User Reviews

Plot: A man kidnaps young women and sells them as sex slaves; the girls decide to take revenge on him and his hence men.

This film was banned in the UK for its video release in 1988. This was a time when the BBFC would cut or ban hardcore material. The guidelines were relaxed in 2000. I'm sure it would easily pass for an R18 today, perhaps with mild cuts.

A Coming of Angels is considered a classic due to it being made in what is considered the golden age of porn. I did not think it was as good as other classics like: Deep Throat, The Devil in Miss Jones etc. The storyline isn't particularly interesting or engaging and the film lacks some of the flair that elevates a film like, The Devil in Miss Jones. There are some good points; the soundtrack is very good featuring jazzy funk numbers and romantic piano driven melodies (which manage not to be cheesy), the acting is of a good standard and features many veterans of the genre and there's some great scenes. The great scenes include: a sex scene which takes place under multi-coloured lights (allowing for some great cinematography) and a lesbian threesome with a "sleepover/pyjama party" type set-up. For anyone concerned about the S+M scenes they are very mild by today's standard and feature people being tied-up and domination but nothing which could be considered extreme.

Summary: Recommended to fans of the genre but it's not as good as many other films in the genre and of this time period. There's enough good points to recommend it but it lacks the 'magic touch'.

Imagine, if you will, an unholy hybrid of that fluffiest of '70s TV cop shows and French New Wave cinema. Now people it with some of the finest adult film stars of the time, feel free to substitute "ever" at this point, and you just may get the inkling of an idea of this movie's unique look and feel. Then again, maybe not. Though passed off as a porno version of TV's popular if (because ?) spectacularly inane CHARLIE'S ANGELS, the film's surprisingly downbeat tone proves quite a departure from its cheerful source, as my virtual friend John Lynch rightly pointed out in his definitive "classix comment" on www.adultdvdtalk.com. The air of sadness and seclusion that permeates A COMING OF ANGELS is furthered by shooting much of the film's footage in the desolate wintry landscapes of upstate New York and the presence of a comparatively compact eight person cast, each of them a bona fide legend or cult favorite which lead to late great porn historian Jim Holliday dubbing the movie "Superstar City" in his seminal 1986 tome Only the Best. This was an apparently one time only directorial outing for Joel Scott, whose single other (verifiable) credit was as producer of the also not quite mainstream SOMETIME SWEET SUSAN. Taken together, both films show a willingness to break away from fornication film formula in both form and content.

The screenplay by Robin Marks and Gary Stevens takes a basic CHARLIE'S ANGELS type situation – white slavery ring infiltrated by the intrepid sleuths – and goes on to deconstruct, presenting events out of context and continuity, dropping the viewer smack dab in the middle of the story without a compass. For all we know, Robin (the formidable Lesllie Bovee, nicely shading her familiar light comedy persona with a tinge of darkness) is just a regular girl coming down to visit with old school chum Jennifer (Abigail Clayton, a/k/a MANIAC's "Gail Lawrence", delivering one of her finest performances) who – apparently unbeknownst to her – has been kidnapped by a gang headed by the charismatic Mark (a terrific turn by Jamie Gillis), charmingly chatting up the new girl after snapping her photo while making out with boyfriend Andy, played by the typically dependable Eric Edwards. All is not as it seems however. Mark proves a far nastier piece of work than his handsome exterior suggests, Gillis subtly exuding menace without so much as raising his voice. The obvious brains of a unit including intellectually challenged henchman Robert (an amusingly cast against type John Leslie) and his sarcastic squeeze Sherry (Amber Hunt, exhibiting an assurance several of her higher profile performances lack), he sets out to brainwash his charges into complete sexual submission before delivering them to wealthy clients. Though S&M elements have been much commented upon elsewhere and are indeed present, these don't include any sort of physical violence. The women are duly restrained with chains and dog collars and psychologically subjugated by their masterful mentor. It makes perfect sense within such context that Jennifer develops a case of Stockholm Syndrome, incapable of injuring her tormentor even at triumphant climax. Abigail's halting confession of her conflicting emotions to her recently captured friend constitutes some of the best acting I have ever witnessed in adult movies, and from such an unexpected source no less ! Pitiful Andrea (the massively underrated Susan McBain) exemplifies what Jennifer and Robin have to look forward to, free will completely obliterated and ready for shipping. The scene where Mark "redirects" her desire for him by having her submit to Robert, softly (almost gently, in fact) talking them through proceedings, provides one of the film's most haunting erotic encounters. Fortunately, Andy's actually in charge of a special detective unit and sends in clever Carrie (Annette Haven, 'nuff said) to save the day.

Once Haven literally takes over the show, the film's tone changes drastically, Carrie casually tossing bons mots around like a latter-day Roz Russell, albeit with much better breasts, as if Scott suddenly recalled what this project started out as. While this doesn't hurt the movie much as a whole (only Annette's laughingly delivered last line seems really out of place), it makes for something of a schizophrenic experience which, in turn, adds further still to its fascination. Composer Scott Mansfield, who had already contributed an impressive soundtrack to the Scott-produced SOMETIME SWEET SUSAN, delivers a couple of entrancing original songs perfectly in tune with the movie's mesmerizing melancholy. Most prolific among the tech credits, Pierre Schwartz – DoP on endeavors as diverse as Duddy Kane's bittersweet WET RAINBOW and Chuck Vincent's riotous MISBEHAVIN' – makes the most of the contrast between the bleached out, snow-covered wide open spaces and the oppressive darkness of shuttered interiors, dramatically illuminated by small pools of light. Though not all of these disparate elements necessarily converge to craft a coherent whole, the very attempt at piecing together this occasionally ill-fitting puzzle deserves considerably more credit than it has received thus far. An altogether decent 1985 sequel of sorts, with only Haven returning and both Gillis and Edwards back in different roles, took a far more conventional approach, inarguably closer in spirit to its not exactly hallowed source subject yet a much less exciting film as a result.