Playing with Fire

Director - Alain Robbe-Grillet (The Blue Villa, The Man Who Lies)

Starring - Jean-Louis Trintignant (Stranger Than Fiction, Dead Certain), Philippe Noiret (Step by Step, Dead Tired), and Anicee Alvina (The Terrorist, The Forbidden Room)

Release Date-  1975

Genre - Drama

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     It took me a few days but here I am.  I'm finally on the last film in the Sylvia Kristel 1970's Collection from Cult Epics.  This release featured four films from the 70s that supposedly starred Emmanuelle actress Sylvia Kristel.  Two of the films so far featured her in a small capacity but it was still awesome to experience these films.  However, as I finish up my marathon I find myself hitting play on a movie that I honestly had no interest in watching.  I was hoping that 1975's Playing with Fire would be like Pastorale 1943 and catch me by surprise.  

     The film follows a wealthy man who finds his adult daughter the target of a kidnapping ring.  They take her back to a mansion where they drug and pimp the women out unless he can pay the ransom in a timely manner before they charge him interest.  

     Honestly, Playing with Fire wasn't a bad film but it was difficult to follow and the editing was very chaotic.  However, I still found myself enjoying it but I don't want to subject myself to this messy film any time soon.  The acting in this one is fairly well done.  The characters are painfully generic but the cast goes all in to their roll.  I enjoyed most of the scenes and loved watching the cast in this odd and intense situations.  It would have been far more enjoyable if some of the characters had more memorable personalities but I still liked the acting as it was.  The story for this one is all over the place but the basic premise is short and simple.  Honestly, I fucking loved the idea behind the film but it's hard not to think about how awesome this one would have been if it was a straight forward sexploitation film.  The writing and editing could be a lot better and coherent.  Instead, the movie is difficult to follow and at almost two hours long it could use a trim.  Finally, the film has some nudity but don't expect a bloody film.  It's not as sleazy as I would have liked but it's not a bad watch either.  Overall, Playing with Fire is the weakest film in the set but it's still fun for the most part.  It is a difficult watch at times but if you stick with it you will find some fun.  Check it out.