User reviews

Vice Squad is a mean, nasty, intense and sadistic B-movie. I don't mean this as a negative, because that is exactly what the movie intends to be.

Vice Squad pulls no punches and is absolutely relentless.

The standout performance of this movie comes from Wings Hauser's portrayal of the the psychotic and homicidal pimp RamRod. Hauser is absolutely incredible in this movie, every second he is on screen he is frightening and menacing. He always seems like he is a half second from completely losing it, even when he is "seducing" the hooker Princess, he seems like he can hardly control himself from doing something awful.

RamRod is a nightmare of a human being. If he really existed, I don't care how tough or brave you think you are, the smartest thing you could do if you encountered him would be to politely get away from him. With RamRod it's not about him being tough, it's about him being truly, truly dangerous. No empathy, no remorse and no mercy.

I'm not going to go into detail about the movie. I think Vice Squad, like any other movie should just unfold in front of you.

I fully realize that this movie is not for everyone and if someone told me that they thought it was disgusting and there was nothing positive about it.I would understand that.

That being said, if you want to watch a cat and mouse/cop chase movie, set on the seedy streets of Los Angeles that doesn't hide its true intentions and never winks at the audience. Vice Squad has the goods.

Gary Sherman's "Vice Squad" is all show, but powerfully biting and sordid exploitation of the seedy strip of Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard when the sun finally goes down. For such luridly unpleasant context, the film manages to amuses with rousing suspense, sharply-witted (if foul) script and its authentically raw atmosphere. Even the performances figure prominently. Wing Hauser deservedly dominates the limelight as the frighteningly, aggressive pimp Ramrod. His turn is that of pure spontaneous and nightmarish intensity. Truly hard to forget. Gary Swanson's courageously humane performance as Detective Walsh, the leader of the 'Vice squad' is downright solid, and there's a confidently brassy and strong-willed go-it-alone portrayal by Season Hubley as the prostitute Princess that Ramrod is after for setting him up. The support cast racks up recognizable bit players (Pepa Serna, Beverly Todd, Maurice Emanuel, Nina Blackwood, Michael Ensign, Cheryl Smith, Fred Berry and the list goes on) of rich characterisations. Sherman's sensationally gripping direction doesn't let up or beat around the bush, as he cranks up the energy and brutality. Still there's a slickly professional manner about it, and cinematographer John Alcott shots it with great ticker, and stylish verve. The screeching rock title track "Neon Slime" sung by Hauser sets the tone, and the saucy score has a feverish pitch that enhances the downbeat atmosphere and daring intensity.

Let me start out by saying you just GOTTA love any movie sporting a theme song called "Neon Slime." One of the best B-Movies of the 80s. This is a great guilty pleasure type of movie, well acted, solidly directed, and very handsomely photographed for such trash, with occasional unintentionally funny dialogue. There are plenty of cliches in the "life is Hell on the streets of L.A." storyline, but director Gary Sherman keeps the pace fast, tough and violent and gets colorful performances from even the minor supporting characters. Wings Hauser makes the chief baddie, a sadistic, psychotic pimp by the name of Ramrod a real piece of work. He's right up there with other classic movie villains such as Scorpio in "Dirty Harry" and Bruce Dern's Longhair in "The Cowboys." He's truly a scumbag you'll LOVE to HATE!

Note of trivia: Incidentally, Gary Swanson (as the lead cop hot on Ramrod's trail) beat Clint Eastwood to the punch by nearly two years when he uttered the line "Go ahead...make my day" to the pimp on an initial capture in one scene.

In Los Angeles, a woman known as Princess (Season Hubley) is a down on her luck single mother who turns to prostitution in order to support her young daughter Lisa (Nicole Volkoff) who's living with Princess' mom in San Diego. As Princess works the notorious Hollywood Boulevard while avoiding the LAPD's vice cops, Vice Detectives Walsh (Gary Swanson) and Edwards (Maurice Emanuel) investigate a recent assault at a motel of prostitute Ginger (Nina Blackwood) by sadistic and misogynistic pimp Ramrod (Wings Hauser) whom Ginger refuses to identify as the assailant before dying from her injuries. Driven to get Ramrod off the street, Walsh and Edwards bring in Princess who is a friend of Ginger's who force her to look at Ginger's brutalized corpse and threaten her with a drug bust that will lose custody of her daughter unless she helps with a sting to bring in Ramrod.

Vice Squad is a 1982 crime thriller directed by Gary Sherman. The film came about out of an initial desire by producers to make a television documentary about Hollywood's prostitution scene utilizing interviews with actual pimps, prostitutes, and vice cops but after running into logistical limits with television censorship regarding the subject matter it was ultimately decided to re-tool the project as a narrative feature film. The cast and crew went very in depth with real life sex workers and Vice Cops with the LAPD collaborating with the filmmakers on a making of documentary of the film and Season Hubley herself spent ten weeks with Hollywood prostitutes to research her role of Princess. While the film was a decent success given the lurid appeal of its subject matter in the marketing by Avco Embassy, rather surprisingly critical reception was more positive than you might think with some outlets like the New York Times noting the exploitation aspects, but also applauding the craft, acting, and even aspects of the writing for the film. Vice Squad is undeniably exploitation filmmaking, but it's also a lot smarter and with more to say than you might think from its marketing.

Season Hubley is very good in the role of Princess and while there's pretty standard stuff for a movie like this where she's "trying to make ends meet" for her daughter to position her as the good girl in a bad situation, she plays the role with a lot of charm, wit, and humor and gets some humanizing scenes with her fellow sex workers or some of her less objectionable Johns. However, stealing every scene he's in is Wings Hauser's portrayal of the film's antagonist Ramrod who portrays this air of fake swagger that when the situation calls for it will peel away to reveal his unhinged violent and sadistic streak that makes you root for his comeuppance. Gary Swanson and Maurice Emanuel are also good as the primary Vice Detectives Walsh and Edwards and while they're technically the "heroes" in this story the movie also shows them as being very manipulative and aggressive particularly when it comes to how they involve Princess making this less a story of good versus evil and more bad versus worse.

Much like the William Friedkin film Cruising, even though there is technically a plot here (though unlike Cruising's whodunnit Vice Squad's more a howcatchem), the true focus here is on the atmosphere and world portrayed in the film. While not necessarily as envelope pushing as Cruising was, Vice Squad really feels like a film where there's an unmistakable authenticity to what's being portrayed and how unclean the world presented feels that a viewing makes you feel like you need a shower afterwards (in the best possible way). Utilizing aspects from real-life anecdotes from actual sex workers some scenarios do strain credibility (one sequence involving a wedding dress and a coffin definitely left me with some questions) but it helps make the film an engaging experience.

Vice Squad is a solidly made exploitation film that has a lot more craft and cleverness in its writing and filmmaking than you'd initially believe. Featuring good performances across the board and dripping with a sleazy atmosphere, Vice Squad provides the thrills and the lurid details you expect from a movie like this and adds that little something extra to make itself stand out.

The thriller that brought Wings Hauser to the attention of film-makers and audiences as the manipulative, sadistic, and psychopathic pimp preying on his meal tickets with callous ambivalence. Season Hubley is the call-girl who has Hauser arrested, Swanson the detective, but before they can indict him, he's on the loose like a wild animal, out for revenge.

Hauser's intense portrayal of the urban cowboy with a seriously mean streak is probably his best role to date; edgy and offbeat, exuding charm and an omnipotence that masks a violent alter ego and hair-trigger temper - the scene in which he uses electrocution to enforce his authority is quite shocking (no pun intended).

Often dismissed as a sleaze-a-thon, and rarely referred any credit, "Vice Squad" was one of a number of films in the early eighties that dealt with the fringe sex industry and the shadowy figures that make it a dangerous profession. The cast is full of familiar faces with Beverly Todd as Hubley's ill-fated friend and confidante, Rainbeaux Smith (in one of her last roles) as a working girl, Stack Pierce, Jonathan Haze and Grand L.Bush in minor roles.

Not an emulation of the DePalma stylings (e.g. "Body Double"), it's volatile and gritty in atmosphere, more a match with "Cruising" or the subsequent slasher movies "New York Ripper" and "Fear City" in its downcast, brutal tone, director Sherman has got lucky with Hauser achieving such a memorable characterisation, surely among the most notorious of screen villains in the annals of film history.

VICE SQUAD is a thoroughly gritty prostitution movie and one of a slew that explored the sleazier side of America in the late '70s and early '80s; see also CRUISING and HARDCORE. This one's by Gary Sherman, the director behind DEATH LINE and DEAD & BURIED, and it certainly hits the mark when creating the character of the sadistic Ramrod, played with over the top glee by Wings Hauser. There's plenty of peril and violence which gives the movie a really grubby atmosphere in that early '80s tradition; see also THE TERMINATOR.

Here's one B movie, I must say did one better then I thought it would. The cat and mouse plot, throughout with many a turning points, makes it an electrifying movie, and scary mainly due to Hauser's pimp, Ramrod, an unforgettable masterpiece of evil, at times his presence is almost choking and unbearable. He is so SCARY! Good hearted cop, Swanson, Hauser's one true enemy, uses pro, Hubley (the young lass from Hardcore) to set up Hauser, after he beat up one of his girl's so bad, she didn't make it. Hubley trying to make enough money to support her little girl, her reason for flocking to the city of dreams. Swanson is so likable, you'll be rooting for him, to take care of Hauser, even though personally, Hauser's one of my favorite actors. When he escapes a cop car, thanks to two "Not much up there cops", he has only one mission, hence the plot of this very effective action piece drama. If have not videe'd this one, track it down. It rises about the sleaze, and does have a funny scene near the end with Hubley and one of her tricks. Such a talented and dramatic actress, Hardcore a prime example, Hubley was another actress who went off the radar. Although there are clichéd moments between cop and pro, Vice Squad has a solid, hard on quality about it. It's a well made compact drama, worth it's time in viewing.

"Princess" (Season Hubley) is what is known as an "outlaw" hooker, meaning that she answers to no pimp. She's also the mother of an adorable little girl. She agrees to help intense vice detective Tom Walsh (Gary Swanson) trap a particularly evil pimp with the memorable moniker of "Ramrod" (Wings Hauser). Ramrod is a sadist who enjoys mutilating prostitutes, and has the tenacity of The Terminator. When he realizes that Princess set him up, he becomes determined to get revenge. After he makes an escape from the cops, he spends an action-packed night hunting her down.

"Vice Squad" is a solid credit for the under appreciated director Gary A. Sherman. Sherman had already made two excellent fright features, "Raw Meat" and "Dead & Buried". Loathe to be typecast as a genre director, he took on this project, and does a fine job with it. He gives it great pace and entirely convincing atmosphere. This movie really does immerse its viewers in a seedy L.A. underworld. The characters are often flamboyant but believable. Cinematographer John Alcott gives everything a stylish look. To be sure, the material is plenty sleazy, but that's entirely the point. The script was written by co-executive producer Sandy Howard, Robert Vincent O'Neill (director of the exploitation classic "Angel"), and "Kenneth Peters", a pseudonym for a real life L.A. detective who provided all important technical advice.

The violence is as harsh and off putting as it should be, and there's great curiosity value in discovering the various fetishes and perversions that johns are prone to enjoy.

Hubley is good in the lead role; Princess may take her lumps before the story ends, but she also gives Ramrod a hell of a good fight. Swanson is likewise effective as our hard assed hero. A steady parade of familiar actors play roles big and small: Pepe Serna, Beverly Todd, original MTV VJ Nina Blackwood, Lydia Lei, Kelly Piper, Fred Berry, Michael Ensign, Jonathan Haze, Robert Miano, Stack Pierce, and Cheryl Smith. But the person who leaves the biggest impression is the excellent Hauser, who gives us a creepily charismatic villain for the ages. Furthermore, Wings also entertains us by growling and snarling the ultra catchy rock theme song "Neon Slime".

This is a gem of a B movie: flashy, trashy, and most certainly *not* dull.

Eight out of 10.

Vice Squad aims to be a gritty violent exploitation movie set in the LA vice district.

It even boasts an Oscar winning cinematographer in John Alcott.

Princess (Season Hubley) is a suburban single mom who moonlights as a hooker. When her friend and fellow hooker Ginger is savagely beaten up by her sadistic pimp Ramrod (Wings Hauser.)

Princess is forced by veteran vice cop Tom Walsh (Gary Swanson) to snare Ramrod.

All goes well and Ramrod is arrested but he later escapes and he goes hunting for Princess to get his revenge.

The movie is a strange hybrid of being sleazy and tame at the same time. There is brief nudity and lots of implied violence.

40 years later and with the internet. Some of the demands from the clients are rather tame. The director certainly thought the audience would be shocked by all that talk of golden showers.

The movie benefits from a bit of humour from some of the dumb cops. It goes nicely with some of the dumb action from them. The police have issues trying to catch Ramrod.

Even some of the prostitutes are dumb. No one warns one another that there is mad pimp on the loose. In fact LA is a city where even the pimps do not know the main players.

The film benefits from Hauser's unhinged performance as the violence pimp dressed as a cowboy. After escaping from the police there is no lying low with him or go to another city.

It is go and get a big knife, a gun and cause mayhem on the streets of Hollywood. He is almost Terminator like in his mission.

I cannot believe the story that Martin Scorsese thought this was worthy of being a Best Picture Oscar contender. It is dumb B movie with better production values.

In theory, "Vice Squad" is nothing more than good guy versus bad guy. However, it is done with such raw energy and flawless execution it remains one of the most intelligent and dramatic police films of the past two decades.

The story is about a hooker with a heart of gold named "Princess," who ends up on the run from her pimp named "Ramrod," (played brilliantly by the underrated Wings Hauser). After she agrees to bait him for the cops after he violently murders a fellow prostitute, he escapes police custedy and is hell-bent on one thing: finding Princess, torturing her, and killing her. It's that simple. A cop named "Walsh" (also played wonderfully by Gary Swanson) has the responsibility of finding either her or him, before Ramrod succeeds in his mission.

The film takes place in one night throughout the streets of Hollywood, and never lets up for a second. The plot is thick with suspense, the characters are three dimensionally layered, and the action is non stop. It's influence can be seen in many of todays films such as "Training Day," and even "Seven" just to name a few. However, its greatest testament may be from a better known movie tough guy named "Dirty Harry." At one point, when Walsh catches up with Ramrod he sticks his gun in his mouth and mutters "Make a move, and make my day!" Sound familiar? It should, because the famous line was uttered some five years later, even though the phrase was coined here, and in much better fashion I might add.

To sum it up, "Vice Squad" is a hard hitting, no nonsense, throw back to when quality films could be made on shoe-string budgets, and without millions in special effects. It walks the walk, and talks the talk without making excuses for its realistic subject matter. Unfortunately, the film is hard to find, so if you get the opportunity to see it, do not pass it up. For it will no doubt become one of your favorite "Vices," I garantee it.

Good performances elevate this gritty little movie above the standards of a typical B-picture. Wings Hauser usually gets most of the praise, but Gary Swanson is just as good as the tough yet thoughtful cop on his trail. By the way, the title song is just TERRIFIC! (**)

If one looks at my other reviews, one would be very much forgiven if they thought that 'Vice Squad' wouldn't be my style or something that would typically be watched by me. Actually have a diverse taste (or at least that's intended) in film and television, spanning all genres and decades with a wide interest in actors, actresses and directors with no bias intended.

Like action-crime-dramas a good deal and while not one of my absolute favourites, 'Vice Squad' was a very enjoyable and well done film for what it was and achieved what it set out to do. It may not have the best script in the world, some of it is laughably cheesy even by 1982 standards. The ending is a bit silly and lacks the tension and suspense of the rest of the film. Gary Swanson does his best and does decently, but the rest of the characters are more colourfully written and stay in the memory longer (especially Ramrod).

It didn't actually bother me, due to the entertainment value and being pleasantly surprised by how well most individual components worked, that for a film about prostitution it's fairly tame in terms of nudity and sex and that it's talkier than one would expect. It may do for others though.

However, 'Vice Squad' is made with plenty of atmosphere and style, the photography is stylish and almost eerie and the editing is suitably crisp. The soundtrack is infectiously funky as well as hauntingly creepy.

Story-wise, it's remarkably compelling and always goes at a snappy pace without being rushed. It's a lot of fun and is very rich in tension and suspense. The exploitation and prostitution world is certainly suitably sleazy, while the violence is relentless but never gratuitous, the film admirably doesn't hold any punches or take any prisoners which adds to the intensity. Gary Sherman directs tautly, and of the characters Ramrod and Princess (especially the former) maintain a lot of interest.

Season Hubley brings a strong-willed and sassy personality to Princess. Sticking most in the memory is the star-making performance of Wings Hauser, Ramrod is one of the nastiest pieces of work one will ever find on film and Hauser chills the bone in a truly incredible performance.

Overall, very enjoyable. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Season Hubley was a very fine actress of the 1970s who somehow lost her way in the next decade, bottoming out with this cheapjack sleaze about a single mom-turned-prostitute working with the Los Angeles vice squad in nabbing a vicious killer pimp named Ramrod, eventually regretting her involvement after he escapes from police custody. Grindhouse fans will no doubt revel in the "neon slime" on display, yet Hubley is never too convincing jive-talking her way around street pimps, prosties, undercover cops and kinky johns. Amateurish, nasty and ugly. * from ****

Wings Hauser, playing brutal pimp Ramrod, uses a wire coat hanger to beat the stuffing out of a hooker in a Hollywood Boulevard motel room. This scene, destined to be remembered by every lucky viewer of this solid, sleazy classic, perfectly captures the tone director Gary Sherman brings to this fine piece of entertainment.

The violence is glossy and sadistic and shot in neon-toned hues by ace cinematographer John Alcott.

Hauser goes on a rampage in an effort to bust the chops of a street girl who was partially responsible for his brief arrest.

The tension is thick, the atmosphere gritty, the entertainment values high.

Nail-biting and stomach-churning...in other words: heaven.

Season Hubley from "Hardcore" is a Hollywood hooker by the name of Princess who, after being pinched, gives up her sadistic pimp, Ramrod (Wings Hauser) to the cops in this one. Of course he escapes from justice and begins to track her down. Hauser's song at the beginning and end is catchy and Wings is fun to watch, but other than that this is pretty average. Aside from a few cuss words it plays out like a TV movie of the week, it's entertaining enough, and you're likely not regret watching it, but director Gary Sherman's film previous to this one, "Dead and Buried" was one that I enjoyed more.

Eye Candy: Season Hubley shows ass and her little nubs

my Grade: C

Vice Squad is a hard hitting, gritty, realistic look of life on the streets. Very low budget, but very high quality production. This very mean and action packed tale of sleazy darkness is one film that surely made its mark. Starring Season Hubley, the first wife of Kurt Russell and in this film she is ultra sexy Hollywood hooker Princess. When Princess works with vice cop (played by Gary Swanson) to set up psycho pimp Ram Rod goes awry. Gary Swanson and his team of cops need to find Princess or Ram Rod before Ram Rod finds Princess and gets his sweet revenge on her. While being ultra dirty and sleazy picture, it also is very sharp looking and well shot. Courtesy of Stanley Kubrick's fave director of photography John Alcott. Who was DP on Barry Lyndon, The Shining, A Clockwork Orange and now Vice Squad. The entire cast gave strong performances, but Wings Hauser gives an exceptional balls out performance as Elvis loving, hot tempered maniac cowboy pimp Ram Rod. Easily one of the best villains I have ever seen. Director Gary Sherman made an excellent film that made some waves when it was released. It also influenced many film makers (big and small) to come and holds up as an awesome, classic brutal movie.

Saw this back when it came out and just saw it again over thirty years later. Just as weird as ever. I seriously doubt they could make this movie today, or even 10 years ago. N1gger? Fagg0t? Just not gonna fly. Basically a no name cast, or very little known, made it grittier. A few scenes are a tad hokey, but keep in mind it was 1982 Los Angeles. Very hard to come by but one lone torrent is floating around with a single seed. Worth a watch every 30 years to be sure. Cole Hauser, the son of Wings, acts today and is what made me take a second look at his wacky dad. I sure do miss the days of one line reviews allowed here. Yeah, I've been here that long. Just a crying shame I have to blather on at the very end like this.