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Kept

2001, Movie, R, 98 mins

Kept: Review

Though juicier than most sex-driven thrillers, this kinky suspense film is saddled with performers who save their energy for the boudoir scenes. Struggling architecture student Kyle Griffin (Christian Oliver) jumps at the chance for an internship at the prestigious firm of Lance Hirsh (Art Hindle) and Barbara Weldon (Michelle Von Flotow), a liberated couple who have designs on more than Kyle's drafting skill. Barbara beds Kyle and installs him in a cushy apartment, while Kyle ignores the warnings of his dorm buddy, Tony (Paul Michael Robinson), one of Barbara's discarded boy-toys. Callow Kyle should be listening: Lance habitually videotapes Barbara's lovemaking sessions, Barbara and Lance belong to a swingers' cult that extols the virtues of sexual asphyxiation, and one of Barbara's former stud-muffins gets himself choked to death. Detectives Liz Avery (Yvette Nipar) and Jack Moisier (Ice T) try to link the fun couple to this murder and several subsequent deaths, including the car-crash demise of another sex-cult member. But Kyle is besotted with Barbara and refuses to give testimony that might implicate her. He is, however, distrubed when he learns that he's been performing on camera. Meanwhile, both Tony and Lance's mousy assistant, Erin (Laura Rose), behave suspiciously around Kyle. As Avery and Moisier pursue false leads, Kyle's chances of getting his neck wrung increase with each passing tryst. Even thrillers that cover familiar territory can give viewers a buzz by veering off course; this deviant yarn won't leave anyone breathless, but it works adequately as a sexy detective tale. leave a comment --Robert Pardi