successful self make married businessman harry mitchell ( a superbly steely performance by roy scheider ) have an adulteress fling with sweetn exy young stripper cini ( the gorgeous kelly preston ) . harry blackmail by a trio of scummy low life hood sleazy porno theater manager raimy ( a splendidly slimy john glover ) and antsy strip joint owner leo ( well play by robert trebor ) and craze pimp bobby shy ( a frightfully intense clarence williams iii ) who have videotape his affair with cini . when harry refuse to pay up and the hood kill cini and make it look like harry do it . this in turn ignite a dangerous battle of wit and will between harry and the hood . director john frankenheimer and adopt a tough script base on elmore leonard gritty crime thriller novel and expertly maintain a steady snappy pace and delivers plenty of grip tension and and effectively create a compellingly seedyn ordid atmosphere . the lead be all uniformly excellent and with stand out support turn by ann margret a harry bitter neglect wife barbara and vanity a brash jade prostitute doreen and and lonny chapman a harry loyal business partner jim oboyle . the tightn notwisty plot keep viewer on their toe throughout . the wickedly profane dialogue and jost vacano glossy cinematography and gary chang stir score and the harshly amoral tone and the rousing conclusion be all likewise on the money a well . a an added bonus and both vanity and preston take their clothes off . a very strong and satisfying little number that well worth check out .