Pretty Good

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The acting in this movie is really good.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I have to say, the film directed by Julie Jordan was quite arousing, sexy and compelling enough to watch, even with some flaws. Nevertheless, it could had been better. Written by David Keith Miller, & originally aired on Cinemax in the late 1990s, this B-scale erotic soft-core genre thriller tells the story of a lonely romantic author, Kim Ward (Kira Reed) suffering from a bout of writer's block. A chance encounter with a handsome mysterious unnamed stranger (Doug Jeffery) opens her to a world of risky sexual experimentation, enough material for her to write many books of. However, the more, she sees of him, the more, she falls for his dangerous web of seduction that might spell the end of her. Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, the novelist heroine was indeed somewhat likable, even if some of her later decisions in the film, were a bit annoying and craze. She really did seem like a naive woman, blinded by passion and Kira Reed plays her well. However, I thought, maybe David Keith Miller could had shape her up, a bit, by allowing her, some sexual freedom and control on the stranger. After all, it became a bit tiresome to see her submissive side, fall for each, and every trick that the cagey man, bring to her. It made her, look really lustful and downright stupid. Plus, it didn't help toward the end, when she becomes more and more like the damsel in distress who can't stop herself from going with her downward path. It looks like she had to be save by a man, and technically, she did. Despite that, Kira Reed really does deliver in all of the sex scenes that the film, ask for her to do, even those scenes doesn't make sense. She's one attractive lady. Yet, I really don't see her character, as much of a writer, as the movie thinks she is. They rarely show any of her work, or her writing skills. If anything, the mysterious stranger seem more like the writer, since he is outright quoting her writing and that of William Shakespeare. Plus, he kinda own or rent a warehouse with a theater. The film never says, still I have to say, Doug Jeffery does great to carries the film as the handsome enigmatic unfamiliar figure. His acting was great. There is no mystery on why women would be attractive to him. Yet, I thought his approach to the main character could need some work. It was downright awkward and not so charming. The chemistry wasn't there. After all, you want to make it believability that she finds him, safe at first, before he force her to do, more extreme stuff. Even his second approach was somewhat clichés & over the top cheesy. While, I do like his Casanova dominant hedonism mind-games and how they show how her mind is warped, it's did get a bit tiresome as the film went on. It was a lot repetitive preaching. The twist toward the end about him, was also disappointing. If anything, it would had work better if he was Alexa (Anneliza Scott)'s ex-lover who she cheated on. Now that would make more sense than a random computer guy who isn't related, looking for revenge for getting hurt, long time ago. Another thing, it really hard to believe that he is a computer guy. He rarely shown, using the computer, even after the big reveal. Also, seeing how it's the late 1990s, and social media in its primitive stages. It's very unlikeable, he would find much on Kim on the internet, even if he's hacking a semi famous celebrity author, which the movie also does not show. Even if he does find information, it doesn't explain, how he got, into random people's houses. His computer background is just not convincing. Another character that wasn't very convincing is Clay Greenbush as the private investigator, Jay Rollins seem really bad at his job. Honestly, why type of investigator, go to the suspect, and expose himself like that!? Also, is it me, or was it, kinda funny that his name is Jay Rollins. I think, David Keith Miller must had read 1997's novel, 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', a week earlier, when looking for names for his private investigator character. I had to say, the acting from Clay is not great as all. He seem too lay back. All in all, this wasn't all bad flick for the soft-core genre. It was mostly shot, well, despite a few mistakes like a crew being visible, during the bank scene, where they don't show Kim checking her money. The sex scenes were somewhat shot well, even if some of the positions didn't seem right, and was a bit choppy. I did like how the performers did use condoms. After all, practicing safe sex is a good thing. The music was somewhat good. I did like the beating drums. It did make the sex scene in the restaurant basement seem intense, but the horror music, 10 minutes later, kinda really gave away the ending, way too earlier. Finally on note of caution, some of the DVDs out there is cut and censored as hell. The original version is supposed to be 93 minutes. Yet, some versions out there are missing huge chunks of the sex scenes. So watch out. Overall: While, it's sub-par at parts. I am compelled to give it, a mostly positive review, but if you are looking for something more titillating or smart. Do seek. There is better intellectual erotica thriller, than this. This should only be watch, as a last resort.

Losing Control is about a romance writer who's losing her stuff and who gets it back when she enters an affair with a mysterious man whom she oly knows as "Jack." Jack tells her to go places, she goes there, they have sex. That's about as kinky as it gets in a film that's basically about a maledom/femsub relationship. No submissiveness on Kira's part, other than going to the rendezvous, and no dominance on the guy's part, other than telling her where to rendezvous and smirking a lot when they talk.Because it did not have the honesty or the understanding or whatever to tell a maledom/femsub romance story, which even ROMANCE writers are quite capable of doing, the film fails even as explotation. What's more, the sex scenes are very skimpy for a Skinamax erotic thriller. In fact, there's a scene toward the end in which Kira hunkers down on her man, still clothed, and then the next thing you see is her leaving the premises. I think the people who suspect censorship may have something here. The film I saw on U.S. cable ran 1 hr and 25 minutes from the start of the opening credits to the last of the end credits, which would make a version that includes longer scenes unusually long for a Skinamax flick. If anyone out there has seen a longer version, well, that would be revealing.The movie is beautifully photographed. Kira Reed, Anneliza Scott and Doug Jeffery do a far better job with the lines than the script deserves, and yet it's a total nothingburger. Worst of all, a waste of Kira Reed.

Well, I like to be honest with all the audiences that I bought it because of Kira's sex scenes, but unfortunately I did not see much of them. All sex scenes were short and done in haphazard manner along with all the weird and corny background music just like all other B movies - it just doesn't look much like two people having sex. There is a tiny bit of plot toward the end - Kira's new lover is a killer. Whoa!!! how shocking!!! Why don't we nominate this movie for Oscar Award? I can't imagine how bad the movie would look like if it were R-rated (Mine is imported from UK, rated 18). Conclusion? Put it down and walk away, so yon won't end up with being a moron like me.Score: 2/10

I've heard that the DVD version of this movie in the US has been heavily censored, well it seems here in the UK we've been lucky with the UK DVD version being uncensored! In its uncut form, this is a real sizzler of an erotic thriller with a great performance from the lovely Kira Reed and some really exciting to watch (and quite graphic) scenes of (usually) kinky sex between the principals. If you're looking for a topnotch erotic thriller- look no further! Just make sure you see the uncensored version! (also i like the fact, like a previous reviewer commented) that the sex scenes are not ruined by overdubbed music- you can hear every pant and groan!