Dangerous Passion

Carolco Pictures

Industry	Film production
Headquarters	United States
Products	Films

Dangerous Passion is a 1990 American crime thriller made specifically for television, featuring performances by Carl Weathers, Billy Dee Williams, and Lonette McKee. The film was directed by Michael Miller and produced under the banner of Carolco Pictures. It originally aired on ABC on March 25, 1990.

Plot

Kyle Western (Weathers), a security specialist, is employed by Lou Jordan (Williams), a gangster with a passion for collecting vintage automobiles. After Jordan kills an intruder, Western faces pressure to assume responsibility for the crime in return for a substantial payment, which he intends to invest in purchasing land in Napa Valley. When Jordan eliminates his own lawyer and Western learns that Jordan’s wife Meg (McKee) is expecting his child, the two decide to flee. Following Meg’s tragic stabbing at the hands of Jordan’s enforcer Frank Carmen, a waitress named Angela witnesses the event and becomes crucial in proving Western’s innocence. After Western kills Carmen, he confronts another henchman, Walt, who abducts Angela. The climax unfolds at Jordan’s warehouse where Western negotiates Angela’s freedom by exchanging Jordan’s valuable antique car and escapes just as the vehicle detonates.

Cast

• Carl Weathers as Kyle Western
• Billy Dee Williams as Lou Jordan
• Lonette McKee as Meg Jordan
• Michael Beach as Steve
• Charles Boswell as Frank Carmen
• L. Scott Caldwell as Ruby
• Elpidia Carrillo as Angela
• Leon Delaney as Rawlings
• Tony DiBenedetto as Walt
• Nancy Fish as Blake
• Rudy Ramos as Policeman
• Miguel Sandoval as Sergeant Hidalgo

Background

Following its initial broadcast in the United States in March 1990, the movie was subsequently released in the Philippines on June 4, 1991, and later premiered on video in Germany on October 23, 1991. To capitalize on the popularity of the 1988 action movie Action Jackson, which also starred Weathers, certain European territories marketed it under the title Action Jackson 2.

Home video formats such as VHS and Laserdisc were made available in the U.S. shortly after the television premiere. In 1991, Capital Home Video distributed a VHS edition in the United Kingdom. Lions Gate released a DVD version in the United States on December 16, 2003, accompanied by a Spanish-language Region 2 DVD.

Reception

Hal Erickson from Allmovie awarded the film two and a half stars, commenting that although the storyline followed predictable patterns, the inclusion of "state-of-the-art cars" enhanced its appeal. TV Guide gave it two out of four stars, commending the talented African-American ensemble and a well-crafted script that balanced character vulnerabilities with crime thriller elements. The review praised performances by Weathers, McKee, and Williams but noted that after McKee’s character is eliminated, the narrative shifts toward more conventional action sequences.