Roy Scheider plays Mike Seaver, a Texas police detective (and former ballplayer) who picks up the trail of a serial killer in this very pedestrian thriller. The hook here is that the killers' attacks are tied in to night games at the Houston Astrodome. Roy's impending marriage to the much younger Roxy (Karen Young) forms a subplot, as does Roy's vendetta against a fellow detective, Broussard (Paul Gleason) whom he believes to be corrupt.A rock solid cast does the best that it can with this routine script by Spencer Eastman and Anthony Palmer. (Palmer also plays the supporting role of Mendoza.) Peter Masterson is a good director, and the movie isn't incompetently made, but it's of no real distinction. It's pretty predictable, although it might hold the attention of some viewers because of its brutal murders, location filming, and fine performances. It's gorgeously shot by Fred Murphy, and the score by Pino Donaggio is okay but it's definitely not as memorable as the scores he composed for features such as "Carrie", "Piranha", "Dressed to Kill", and "The Howling". Pacing is mostly decent, but the movie is just not that exciting, even in its final act when Seaver realizes who the killer is and races to prevent them from committing another murder.Scheider is fine as always in the lead, even not having that much to work with. Young is radiant and appealing as his love interest. Gleason is amusing in one of his typical jerk roles, and Richard Bradford glowers and rants adequately as Scheiders' commanding officer. Lane Smith is rather wasted as a government man named Witty. Carlin Glynn (Mastersons' wife) plays Scheiders' domineering future mother-in-law; Rex Linn of 'CSI: Miami' makes one of his earliest feature film appearances.This is watchable enough but completely forgettable once it's over.Five out of 10.

There is no real plot to this slice of Eighties cheese.Man with a hook, goes around after a baseball game and points at girls really hard, forcing their necks to open up and for them to fall over.Roy plays a rugged cop, who shouts at people and wears cool shades. You know he is trouble because of the way he has a swagger at dead people photographs, and argues with Dwayne from Die Hard.There are random sub-plots involving Schieders fiancée and her mother (whom he both dated) and something to do with the bloke from the new adventures of superman.It should be awful, it really should, but thanks to the unnecessary sexy soundtrack, and the fact that Schieder busts a move, it's watchable only for the fact that it's so funny and predictable.In some ways it reminded me of The Hero And The Terror, and the fact that the killers victims decide to stand there and scream, rather than run, or in the funniest scene, leave a nightclub full of people where it is safe, when you are being followed by a man with a hook hand, who looks really unstable.Schider is watchable as ever, and saves the film from its averageness.It's not for everyones taste, and i'm sure i'll never watch it again, but it was okay for a late eighties thriller.

I wondered if anyone could come along in the '80s and be more verbally blasphemous than Brian Dennehy. He seemed to be the "Babe Ruth" of using the Lord's name in vain. However, in this movie, Richard Bradford stepped up to the plate and becomes Barry Bonds! Bradford must have set the record for the most usages of the Lord's name in vain by a policeman in a Hollywood film, as well as being in the Top Ten for any role at any time. He was so ridiculous that I watched this with a TV Guardian the second time and four of his profane tirades skipped by the machine in less than seven minutes. Most of what he said, sentence after sentence, had to be edited. What a classy guy! Too bad, because I enjoy films with sports angles, particularly baseball. It wasn't just Bradford's mouth, however, that turned me off. This entire film had Class B dialog throughout it, along with sub-par directing.One reviewer here might have said it better than anyone with the comment, "If you liked I Know What You Did Last Summer, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and Candyman, go ahead and rent this from your local video store."Well, that's some testimony. I didn't like those pieces of crap, either, and so this aptly belongs with them.Who needs rain?? This "night game" should have been called in bottom of the first inning on the count of incompetence.

This is a classic, in which a serial killer preys on young women, in which they are connected to home games played by the Houston Astros. The story might be mediocre, but fits the detective/murder mystery/serial killer genre. If you liked I Know What You Did Last Summer, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and Candyman, go ahead and rent this from your local video store.