Wild Cactus
| Wild Cactus | |
|---|---|
 Promotional film poster | |
| Directed by | Jag Mundhra |
| Produced by | Alan B. Bursteen |
| Written by | Jag Mundhra |
| Story by | Carl Austin |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Larry Wolff |
| Cinematography | James Mathers |
| Edited by | Ron Resnick |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Imperial Entertainment |
Release dates |
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Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Wild Cactus is a 1993 thriller/erotic film directed by Jag Mundhra.[1] It was released direct to video on 24 March 1993 and stars Gary Hudson, David Naughton, and India Allen.
Plot
Philip (David Naughton) and Alexandria (India Allen) are a married couple that have decided to spend their vacation at a friend's house in the Arizona desert. Their marriage has hit a rough patch due to Philip's work, which has monopolized his time and left Alexandra feeling lonely. She's dismayed when she finds that Philip is still too busy to pay attention to her and pushes him to go to a night bar.
Once there the two quickly run into some trouble with a biker, but are saved from harm by Randall (Gary Hudson) and Maggie (Michelle Moffett). They give the two a ride to a trailer park, unaware that Randall is there to get revenge against his ex-girlfriend Celeste (Kathy Shower), who sent him to jail, and that Maggie is a prostitute that Randall has brought along by force. Randall manages to break into the trailer, which terrifies Celeste. Despite his assurances that he is not there to harm her, Randall forces Maggie to kill Celeste.
The following morning the two arrive at Alexandria and Philip's vacation home, as Randall had promised to help Philip look for plants for his job. The two men leave to look for plants, only for Randall to push Philip off a cliff. Believing the man to be dead, Randall drives off, unaware that Philip survived and has begun walking back in order to rescue his wife. Meanwhile back at the house, Alexandria has grown increasingly suspicious that Maggie is a wanted criminal, and at one point tries to call the police, but is interrupted by Maggie. When Randall returns without Philip, Alexandria tries to turn the couple against one another by engaging them in a ménage à trois.
On his way back to the house, Philip finds his way to Celeste's trailer park and discovers her dead body. Soon after, he is found by the town's Sheriff Brenner (Paul Gleason), who takes Philip back to the vacation house after hearing his story. They arrive at the house and sneak into it in an attempt to save Alexandria. Maggie, who has decided that she is no longer going to follow Randall, is accidentally shot by the sheriff, who is then killed by Randall. Randall then tries to chase after Alexandria, only for her to later turn the tables on him and shoot him. Finally safe, Philip and Alexandria embrace.
Cast
- David Naughton as Philip Marcus
- India Allen as Alexandria 'Alex' Marcus
- Gary Hudson as Randall Murphy
- Kathy Shower as Celeste
- Bubba Baker as Drunk
- Robert Z'Dar as Officer Grady
- Paul Gleason as Sheriff Brenner
- Michelle Moffett as Maggie
- Anna Karin as Inga
- Wendy MacDonald as Abby
- Warren Sweeney as Gas Mart Clerk
- David Wells as Salesman
- Ric Stoneback as Bartender
- Faith Jones as Prison Clerk
- Jay Polan as Dean
- Carrie Chambers as Waitress
Reception
TV Guide panned the film for its lack of plot and wrote "Director Jag Mundhra made one of the better direct-to-video sex thrillers, NIGHT EYES, in 1990, but never learned the lesson that a good script is the best aphrodisiac."[2] Allmovie also rated the film poorly and gave it one star.[3]
References
- ↑ Williams, Linda Ruth (2005). The Erotic Thriller in Contemporary Cinema. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 314–315, 321. ISBN 0748611487. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "Wild Cactus (review)". TV Guide. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ "Wild Cactus (1992)". Allmovie. Retrieved 6 June 2015.