Snapdragon (1993) User Reviews

Mildly Titillating

[refinedsugar · 5/10 · 2 February 2000]

As far as T&A flicks go, I've seen worse than this. I know that's not much of a recommendation to go on, but who rightfully cares. Snapdragon stars Pamela Anderson pre-Baywatch as a women with psychological problems. Enter police psychologist (Bauer) who starts working with her trying to help her combat nightmares and such. Of course this means them eventually ending up in the sack together, but you could have probably seen that coming from a mile away without me telling you.

The movie features a lame plot twist or two and the ending is really absurd but Pamela Anderson looks good and that's what it comes down to in the end and probably why you'll wanna see this for in the first place.

A stagnant thriller

[gridoon · 4/10 · 23 January 2007]

Regardless of one's personal feelings about the notorious Ms. Pamela Anderson, it would be foolish IMO to deny that until about 1996 she was an incredibly beautiful woman. Her face was comparable to Brigitte Bardot's, and her body was (or at least looked) more natural and well-proportioned. She has a couple of fairly hot sex scenes in this movie, however they are cut pretty short. "Snapdragon" as a whole seems to have many elements of a solid B-movie (including a female serial killer and Oriental mythology), but the execution is off-target: the pacing is stagnant, there are too many dull stretches in the middle, and the payoff isn't much of a surprise. Others have compared this film to "Basic Instinct", but it reminded me more of Drew Barrymore's "Doppelganger"; unless you are a hardcore Pamela Anderson fan, check out that one instead. (*1/2)

Brought to you by the director of Power Rangers

[Boba_Fett1138 · 4/10 · 27 October 2009]

This movie is like a poor mans "Basic Instinct", that tries to be an erotic thriller but just doesn't ever quite works out well as one. "Basic Instinct" inspired a lot of movies like this during the early '90's but none ever reached the same level of brilliance.

For a thriller it just isn't a solidly enough written one. Its story is quite predictable really and it's build on some unlikely plot lines and developments. The movie therefore also never gets tense to watch and its soft erotic elements also don't exactly help to make the movie any more exciting, despite the presence of Pamela Anderson at her prime.

Pamela Anderson had only just got fame for her "Baywatch" role at time she was starring in this movie. It's a serious acting attempt from her, in a more serious role and movie but luckily she soon discovered for herself that she just wasn't made for this sort of stuff. Now days he is mostly appearing in cameo comedy roles. None of the actors really impress to within this movie, which is more likely due to the quality of the script and the capacity of the director as well, who is mostly responsible for directing lots of Power Ranger episodes and movies. Every now and then he tries a serious directing attempt but he has yet to succeed really.

The movie is mostly being a dull and dragging one, which is due to its predictable script for most part. Also the visual look of the movie makes it look more like a made for TV movie but this is something more '90's movies suffer from.

4/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Erotic but poorly directed

[Nylistic · 4/10 · 23 April 2021]

This movie tries hard to ride on the coattails of Basic Instinct, and it almost succeeds, but the incompetent direction keeps it from a fun level of B-movie goodness. For an erotic thriller, it actually gets the erotic part right but lacks the rest.

The young Pamela Anderson looks great and her scenes are worth it but everything else is very dull. The plot is dumb, the dialogue is bad, and it might have all been amusing if the acting wasn't so dry. It's filmed like a typical boring made-for-TV production from the era but at least the sex scenes are good.

Even with the subpar story, this could have been a fun and silly b-movie romp if there was more effort on display. As it stands, there's just not enough it does right.

Weak plot, weak director, weak thriller. But, who cares, right?

[Coventry · 3/10 · 16 May 2021]

Yours truly was a horny 14-year-old when he first watched "Snapdragon", and he only had one sole reason. To see Pamela Anderson's naked boobs! During that same period on television, she ran up and down beaches in a tight red swimsuit, but the breasts were never revealed, so of course I had to see this! I didn't really care about the plot or any other aspect of the film, in fact, I might even have fast-forwarded all the pointless footage in between Pam's topless sequences.

Almost 30 years and a revisit (without fast-forward) later, I can safely state that Pam's curvaceous body is still the only remotely worthwhile reason to watch "Snapdragon", especially because the past decades taught us that Mrs. Anderson never looked more beautiful than she did in 1993. As a stand-alone thriller, it's unbelievably weak. "Snapdragon" is a really lazy attempt to cash in on the tremendous success of "Basic Instinct", with almost identical elements like dangerously seductive blondes and even a very similar finale. Gorgeous blonde Felicity, suffering from amnesia and terrible nightmares, may or not be a fearsome serial killer who murders her male victims according to mythical Oriental rites. Steven Bauer is the helpless seduced man, and Chelsea Field (who keeps her bra on during sex; - utterly implausible) the strong and non-blonde female copper. There exist many legendary and notorious early 90s "Femme Fatale" thrillers, but this "Snapdragon" isn't one of them.

Skinomax late night crap.

[MoatesGarage · 18 October 2004]

Okay, I checked out this movie because quite honestly I like Pamela Anderson. I know she's no Oscar winning actress, but she's good looking as all get out. I read the reviews of this movie, and thought it couldn't be half bad. Well, it was pretty much all bad. To me it seemed like they saw Basic Instinct and said "Dude! We can do that!" Personally, I think Ms. Anderson would have been much better in Basic Instinct than Sharon Stone, but that's just me. This movie was crap. I wouldn't even thumb through the nude scenes of it if someone gave me a copy. It's just not that special. If you really want to see her without a shirt on, I would purchase the unrated edition of Barb Wire - that one doesn't completely suck. This one does. I give it one star only because you can't give it zero. Save that hour and a half of your life for something useful like arranging your sock drawer.

Paint by numbers thriller

[jfgibson73 · 5/10 · 20 February 2010]

I liked Snapdragon a little better than the average b-movie erotic thriller. People compare these direct-to-video or made-for-cable movies as being clones of "Basic Instint." If you really wanted to, you could go all the way back to Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity" and say that all of today's films from this genre owe him a debt.

You know going in that whoever the lead male in the movie is will be seduced by the mysterious femme fatale, and here we have Pamela Anderson cast as the alluring amnesia patient. Just like the Sharon Stone character looked like she might be murdering her partners, the question is whether or not Pam's character is slitting men's throats. There is a reference to some Chinese legend or something, along with images of the flowers known as snapdragons. The male cop who gets involved with Pamela during his investigation has a female partner who gets jealous, and goes back and forth from trying to protect him to wondering how far over the line he is going. Finally, at the end of the movie we get a twist, which I barely even remember. So that tells you how striking of a reveal that was.

Nothing about the story, the filming techniques, or the acting stood out, so I can really say why I rate this a little higher than the average film from this genre. I think maybe in hindsight it was refreshing to see Pamela Anderson when she was still young and full of potential, as opposed to the weathered cautionary tale she has become. The movie made me want to watch her in other movies. It wasn't exactly a star-making performance, but I think it suggests that maybe her career deserved better.

Intriguing plot falls flat.

[DJ FILMS · 4/10 · 4 April 2002]

I've always been a sucker for Femme Fatale films, and this could have been an extremely good one, but falls flat. Two of this B-grade thriller's biggest problems are it's complete lack of any suspenseful action and intrigue and it's pitiful budget. The performances aren't bad, but I hate how Pamela was undeniably exploited and underused in her role as a blonde beauty with amnesia. A few interesting themes are used to give the film a cheap feeling of mysticism, but definately nothing substantial.

a "sex slave" in chinatown

[didiermustntdie · 3/10 · 10 October 2010]

Pamela Anderson as a woman who was forced as a prostitute when she was a little girl, her parents were brutally kill by some kind of Chinese traditional mob(including fat Chinese women wearing traditional clothes). she was also forced with a "dragon" tattoo".of course she finally manages to escape and tells people her nightmare.now there are two Chinese clients dead. who killed them ? Anderson?? why all these not mentioned in plot summary?

it's a film about the so called white sex slavery. a routine thriller with some possibly political incorrect elements that you don't see in mainstream films. Chelsea Field looks way better, the untainted one....

Two reasons to watch this movie first Pamela Anderson and oh yes the sexy Chelsea Field.

[Brian-272 · 2/10 · 19 May 2001]

I was just going looking into my video library and in my collection I came upon this movie that I had taped years ago, I believe on the USA Network as part of the Up All Night Series. After just watching this again I realized the only thing to keep me up to watch this is Pamela Anderson this is one of her early movies. Chelsea Field also looks very sexy she has a few scenes that I enjoyed watching. That is the only reasons to watch this. The story to this is no good it seems no plot is present. Pamela Anderson is an amnesiac who is haunted by dreams of a murderous look-alike. In the movies end you get double your pleasure with Pamela I won't mention the scene watch for yourself if you haven't seen if you have seen already you know what I'm talking about. Steven Bauer and Chelsea Field are the two detectives who follow this case. Really only watch this for Pamela Anderson and Chelsea Field maybe become an amnesiac about the rest of the movie.

I can't believe I own a copy of this

[blackcircles · 6/10 · 12 May 2000]

This is easily the stupidest movie in my collection, but Pamela Anderson is at the peak of her seductive powers in this film. It's worth seeing for her, and also if you want to give the fast forward and rewind functions on your VCR a workout. I'm not exactly sure what the film is about, but I don't really care either. She will never be this sexy again.

snap white dragon?

[nworphan · 3/10 · 25 March 2019]

I never knew about this movie until i saw a trailer on youtube couple years ago! i eventually watched it bec the time we are in and i like to watch 90's movies since i grew up watching them a lot when i was young! but this one is very strange movie. so strange that i had to write a review

i don't know on what narcotic the creator of this movie was on but it's very strange movie with racial undertone towards china. is this suppose be a nightmare movie for whites? lol.

a white american orphan female child (pamela anderson) sold to chinese (hong kong maybe?) human traffickers!?!?! lol. you can't make this up. and years later she go back to her birth country to kill americans bec she is crazy and has psychical issue!?!? she was molested i guess when she was "sold" to these traffickers and thus the mental issue? but it turn out that there's 2 of them(twins). which i don't get that part since i thought she had personality disorder but as you can see in the movie that the "bad" twin who's doing the killings is getting killed! a 90's movie that is very anti white woman was for sure not visible then, not even b or c movies! this must be the first one. this is very psycho movie so does it matter? or is it subliminal?

for younger people who don't know, pamela anderson was a sex symbol in 90's when she was on very popular tv sitcom baywatch so i don't even understand why pamela took this role? and the director choose her for this role? lol. pamela was a sex symbol a la the 90's marilyn monroe.

only good part: they actually show pamela breasts!

Steam up your Glasses, Pammies Best Movie

[filmbuff1970 · 12 September 2006]

To be honest i was not expecting much from this movie.

However, This is a first rate adult thriller, that makes Basic Instinct look tame in comparison. Pamela Anderson has never looked as hot as this. OK so her acting is a bit poor. Well it was her first movie.

But who cares when you can feast your eyes on such a beautiful actress in all her glory. She features in many nude scenes during the running time, it truly steamed up my glasses. The storyline is first rate and the supporting cast are excellent. Chelsea Field and Steven Bauer work up the tension to a memorable climax. A Fantastic Erotic Thriller. 10 out of 10

Snapdragon

[BandSAboutMovies · 3/10 · 30 November 2023]

Two men have been murdered after hiring an unknown prostitute. Sergeant Peckham (Chelsea Field) and her boyfriend, police psychologist David Stratton (Steven Bauer) are assigned to the case. They believe that it might be Felicity (Pamela Anderson), an amnesiac woman who has a dream where she kills men.

Pamela Anderson's first movie was directed by Worth Keeter, who got his start making movies like Wolfman, Unmasking the Idol and Tales of the Third Dimension In 3D for Earl Owensby Studios before eventually making TV shows like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Beetleborgs. It was written by Gene Church and Terri Treas, who was Kelly Cobb in House 4.

Matt McCoy, who became the focus of the Police Academy series after Steve Guttenberg left, is also in this.

If you like Pamela Anderson, you can't go wrong with this

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 2 January 2014]

Despite its two top billed actors being Steven Bauer and Chelsea Field, when Snapdragon was released back in the early 90's it was clearly being promoted as a Pamela Anderson vehicle. Pretty unsurprisingly because this film captures a young Pammy at an early stage in her career and she looks absolutely delicious it has to be said. The film is an erotic psychological thriller, a sub-genre that was particularly popular in the early 90's. It concerns a series of murders that appear to involve a female killer who dispatches with men during sex at the point of orgasm. Meanwhile, a police psychologist becomes involved with a young amnesiac woman who suffers recurring dreams of murder.

As a thriller this one is definitely lacking in the suspense area. The murder scenes are all pretty steamy and well shot but there is no build up to speak of and the subsequent investigation doesn't really generate much in the way of thrills or intrigue. It's unfortunate that the film is lacklustre in these areas but it definitely is serviceable enough and the plot-line never gets boring. But where this one definitely scores is from an erotic point-of-view, where it is a noticeable success. I, personally, am a big fan of femme fatales and pneumatically buxom women, while I do find Anderson extremely attractive so it's perhaps no surprise that I got a kick out of Snapdragon. There were a series of scenes sprinkled throughout featuring a naked Pamela in action, they were very sexy and did not disappoint. I don't think that you can ask for too much more from a Pamela Anderson vehicle to be perfectly honest. For what it's worth the best acting performance came from Chelsea Field, who is also kind of cute as well.

a beautiful but deadly flower (vhs)

[leplatypus · 7/10 · 6 April 2017]

Actually, if this movie had a theatrical release, it would have been too much because there is really little inside! But for TV, it's OK: Orient has always this supernatural appeal and the story plays well the card… Pam doesn't deliver a groundbreaking play but she is rather cute in this fragile woman. The pace and action of the movie is a bit slow and the hot scenes comes in to wake up. But it's above all the musical score that is particularly well done. Sadly i see that the composer died young. At the end, not the worst of Pam movies, a bit like Temptress and i wish IMDb forum would be still here to know if it's not the evil twin who survives ???

Silly Nonsense!

[guil12 · 11 November 2001]

Such a silly plot, written by Gene Church and Terri Treas, of a badly acted movie, directed by Worth Keeter, and starring Steven Bauer [who whines and cries throughout], Chelsea Field [a tough cop partner who is always giving attitude] and the lovely Pamela Anderson [in one of her earlier flicks]as the romantic trio in this trite easy to figure out who-done-it psycho drama. Bauer [David] falls under the spell of Anderson [Felicity] while investigating a case of murder with his partner Field [Peckham]. All three do nothing in the acting field to overwhelm you. But you'll love the nudie scenes with Anderson, proving her, shall we say, special endowments. Other than that, don't waste your time.

Excited innocence

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 19 August 2020]

Pamela Anderson - how sweet, innocent and pure does she look in this one? Yes and hot and sexy too of course. But daymn her naive playfulness ... well let's not get ahead of ourselves. This came after Basic Instinct, which I have to rewatch and you would not be wrong for at least marginally comparing those two. But there is an added touch to this - no pun intended.

There's a lot of nudity (thrillers of the 90s ey?), but also a lot of madness. I had forgotten about the story, though sometime after half the movie was over I kinda remembered. I think I liked the twist back then, not sure how apparent it is to most or if they even care. And while Steven Bauer has been such a highlight in movies like Scarface and you might feel sorry for him .. don't! He got to play with Pam, so no, I refuse to feel sorry for him getting paid to do this. Apart from that (because after all it's play pretend as we know) this movie is ludicrous to say the least. The intentions are fine and I guess there are some grey areas, even if they're not as clear as they could be. Acting is stiff at times (sorry for the pun) and you'll either totally get Bauers character (smitten he is) or think he's a tool ... maybe both are true. The ending is also quite ... well I don't even know what to say. But Pamela ... (oh and Chelsea Fields is in this too, although she sort of plays second fiddle ... again with the innuendos)

I Hate David

[bemyfriend-40184 · 6/10 · 4 May 2021]

I hate David. If his only function is to make the girls look smarter, tougher, braver, and just plain better than the men; then he played his part well. What a bumbling, ineffective, worthless goof! And the police work. The woman detective just picks one of the twins to shoot. Just picks one. She even says it doesn't matter which. And the other they let go. Great police work. So they just let one go. Guess which one? Seen on Tubi, the free streaming site.

Nicely done and with a twist

[llsmith-87182 · 7/10 · 26 December 2020]

A little klunky in the directing but a good story. Pamela Anerson is stunning and underacts marvelously. Chelsea Field is miscast but manages her part well.