HOLLYWOOD VICE SQUAD (1986)
“Hollywood Vice Squad,” a 1986 action-comedy directed by Penelope Spheeris, dives into the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles with a blend of grit and goofiness. The film intertwines three loosely connected vice squad cases, led by Captain Mike “Bulldog” Jensen (Ronny Cox). The central thread follows Pauline Stanton (Trish Van Devere), a Midwestern mother searching for her runaway daughter, Lori (Robin Wright, in her debut), who’s fallen into the clutches of slimy pimp James Walsh (Frank Gorshin). Walsh runs a prostitution ring, hooking Lori on heroin, while Pauline teams with Jensen to rescue her.
Meanwhile, rookie cop Betty Melton (Carrie Fisher) goes undercover as a prostitute to bust a BDSM porn ring, facing off against a john wielding a vibrator named “Mike.” Her brash style clashes with her squad, but she persists, dodging slapstick perils like a car chase with an officer dangling from a window. Elsewhere, officers Ray Chang (Evan Kim) and Stevens (Joey Travolta) tackle an illegal betting racket, with Chang’s over-the-top Asian tourist disguise leading to a wild bus chase and a tussle with a knife-wielding drag queen.
Produced by Sandy Howard as a lighter follow-up to “Vice Squad” (1982), the film juggles raunchy humor and crime drama, often unevenly. Spheeris, fresh off punk-edged projects like “Suburbia,” infuses it with ’80s sleaze—think neon-lit Hollywood Boulevard and a soundtrack featuring Keith Levene and Chris Spedding. The cast, including Leon Isaac Kennedy as a rival pimp, shines despite a muddled script that critics found more corny than cutting. It wraps with Walsh’s downfall, Lori’s rescue, and Betty’s triumph, though the tonal shifts leave it a cult oddity rather than a cohesive hit. For fans of grimy ’80s B-movies, it’s a flawed, fun relic.
