WILD ORCHID 2 (The Nina Siemaszko Classic) - Andy's Review

[AndyDursin]

Zalman King was a purveyor of “soft core” adult movies that were a little “high class” for Cinemax After Dark, and after collaborating with Adrian Lyne on the steamy “9½ Weeks,” King notched one of his biggest hits as a director with “Wild Orchid” – another feature starring a de-clothed Mickey Rourke. The film was successful enough to lead to a sequel that’s frankly not a sequel at all: WILD ORCHID 2: TWO SHADES OF BLUE (108 mins., 1991, R; Scorpion).

This in-name-only affair has nothing to do with its predecessor outside King’s involvement as well as some steamy-ish sex scenes, though the plot is a little lighter and, if anything, “sweeter” – relatively speaking. It’s at least a workable showcase for the attractive Nina Siemaszko, who plays a teen whose ill, trumpet-playing father (Tom Skerritt) dies, leaving her to fall in with madam Wendy Hughes and learn the art of prostitution at the latter’s brothel. Nina’s Blue, however, still craves a normal, high school life, which presents itself in the form of football playing Brent Fraser, who has no idea what the mysterious blonde in his class is really up to.

“Wild Orchid 2” naturally contains all the hallmarks of a typical King production, from softly-lit scenes of T&A to a plot line that traps its heroine in a labyrinth of pain and pleasure (but mostly pain) she has to escape from. Ultimately, Blue is able to overcome her predicament thanks to a father-figure that emerges in the form of Hughes’ strong man Robert Davi, displaying more of a sensitive side in a nice change of pace for the veteran character actor.

I’m not sure “Wild Orchid 2” satisfied King’s usual audience, since the story-heavy film takes 20 minutes to get going and ends with a character-heavy final third that nearly feels like an R-rated “Afterschool Special.” Only the mid-section, where Blue learns the “tricks of trade,” comes off like one of King’s usual productions – yet somehow this isn’t a bad thing, because there are moments when it feels like there’s a more heartfelt film that wants to break free from the “bad boy cinema” trappings this picture only halfheartedly is associated with. Credit Siemaszko for that, as she alone pretty much kept me invested in this silly, VHS-era romantic piffle.

Scorpion’s Blu-Ray (1.85, 2.0 DTS MA stereo) offers a capable MGM catalog master of the movie’s R rated cut; scenes from the unrated version are also contained here, culled from a tape, plus the trailer.