Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Snapdragon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 8, 2020

For better or worse, Pamela Anderson’s most famous “film” may well be that maybe, maybe not “unauthorized leaked” video of her with erstwhile husband Tommy Lee, but for those wanting to see Anderson at least attempting a “real” big screen career (albeit in the context of a direct to video release and without any hardcore content), 1993’s Snapdragon may be a suitable enough example. In 1993, Anderson had already graced the cover (and interior pages) of Playboy on more than one occasion, and she had become a semi-regular on television’s Home Improvement, and it’s obvious that Anderson was probably trying to broaden her acting horizons with this film, one that the front cover of this release brands as a “psycho sexual thriller”. The film begins with what appears to be a family of missionaries in some Asian territory, where a band of evil doers cuts into their tent one night with a large knife, and then proceeds to kill two parents, abducting a little girl. The little girl is imprinted with a snapdragon tattoo on her thigh and is obviously the victim of some sort of slavery ring. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the adult version of the girl is played by Pamela Anderson, though the screenplay by Gene Church and Terri Treas does try to serve up at least a couple of surprises in that regard.

While Snapdragon attempts to at least slightly disguise the identity of a ruthless female killer in some early scenes, it’s more or less obvious the murderer, who works as a prostitute and keeps a razor under her tongue to slit her victims’ throats with at the “moment of truth”, is Felicity (Pamela Anderson). The fact that Felicity has a noticeable snapdragon tattoo which is deliberately (and probably way too overtly) shown to the audience, alerts all but the most brain dead that this is the adult version of the terrified little girl seen in the film’s opening moments. All of that said, while the film’s plot mechanics revolve around this character, Felicity tends to be shunted off to the sidelines at various moments as the story details both the careers and personal relationships of two police investigators, a sergeant named Peckham (Chelsea Field, who arguably might have more appropriately been billed above Anderson in the credits) and her lover, a psychologist named David Hoogstraten (Steven Bauer).

Peckham is tasked with investigating some cases dealing with a number of dead men found in bedrooms, all with their throats slit and with black scarves laid over their eyes. Adding to the supposed intrigue is a glyph of a snapdragon left in the victims' blood on mirrors in the rooms. What could it all mean? Peckham wisely asks Hoogstraten to develop a profile for the prospective killer, and not so coincidentally when an amnesiac named Felicity piques the interest of Hoogstraten, the two divergent plot elements seem to be converging.

Now it probably goes without saying that a film that begins with the abduction of the child of missionaries who is then tattooed and subjected to human trafficking, ending up as a maybe, maybe not serial killer is not exactly going to be the paradigm of believable situations and/or behaviors, but rather surprisingly Anderson manages to pull off an at least relatively believable characterization, within the context of the movie's more patently ludicrous elements. Bauer doesn't quite fare so well, perhaps because he's tasked with portraying a character with some sexual "issues" of his own which get worked out, one way or the other, with the characters played by both Anderson and Field.

Snapdragon probably tips into near camp territory with a supposed twist ending which is actually at least hinted at in passing in one of the opening scenes (I won't divulge it here, other than to say pay attention to the scene right after the kidnapping and various POV shots). But it's here where the movie gives up any pretense of providing the "psychological" subtext that a supposed "psycho sexual thriller" might appropriately be thought of as wanting to offer. It's downright silly, and was perhaps fashioned to provide the opening for Snapdragon 2: The Reckoning, or somesuch sequel.

Snapdragon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Snapdragon is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Visual with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. While the palette here is often on the wan side, something exacerbated by some kind of washed out contrast, in outdoor scenes things pop relatively well, with decent suffusion and generally commendable detail levels. Some of the interior sequences can look considerably fuzzier at times, and there's a tendency for grain to look splotchy and even pixellated against frames filled with darker tones in particular (see a number of screenshots like 11, 14, 17, 18 and 19 for some examples, especially in the corners of the frame). A few establishing shots, notably a couple of the Los Angeles skyline, are a good deal grittier than the bulk of the presentation and I'm wondering if perhaps they were culled from stock footage. There are occasional pretty minor signs of age related wear and tear, but nothing I'd deem very distracting.

Snapdragon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Snapdragon features a good sounding LPCM 2.0 track. The film has some kind of funky cues in the scoring and those reverberate with some good force, especially in the midrange and lower end. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout without any problems, which may help to alleviate frustration for some if not for all that no optional English subtitles are included.

Snapdragon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Perhaps surprisingly for a release from MVD Visual's MVD Marquee Collection line of releases, there are no supplements on this disc, not even a trailer.

Snapdragon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Perhaps because of her "sex kitten" persona, especially after the Tommy Lee video went viral, Anderson probably understandably never really attempted to dig into deep, dramatic roles, instead choosing to highlight her funnier, less formal, side. She's actually reasonably effective in this film, which may be something of a minor miracle, given the more ridiculous aspects of the general setup and the somewhat florid screenplay. While this evidently did get some kind of theatrical exhibition in various worldwide markets, it was a straight to video release here, and it has a certain lo-fi ambience that may in fact make it even more appealing to a certain demographic. Video encounters some rough patches, but audio is fine, for those who are considering a purchase.