How can a film with two aliens, hardly any violence, where a beautiful and for them, unattainable women, postpone their journey, back to their planet in a film that virtually takes place in one sh..ty room, just relying on a lot of dialogue, work. Just ask Albert Pyun (Cyborg, Dangerously Close). The dialogue works to the conflict of situation between the three extremely well acted principals, esp. Scott Paulin and bare bra'd and pantie'd Phillips is definite eye candy, a luscious lovely you could just eat up. The two pitiable aliens use deceptive tactics and manipulated lies to score with this hottie, while Phillips is playing the two to survive. We can see right, where she's coming from, as the others. Basically, it's a movie acted on ulterior motives. Don't ask me how it works, but it does, but like Pyun's other films, are just of average quality, discounting Dangerously Close, his first and best. A lot of them are for directors. Yeah, you probably expected all this action and violence, right? You won't get it here, sunshine. What you get instead is a horror/thriller of interactive dialogue, which it's story rests mostly on lies, though it is hard to separate the truth from the bull, which is what makes the movie fun, especially concerning the baddies, where you really wanna believe they're telling the truth, but you could only be reaching. You might even be sad to see the aliens move on at the end, one moment, strangely interrupted by an inspirational music score.
4 Reviews
Wow!
BandSAboutMovies10 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Directed and written by Albert Pyun to be shot in three days - 35 pages of script a day! - on one set from Cyborg during reshoots for that film - with no special effects other than a single cube, Deceit starts with this quick blast of info: "The following is crucial plot information needed to understand this motion picture. If for some reason you fail to read all of this data in time, then you are really screwed because you'll end up sitting there for two hours wondering what the hell is going on and realizing that you've just thrown away hard-earned money and one-hundred and thirty minutes of your life. So here is the crucial information."
There is none.
An unknown man commits suicide by bleach and his body is possessed by an alien named Bailey (Norbert Weisser). A month or so later, a group including Wilma (Diane Defoe) and Eve (Samantha Phillips) is on her way to Las Vegas for a wedding and pick up a hitchhiking Bailey. He kills everyone in the car except for Wilma, telling her that he's here to destroy the polluted Earth but first, he wants to have sex with her.
Bailey could be an escaped mental patient as his therapist Brick (Scott Paulin) soon arrives, but he also claims to be a planet-destroying alien. He also wants to have sex with Wilma, who is saved by Eve, now possessed by a space cop who has an all-powerful cube. She places the fate of the Earth onto Eve and tells her that whenever she wants the planet to die, all she has to do is ask.
According to Justin Decloux, who wrote Radioactive Dreams: The Cinema of Albert Pyun, this movie "cost $22,000 and the actors would have to limit themselves to a single take for each shot." He also thanked Jean Claude Van-Damme for making the movie possible, which is a back-handed compliment, as Pyun wanted to make a gritty western called Slinger and Van Damme just wanted to do another kickboxing movie. That meant that Cyborg needed some reshoots and that's how Pyun was able to wrap up his real job on a Thursday night and could shoot for free - other than film - all weekend long.
You have to admire the sheer maniac zeal it takes to make a movie like this within the system outside of the system against the system.
After an entire movie of people yelling at one another, the cop takes a look at Wilma and says, "Today is almost tomorrow. And remember if you're looking for someone to fall in love with - try yourself." And then realizing that she can stop life as we know it at any time, she looks right into Pyun's camera and says, "Today is tomorrow. And things better get better. Or else."
The film closes by catching on fire.
There is none.
An unknown man commits suicide by bleach and his body is possessed by an alien named Bailey (Norbert Weisser). A month or so later, a group including Wilma (Diane Defoe) and Eve (Samantha Phillips) is on her way to Las Vegas for a wedding and pick up a hitchhiking Bailey. He kills everyone in the car except for Wilma, telling her that he's here to destroy the polluted Earth but first, he wants to have sex with her.
Bailey could be an escaped mental patient as his therapist Brick (Scott Paulin) soon arrives, but he also claims to be a planet-destroying alien. He also wants to have sex with Wilma, who is saved by Eve, now possessed by a space cop who has an all-powerful cube. She places the fate of the Earth onto Eve and tells her that whenever she wants the planet to die, all she has to do is ask.
According to Justin Decloux, who wrote Radioactive Dreams: The Cinema of Albert Pyun, this movie "cost $22,000 and the actors would have to limit themselves to a single take for each shot." He also thanked Jean Claude Van-Damme for making the movie possible, which is a back-handed compliment, as Pyun wanted to make a gritty western called Slinger and Van Damme just wanted to do another kickboxing movie. That meant that Cyborg needed some reshoots and that's how Pyun was able to wrap up his real job on a Thursday night and could shoot for free - other than film - all weekend long.
You have to admire the sheer maniac zeal it takes to make a movie like this within the system outside of the system against the system.
After an entire movie of people yelling at one another, the cop takes a look at Wilma and says, "Today is almost tomorrow. And remember if you're looking for someone to fall in love with - try yourself." And then realizing that she can stop life as we know it at any time, she looks right into Pyun's camera and says, "Today is tomorrow. And things better get better. Or else."
The film closes by catching on fire.
Pretentious, shallow, boring and unfunny.
lawfella12 April 2003
Now and then a film comes along that makes you think Edison's invention of the movie camera should have gotten him tried and convicted for committing crimes against humanity. This is one such film, and should be avoided at all costs.
Dark subversive comedy
jsstngr4 August 2009
No spoilers as you really need to experience this performance art piece uninformed. I was really caught by surprise by this film as I actually thought I was renting another. At first your jaw just drops at the unbelievably insane dialog spewed rat-a-tat like an old 50'd hardboiled potboiled and overripe melodrama but the performers really pull it off and slowly, like a crack fueled David Mamet play, you are drawn in. It is nothing more than a filmed stage play but its got such cool filmic touches that its not like most filmed plays. Its actually even more constrained than a stage play. So constrained that you find yourself inescapably sucked into the madness of the piece. all the actors are outstanding as I can't imagine a more challenging piece to perform. Of particular note are Norbert Weisser, for the sheer thrill of his commitment to his bizarre character and Samantha Phillips who somehow manages to anchor the nightmare into a sort of reality where you care about what's going on. Scott Paulin also is both hilarious and frightening in the same moment. I mean he becomes as frightening a character as you'll ever see. Hell, the whole cast is wonderful. It's like an off off Broadway experimental play by way of the Twilight Zone. At it even has a heartfelt ending with a real cautionary warning that is as absurd as it is absolutely true. Remarkable! My only complaint is the sound quality was uneven and the picture was a wee too dark at times. Bravo!
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