Not so Basic Instincts: Night Eyes II (1992)
Review by: Amanda By Night
Shannon Tweed was already a Playboy Playmate of the Year (1982) and had racked up an impressive list of acting credits as long as your arm when erotic thrillers came knocking on her door in the early 90s. And it was these films, including the sequel to the salacious flick Night Eyes that really put her on the map. She had already appeared in a handful of these types of movies before Night Eyes II, but there was just something so good about the pairing of her and Andrew Stevens. There was also something to the fact that she was a beautiful woman who did nudity and could actually act. Shannon definitely brought up the bar in any production she graced, making her a bit of a Claudia Jennings to the world of the erotic thriller.
Shannon is excellent as Marilyn, the lonely housewife to Hector (Richard Chaves), a South American wannabe politician. She bankrolls his career and he ignores her at every turn – Good going Hector. Trust me, it’s not like he’s going to be getting this hot of a lady all the time, you know. Unfortunately, being embroiled in the world of the South American government has its downfalls and Hector and Marilyn soon he finds themselves as marked targets ripe for assassination.
Enter Night Eyes Security.
Ernie from the original is now gone, replaced by Tim Russ, who is now Will’s (Andrew Stevens) partner. The two have great chemistry and come across as realistic friends. Will’s still dealing with the fiasco of a relationship he had with Roberts in the original, leaving him once-bitten-twice-shy, although Shannon is poised to change all that with her kooky and sexy ways. She ends up hiring Will on as a personal bodyguard when she realizes her husband doesn’t give two licks if she’s the one who winds up in front of a stray bullet. Together, Will and Marilyn will uncover a deadly plot and find an interesting (and way too graphic) use for berries! I’m not kidding.
The thriller part of Night Eyes II doesn’t really kick into gear until the end when Shannon becomes a target and Will has to protect her. The sex part doesn’t really factor in either until slightly before that. Still I found Night Eyes II to be a very entertaining film.
Credit has to go to Shannon who makes even mundane things like working out captivating. OK, she makes it awesome. She’s beautiful and talented and practically carries this film on her back. This time around though, the rest of the cast is great and not at all stale like they were in the original. The script itself is interesting and isn’t over done. Night Eyes II starts off with a bang too, featuring Will chasing down a sly safecracker. After that, the pacing remains consistent and stays pretty quick and fun throughout the film’s short running time. So it might not Mensa material, but it is something that attempts to entertain and manages to pull off that feat quite nicely.
