Going Blind With Sybil

They’re Playing With Fire (1984)

Directed By: Howard Avedis

Review Written By: Ken Knight
Mondo Film & Video Guide Feature Contributor
IMDb.com Link

“He wanted to make love to me…”

“That son-of-a-bitch…”

This film was yet another staple of late night Cable TV back in the mid-to-late 1980’s and fittingly so because of it’s sex scenes and gloriously-gratuitous nude scenes all involving the principal female lead “Diane” (played by the sultry Sybil Danning).

Film Critic Chuck O’Leary said of the film: “Danning’s bare assets are the only assets of this low-budget stinkathon” and RottenTomatoes.com hasn’t even graded it yet!

Let’s just say THEY’RE PLAYING WITH FIRE turns the premise of “young man gets laid by older woman” on it’s head because of the murderous consequences thereafter, with the sexy Professor’s husband wanting to eliminate his own mother and grandmother in order to secure an inheritance fortune early! When a set up becomes apparent and even the slow-witted College kid (piss-poor actor Eric Brown) realizes he may pay dearly for slipping his meat to the married Diane, all hell breaks loose so he nor Diane, really know who to trust. Actor Andrew Prine of TV’s “V” fame portrays Diane’s conniving husband rather convincingly and makes the audience hate his character all the way through, which of course is the mark of a good character-actor.

The first scenes of Sybil Danning in her skimpy bikini and sunglasses lets you know she’s not going to be wearing it for long and when she does finally seduce her goofy college student, her part is the only thing that makes the whole thing believable because Eric Brown acted like a retard the entire time Sybil was moving on him. Danning clearly gave it her all, the first sex scene being as vibrant as an X-rated one only without the graphic shots, really pouring her body into the action makes that one of the most memorable sex scenes of mid-80’s Erotic-thrillers.

Though little-promoted at a very low budget, THEY’RE PLAYING WITH FIRE played on themes popular at the time period as far as R-rated sex-themed films went. “Older woman seduces younger man” being the operative one in this one as well as previously popular sex comedies like PORKYS and THE LAST AMERICAN VIRGIN, though THEY’RE PLAYING WITH FIRE is no comedy, it’s “murder” subplot bringing a dark edge to the already dark climate of the film’s peripherals, and Sybil Danning’s own unique blend of sexual bravado mixed with steely-eyed danger makes this film worthy of it’s kind in my book. What red-blooded American man alive during the 1980’s who happened to catch this film on late night Cable TV wouldn’t want to have Sybil Danning walk into the room and make them an offer they couldn’t refuse?

That is what makes this film worth watching despite it’s other downfalls….sometimes it takes just one hell of a sexy and talented actress to launch a movie into space! Now available on DVD, I give THEYRE PLAYING WITH FIRE a single thumbs-up…because one thing about a sexy teacher, if you make a mistake, she makes you do it over( and over) again!

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