The Platinum Triangle comes hot on the heels of buddy cop action comedies like 'Lethal Weapon' and '48 Hrs'. It's not as good as these. I haven't managed to find much information on this film and I'm not sure if it had a theatrical release. It has had a few VHS releases including UK VHS which was cut by 40 seconds possibly for a gory shooting at the end. There's a Spanish VHS under the title 'Triangulo De Platino' and I think a US VHS. I'm not sure why no DVD release has circulated. The version I saw was a rough VHS tape with Spanish subtitles.
The film takes place in "The Platinum Triangle" of rich districts in LA. Two "buddy" cops Stillman and Baxter (Peter Lochran and Alex Courtney) investigate a series of murders and uncover a "Platinum Triangle" money scheme worth $300 million. It's not that interesting plot, but the location and cheesy early-90s\late-80s feel makes up for it a bit.
What lets it down is there isn't enough tension between the "buddy cops". Compare it to 'Lethal Weapon' where Gibson and Glover were the rogue cop and the older, wiser cop keeping him in-line or going along with his japes. With Stillman and Baxter you have the wise-cracking, sexist cop and the Australian playboy. This dynamic apart from providing a few laughs doesn't really work as there isn't any personality clashes. To spice things up we have Stillman's wife used as bait to catch the murderer who has an eye for beautiful women.
The film isn't as fun as similar films like: 'The Choirboys' or 'Fuzz' or as action-packed as '48 Hrs' or 'Lethal Weapon'. What you end up with is a lot of talking, a few very brief unerotic sex scenes and the odd bit of violence. The film simply isn't sleazy enough if it was trying to be an erotic thriller, isn't action packed enough to be a budget 'Lethal Weapon' and isn't well paced or intelligent enough to be a suspenseful murder mystery.
I think there is some very loose social commentary: "money can buy you anything, even let you getaway with murder" - this is too clumsily implemented to really make a point. It was done much better in 'American Psycho' both the book and the film.
Highlights include Jeff Wayne as a nightclub stand-up comedian and the soundtrack by Hank Donig which is a good fit for the yuppie culture depicted in this movie. I would say do watch this if you are a fan of obscure corny films, but most viewers can give this a miss.
The film takes place in "The Platinum Triangle" of rich districts in LA. Two "buddy" cops Stillman and Baxter (Peter Lochran and Alex Courtney) investigate a series of murders and uncover a "Platinum Triangle" money scheme worth $300 million. It's not that interesting plot, but the location and cheesy early-90s\late-80s feel makes up for it a bit.
What lets it down is there isn't enough tension between the "buddy cops". Compare it to 'Lethal Weapon' where Gibson and Glover were the rogue cop and the older, wiser cop keeping him in-line or going along with his japes. With Stillman and Baxter you have the wise-cracking, sexist cop and the Australian playboy. This dynamic apart from providing a few laughs doesn't really work as there isn't any personality clashes. To spice things up we have Stillman's wife used as bait to catch the murderer who has an eye for beautiful women.
The film isn't as fun as similar films like: 'The Choirboys' or 'Fuzz' or as action-packed as '48 Hrs' or 'Lethal Weapon'. What you end up with is a lot of talking, a few very brief unerotic sex scenes and the odd bit of violence. The film simply isn't sleazy enough if it was trying to be an erotic thriller, isn't action packed enough to be a budget 'Lethal Weapon' and isn't well paced or intelligent enough to be a suspenseful murder mystery.
I think there is some very loose social commentary: "money can buy you anything, even let you getaway with murder" - this is too clumsily implemented to really make a point. It was done much better in 'American Psycho' both the book and the film.
Highlights include Jeff Wayne as a nightclub stand-up comedian and the soundtrack by Hank Donig which is a good fit for the yuppie culture depicted in this movie. I would say do watch this if you are a fan of obscure corny films, but most viewers can give this a miss.
