Bullet Points: Silk (1986)

Cirio H. Santiago, you magnificent bastard! How many times have you and your massive filmography bailed me out on those nights where I can’t decide what to watch!?! Probably more times than I care to admit, but the latest example is the subject of this edition of Bullet Points, as I look back at 1986’s Silk…

• Silky Smooth: The introduction of Jenny Sleighton (Cec Verrell, Hell Comes to Frogtown) reminded me a bit of Marion Cobretti’s introduction in Cobra. There’s a tense police stand off outside a building, inside are six armed thieves who at this point have failed miserably at absconding with the company’s payroll and their level of failure is about to increase… Jenny aka Silk rolls up, gets a quick rundown of what is going on from one of her fellow cops, then sneaks inside the building and starts neutralizing bad guys. The opening establishes that Silk is a bit of a maverick and like so many maverick cops before (and after) her… Silk gets results! Roll the opening credits.

• Smuggler’s Blues: Next up for Silk and some of her fellow members of the Honolulu P.D. is a drug bust that will serve as the catalyst for the events that will follow. One of the principals in this ill fated drug deal is a guy named Carnahan (David Light, Future Hunters). Carnahan is a part of a larger criminal organization, but had a little side hustle going with this drug deal. Carnahan’s superior, Austin (Peter Shilton, Equalizer 2000), was unaware that Carnahan was smuggling drugs in from Hong Kong… he had dispatched Austin to smuggle in Asian gangsters, that would then be given new identities in Hawaii through Austin’s organization. Now Austin fears if the cops are wise to Carnahan’s drug smuggling, it is only a matter of time before they find out about the gangster smuggling too. So Austin proactively has his right hand man call in some muscle to clean up the mess in the form of two soldiers of fortune Tyler and Vernon.
• Body Count: Thanks to Tyler and Vernon there is a rise in dead bodies in Honolulu, but fear not because Silk is on the case. Partnering up with Detective Yashi (Joe Mari Avellana, Bloodfist II), Silk obtains a list of names from Carnahan’s lady friend. The names of the recently deceased appear on the list, now the cops know who the next target is and that’s bad news for the two soldiers of fortune, especially for Vernon, who ends up dead thanks to Silk. But there is little time to celebrate taking out a murderer, Silk finds out that Vernon and Tyler both served with her fellow police officer/lover Tom Stevens (Bill McLaughlin, Naked Vengeance) in Vietnam… could Tom have something to do with what is going on!?!?

• From Bad to Worse: If her boyfriend being involved with murderers wasn’t bad enough, Silk finds herself taken captive by a desperate Austin, who at this point just wants to get the hell out of Honolulu. Austin vows not to return Silk unless he is given safe passage off the island. This gives Tom a chance to try to redeem himself and offer to be the hostage in Silk’s place… but this is Silk we are talking about, she doesn’t need a man to help her out! Cue a shootout between Austin’s henchmen and the cops and the movie wraps up with Silk packing some serious heat, running after Austin’s plane as it tries to take off… Austin doesn’t stand a chance!

Silk was an easy watch, but it could have been a MUST watch if there was just more Silk in it. Cec Verrell was without question the best thing about the movie, but it felt like the producers didn’t lean all the way into the female maverick cop angle. They started off strong with the opening sequence letting Silk shine and then the opening credits with the awesome Silk theme song, but then they have her paired up with Yashi for most of the movie and by the end she’s half maverick cop/half damsel in distress. Big mistake… no wonder Cec Verrell didn’t return for the 1989 sequel.

The worst thing about Silk was the villain… Austin may be the sorriest action movie villain with an English accent I have ever encountered. And his whole “witness protection for gangsters” operation is not exactly the most diabolical of activities… I was glad when Silk caused Austin’s plane to blow up at the end, but I should have been ecstatic after him being an evil asshole for the duration of the film… instead he came across as an overly cautious man, almost paranoid man, who was involved in some illegal activities.

There’s nothing illegal about these Bonus Bullet Points…

• If You Ever: …wanted to see a bunch of cops celebrate a successful drug bust with a pizza party, then Silk is the movie for you.
• Proper Hygiene: After Tyler and Vernon kill a guy in a men’s room, they are sure to wash their hands before exiting.
• Missed Opportunity: Aside from providing the list of names, Carnahan’s lady provides Silk and Yashi a description of the two killers, saying they appeared to be soldiers and both over 6 feet… and one of them was wearing sunglasses… AT NIGHT! Sadly this did not prompt the Corey Hart classic, “Sunglasses at Night”, to begin playing.
• Familiar Face: If you can’t get the real Jim Gaines in your movie shot in the Philippines, the next best thing is to call in Mike Monty. It feels like I just saw Monty last month in The Last American Soldier and that’s because I did. Monty plays Frampton, one of the participants in the ill fated drug deal at the start of the movie.
• If You Ever: …wanted to see a cop with a completely unbuttoned shirt interrogate a suspect, then Silk is the movie for you.
• Great Comeback: When Austin questions why Jenny Sleighton is called Silk, she responds with “Because I’m so fucking smooth.” Setting up that line is easily the best thing the Austin character brought to the movie.