Play Murder for Me

Argentinian director Hector Olivera does not always aim his films directly toward a mass audience, as is the case here; however, combined funding from United States and Argentinian origins are decisive in his selection of subject and mood for this English-language effort, shot in Argentina and starring television performer Jack Wagner in his initial feature not made for T.V. For a production not given a theatrical release, Wagner plays Paul Slater, a tenor saxophone jazzman who has drifted into Buenos Aires where he is booked into a small night spot, coming to the attention there of an American mobster and "jazz fan" (William Burns) whose wife Tricia (Tracy Scoggins) is Paul's former lover, and soon the call of lust refuels their affair. Their amorous renascence is heightened when Fred is shot by a gangland rival, and his subsequent wheelchair confinement reduces his social graces to a level where he is physically abusive toward Tricia, and her plight and pleading are instrumental in convincing Paul that he should murder Fred, leading to expected complexities. Olivera's films are marked by tight construction and editing, but here overmuch cutting elides footage important for the storyline, resulting in logic and continuity flaws, yet, in spite of these weaknesses, the director, once noted primarily for exploitative movies, manages to create an interesting piece, distinguished by his customary dark and sardonic tone and creative camera and lighting skills.