From a drastic rise in crime rates to revelations of gross internal corruption, the 1990s marked a low point of public faith in the Los Angeles police. Appearing powerless at best and malevolent at worst, the LAPD had never seemed less capable of tackling the problems plaguing its city: gang violence, drug trafficking, and, of course, mysterious killers who mesmerize and kill ballerinas in the middle of dress rehearsals. Assigned to such a case, tough cop Kris Kristofferson dives headlong into the world of ballerina deaths, along the way discovering a trash-talking moppet named Tinsel (Drew Barrymore), the victim's sister and the killer's apparent next target. Startling her in her home, Kristofferson is at first mistaken for a maniac himself. "Is this going to be, like, a rape or something?" Barrymore asks, in a tone usually employed by McDonalds' workers inquiring about customers' choice of McNugget sauce. Once assured that Kristofferson's inquiries will be nothing like a rape, Barrymore reveals that she's already heard about her sister's death, noting, "It's a real bummer," but also stating her refusal to "get all amped up" about it. Perhaps recognizing a kindred capacity for steely emotional reserve, Kristofferson takes Barrymore into his custody, but not without asking her age and pausing for some constructive criticism: "Fourteen, huh? You look like a 30-year-old hooker." Leaving her in the reassuring custody of a hammer-wielding, wheelchair-bound O.J. Simpson, Kristofferson spends his days searching for the at-large ballet slayer. Once a gloved killer takes out Simpson at close range, the chase intensifies, leading Kristofferson to a star-chamber-like secret society led by Martin Landau, and dedicated to meting out justice to those who slip beyond the reach of the law (and the occasional ballerina, when the occasion calls for it). Barrymore faces another bummer after a struggle apparently kills Kristofferson. When he returns, wounded but still eager to make good on his promise to adopt her, the sufficiently amped-up pair heads off into the sunset to start a new life.
Most Dugg A.V. Club Articles
Advertisement
- Comments