The Hot Spot (1990)

Synopsis: It’s the movie that catapulted a post-Miami Vice Don Johnson’s career into the A-list stratosphere! Well, not really.... but it is chock full of some awesome T&A. 

Blurb From the DVD Jacket: “Harry Madox (Don Johnson) is a handsome drifter who is not above larceny to make ends meet. After staging a daring daylight robbery at a local bank, he receives an alibi from an unexpected ally: Dolly Harshaw (Virginia Madsen), a sexy and mysterious local woman who has her own plans for him.” 

What Did I Learn?: Virginia Madsen and Jennifer Connolly both look amazing when topless. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You want to hear the song that was used (along with another song) to create a St Germain classic. 

Really?: 1) So, wait...  Dolly (Madsen) bumps off her husband and inherits his sizeable fortune, and her big ambition thereafter is to trap some sleazy drifter into a loveless relationship with her? Huh? 2) Hold on... Gloria (Connolly) makes it clear she never had a same-sex relationship with her now-dead friend, but Frank (William Sadler) has incriminating pictures of her comforting the other girl. What’s the big deal? And why couldn’t she simply leave town if people jumped to the wrong conclusion after seeing the photos? Toughing-it-out, or moving to Houston or Dallas seem like much better options than stealing from one’s employer to pay off a blackmailer. 

Rating: The Hot Spot is a little clichéd, and its plot doesn’t always make a lot of sense, but I’ve always liked the mood and atmosphere of this nearly-forgotten film noir. Johnson is the epitome of cool, Madsen and Connolly are incredibly sexy (albeit in completely different ways), and we’re even treated to some wonderful blues, including the haunting “Harry’s Philosophy,” by the great John Lee Hooker. Check it out if you get the chance. 8.5/10 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099797/?ref_=nv_sr_1