BODY BLOW is a queer noir filled with lust. and danger and a dash of camp. It's uneven mix that works on it's own terms.
The story has a gay cop, who is uncomfortable with being gay, going undercover, in the queer community where he immediantly finds himself taken with a cute young guy. He also finds himself compromised and spiraling deeper and deeper into trouble.
First an admission, I am the wrong audience for this film. Five minutes into the movie I was completely aware that this was made for a gay audience and since I am not gay, this film was not made with me in mind. There is nothing wrong with that, only a statement that the film was playing to a particular audience which I am not part of.
If you can forgive the camp edge and the heightened sense of everything, BODY BLOW is a very good modern noir. The film hits every cliche you would expect, frequently flipping the tropes into queer or interesting ways. There is a real sense of doom to the proceedings and one watches this waiting to see how bad this was going to get - and it goes as bad as it can get.
The promotional material talks about the film reinventing the genre, which I don't think is true, I've seen other openly queer noir films, and lots more not so open, so I don't think this is reinventing the wheel. However I do like that the film exists and kicking the door open so that we can get som interesting turns from a classic genre.
Recommended.
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