaf that learns to speak, without hearing what they sound like. She is sexy without being beautiful, again, not a bad match for the part.

The good news.

First, there is lots of nudity, and from the beginning and cutaways, I thought might be a porn film stripped-down to get the R-rating for the rental market, but there is some full-frontal by a couple of actresses, and pubic hair (not full-on) shown by a couple more.
Second, these are not silicone porn-stars (although some of the names were familar - I'm pretty sure Nikki Steele is a porn star).

The bad news

It does seem to be a slimmed-down version, with lots of cutaways. One example was when the female detective (she didn't go undercover as one of the prostitutes, as is usually the case in these movies) joins a prostitute and her john for a 3-way. Nothing - not even a kiss - is shown of the 3-way. They do show both women totally naked getting dressed after the fact, where they share a kiss. There has to be more.
The plot has iceberg-sized holes in it, starting with why they want to put the Brothel under surveillance in the first place. Is this the only place they can tap to spy on the criminal? Do they really think he's stupid enough to tell a hooker or madame his business?
The acting is of course terrible.
One of the hookers has the largest teeth I've ever seen on a human.
Spare me the trite dialogue. The female detective, who is shacking up with her partner, gets all "moral" about the brothel and girls who "do it for money." The girls and the madame spend a lot of time trying to convince her to give it a try "You might like it."

Scoop's notes in yellow:

I'm no expert on this subject, but I have to think that Chloe Nichole, usually just called Chloe, is a porn actress.

For one thing, she averages ten films per year, and has made 119 since her debut in 1991. If those are "real" films, that's mighty productive, even by the standards of Eric Roberts, who has a "mere" 88 credits during that same period.
For another thing, there are the titles of the films she has made. A partial list follows:

Maybe I'm naive, but those sound like porn movies to me. I don't think you need to be Sherlock Holmes to see the clues:

The dreaded "(V)". Straight-to-vid. Every film on the list skipped the theaters. Not even a cable debut.
One of them actually has the word "porn" in the title - the Ozporns.
"Legitimate" movies rarely produce 36 sequels, like Dirty Bob's Excellent Adventures. Except maybe the ones with Freddy and Jason.
Most important, you rarely see Gwyneth Paltrow or Katharine Hepburn in a movie with "cum-sucking" in the title. On the other hand, if you find such a film, I am interested.

By the way, "Nicole Hilbig" is a German porn and soft-porn actress. She is usually billed as Dru Barrymore.

I can't explain the "Bounty Huntress" title, but the IMDB does list the film, under the title Pleasures of Sin, and it is rated a sterling 2.0/10 by IMDb voters. IMDb does not indicate that there is a DVD available, but there must be, based on the fact that Copperhead has seen it!

Apparently it was a big deal of sorts within the industry when it was released, because the film was first aired on HBO/Cinemax and it featured hardcore stars crossing over into R-rated late night cable. It was announced with the following press release:

August 17, 2000 12:58pm
Adult Stars Go Mainstream
Source: Creative Image Management and Casting
by: Company Press Release

(LOS ANGELES, CA) -- Starting August 21st - Chloe, Nicole Hilbig aka Dru Berrymore, Nikki Steele, Alex Foxe will be starring in "Pleasures Of Sin" for Mainline Releasing, an R rated erotic thriller for worldwide release.

Casting by Robert Lombard at Creative Image Management and Casting.

Creative Image Management would like to thank all the adult stars who have expressed interest in Late Night Cable Programming.

DVD availability known to exist, but we don't know how to order it.

I don't know if I'd agree with the definition of "mainstream" in that press release. I think of mainstream movies as the ones my wife and daughter go to, movies which may be R-rated, but are intended for mass audiences. To me, mainstream films star people like Tom Hanks and Charlize Theron. My guess is that in the porn industry "mainstream" means "non-hardcore".

Copperhead's follow-up

Hey Scoop, interesting comments on Bounty Huntress: Undercover.

I've often wondered at the connection between the made-for-cable-type R-Rated Erotic movies, and porn. Some of them I always thought either were made as porn, and cut back for the R-rating, or two versions were shot - Embrace the Darkness II, for example, where I really thought the deed was actually done, especially with oral sex administered to females, but even with some of the in-and-out scenes.

The presence of known porn actors and actresses only adds fuel to this fire.

It is indeed on DVD and I did rent it at Hollywood (I am holding it as I write this). I did find it for $13.99 at DVD Universe (www.dvduniverse.com) The rating is actually R for Strong Sexuality/Nudity. Other info: A Metropolis Release for Spartan Home Entertainment. SPE40978 on the spine and a UPC barcode of 0486840978 if anyone wants to try ordering it from another source (if they can't rent it, I guess).

The Critics Vote

Believe it or not, this film is reviewed at efilm. They gave it their lowest rating.

The People Vote ...

IMDB summary. IMDb voters score it 2.0/10

The meaning of the IMDb score: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence equivalent to about three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, comparable to approximately two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, equivalent to about a two star rating from the critics. Films rated below five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film - this score is roughly equivalent to one and a half stars from the critics. (Possibly even less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.