First, as I usually do in situations like this, let me state that you do not need to have seen either of the first two films that preceded this one, in order to enjoy it. I think I might have seen THE ESCORT, which came out in 1997, but I don’t recall exactly. From what I can see, 1998’s THE ESCORT II (which I know I haven’t seen) was a direct sequel to the original. But this film, which came out in 1999, has no connection to the either film, even though it shares the same screenwriter, Sean O’Bannon, and therefore is a sequel in name only. Likely rushed together to capitalize on the success of the first two.

In further evidence of the rushed nature of this film, several sex scenes are actually taken from previous films and then inserted into this one, as if they’re new. This is a trick I’ve noticed in a few other softcore films over the years, where they take a bunch of old scenes and write a new story around them. When done well, it can actually work, without feeling cheap, even if you have seen some or all of the sex scenes before. It helps when they cast some of the actors from those previous films, to film new scenes to fit with the old ones, as this film does. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Directed by Jim Wynorski, this film stars Ross Hagen as a Homicide Detective nicknamed “Crank,” (a character he played 4 years earlier in Virtual Desire). This film begins with him being assigned to investigate the murder of a businesswoman named Julie (Jennifer Leigh Burton), who was shot to death in an underground parking lot one night. Det. Crank’s initial suspect is a businessman named Jim (Tim Abell), whom Julie was working with and sleeping with, and who has a reputation around town for being a bit of a sleazeball. Crank’s investigation leads to an Escort service run by a woman named Cassandra (Tane McClure), whom he finds out that Julie used to work for before Jim, who was a regular customer, got her a legitimate job. This and other evidence leads to Crank becoming even more convinced that Jim is guilty of Julie’s murder, but just as Crank is getting ready to arrest him, someone murders Jim! Now Detective Crank is investigating a double homicide, starting over with no suspects at all.

I won’t spoil any more of the plot, but I’ll just say that there’s several more twists before this film comes to an end. Considering the recycled nature of this film, this plot is actually quite clever. So I must give kudos to Sean O’Bannon for his writing. And, as noted, the re-used scenes generally fit into the story very well, which is credit to director Wynorski.

I’ll not that it’s not just most of the sex scenes which are re-used, several establishing shots are apparently from other films. I noticed that each time Detective Crank has to drive someone they would show a shot of some car driving down a street, and it would always be a different car. Crank, who narrates most of the film in voice-overs, always makes some off-hand remark about how he borrowed some car from the police motor-pool, to use. I guess it was cheaper to used already filmed outside shots of cars than to rent a new car to film the actor driving in.

There’s also a scene where Tim Abell and Wendy Schumacher (aka Alexander Keith) get into a bar fight, which I believe it taken from a film that starred in together called Fugitive Rage (which I haven’t seen).

Now, for the sex scenes. As far as new scenes filmed for this movie go, there is one between Tim Abell and Jennifer Leigh Burton, and one between Robert Donavan and Yvette McClendon. McClendon plays one of Cassandra’s escort’s, and Donavan plays an important client. There is also a scene with Samantha Phillips and Kim Sill, who play a couple of unnamed Vice cops, where they take a shower together. Julie Strain appears in the film as a dominatrix working at a fetish club, and she has a new scene where she’s in a topless leather outfit whipping a man.

From the movie OVER THE WIRE, they show a scene between Griffin Drew (who plays Vicky, another escort, in this film) and Keith Lewis, and a scene between Tim Abell and Landon Hall.

From MASSEUSE, they show a scene from Tim Abell and Griffin Drew.

From VIRTUAL DESIRE they show a scene between Julie Strain and Michael Meyer.

There’s also a musical montage for several minutes (don’t worry, it makes sense in context) in which parts of scenes from Virtual Desire and some other movie or movies that I didn’t recognize are flashed across the screen. Some of the scenes show sex, others just women stripping. But in the montage we see several softcore luminaries who don’t otherwise appear in this film, including Gabriella Hall and Lorissa McComas (RIP).

And there’s a scene with Tim Abell and Tane McClure which I’m pretty sure it taken from a movie (which I haven’t seen, so I could be wrong) that they starred in together called Sexual Roulette.

It’s a good collection of scenes, wrapped in a decent story, performed by a good cast. Frankly, I wish they’d made a string of erotic thrillers featuring Ross Hagen as Det. Crank, investigating murders with sexually charged motives. It would have been a natural way to tie several films together. Anyway, this film is good enough to get a Chacebook recommendation of FOUR STARS

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