Vice Squad (1982 film)

Vice Squad

Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	1982
Founder	Gary A. Sherman (director)
Headquarters	Los Angeles , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Season Hubley, Gary Swanson, Wings Hauser, Joe Renzetti, Keith Rubinstein
Products	Crime thriller film

Vice Squad is a 1982 American crime thriller within the exploitation genre, directed by Gary A. Sherman and featuring performances by Season Hubley, Gary Swanson, and Wings Hauser. The storyline follows Princess, a former Los Angeles businesswoman who turns to prostitution and is recruited by the LAPD to assist in apprehending the ruthless pimp Ramrod. The soundtrack includes original compositions by Joe Renzetti and Keith Rubinstein, with Wings Hauser contributing the theme track "Neon Slime."

Plot

Princess, once a struggling entrepreneur in Los Angeles, now works as a prostitute to provide for herself and her daughter Lisa. After receiving a distress call from her friend Ginger, who is on the run from her violent pimp Ramrod, Princess discovers that Ginger has been savagely assaulted and subsequently dies in the hospital. Vice squad sergeant Tom Walsh offers Princess clemency on her outstanding cocaine charges if she cooperates in capturing Ramrod.

Princess uses a wiretap to lure Ramrod into a nightclub trap where police arrest him; however, he soon escapes by overpowering officers and stealing a car. Armed with a firearm, Ramrod chases Princess throughout Los Angeles as the vice squad intensifies their pursuit.

During this time, Princess interacts with various clients and associates while Ramrod tortures people connected to her in an attempt to locate her. Ultimately, Ramrod abducts Princess and takes her to an abandoned warehouse. The police arrive amid his assault on Princess; following a gunfight, Tom kills Ramrod.

The film concludes with Tom injured but triumphant, as Princess reflects that the city's streets will remain unchanged while dawn rises over Los Angeles.

Production

Initially conceived by producer Brian Frankish and unit production manager James Robert Dyer as a television documentary exploring Hollywood prostitution through interviews with pimps and sex workers aided by the LAPD Vice Squad, the project shifted toward a dramatic feature due to broadcast censorship constraints and the story’s narrative potential. Executive producers Sandy Howard, Kenneth Peters, and later Robert Vincent O'Neil contributed to developing the screenplay. Executive producer Robert Rehme from Avco Embassy Pictures recommended Gary A. Sherman as director. To prepare for her role, Season Hubley spent ten weeks immersing herself with actual prostitutes in Los Angeles. The production also collaborated with the LAPD on a companion "making of" documentary featuring interviews with law enforcement officers and sex workers.

Box office

Opening in 510 theaters across the United States, the film earned $5.2 million domestically and amassed $13.25 million worldwide.

Critical response

Stephen Hunter of The Baltimore Sun remarked that the film’s compressed timeline resulted in an "inconsistent structure" and organizational difficulties but commended Sherman's energetic direction despite some uneven acting.

Home media

Vice Squad was released on DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment in 2006. A collector’s edition Blu-ray was later issued by Scream Factory on August 13, 2019.