A Disappointing Continuation

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

I have a good feeling that most (if not all) the few people who saw this movie during its brief theatrical release felt ripped off. Despite having the title "Sweet Revenge", and involving a female car thief, there is almost nothing that could be labelled exploitation. The title refers to a character's car with that name instead of a character's ambition. Also, there is no sex, just two (brief) scenes of nudity, and the only action there is turns out to be a car chase that lasts only forty or so seconds. As it turns out, the movie is more of a character study than having a B movie spirit. Despite being disappointed that the movie wasn't typical drive-in fodder, I was open to the movie being a serious drama... as long as it was good. Unfortunately, that is not the case. It's a real slow-moving story, for one thing, and the constant spinning of its wheels eventually grows tiresome and had me wishing that the characters would just get on with it. Also, the central character played by Stockard Channing is neither sympathetic nor an interesting flawed character. It's hard to figure out what's going on in this character's head. In the end, the movie's only seeming worth is to answer why Hollywood movie studio Metro Goldwyn Mayer was having a real tough time connecting with audiences in the 1970s. Though the question as to why someone thought that Stockard Channing doing a nude scene was a good idea remains unanswered.

A young woman with a long rap sheet who steals cars for a living is befriended by a public defender who tries to steer her straight. But her goal is to steal and subsequently sell enough cars (sometimes the same car more than once) to buy a new Ferrari.Just like everyone else, I had never heard of this film until it was shown on Turner Classic Movies. And I can understand why it faded away. There is little that stands out about it, and the two stars are not anywhere near A-list (with all due respect). So it makes sense that this would be buried.But it is not a bad movie by any means, and a fun film. Since it was apparently made by MGM, I would suspect the rights to distribute it are fairly cheap right now (2017) and it might be the kind of title that a specialty Blu-ray label would pick up.

Haven't seen Sweet Revenge since the early 80s. I remember finding it very entertaining, and was really drawn into the two lead characters: The thief and the investigator. Perhaps the premise is thin, all the effort just for a car, but surely many people have obsessions with cars. I know people who seem to love their car more than their spouse.Stockard Channing was amazing, as was Sam Waterston. I'd love to see it again.Sadly this movie is not available on VHS/DVD nor on cable. Any interest in reviving it for a discount renter have probably gotten thwarted by the fact there are 6 other movies by this exact name listed on IMDb, so just knowing which Sweet Revenge one is talking about is tough. The 1984 movie of the same name plays on cable all the time, but never this 1977 title. Like other movies from the slightly pre-VCR-boom era that I'd like to see again, including 'A Man, a Woman, and a Bank' and 'The Manitou' (which was bad/silly but worth a rewatch), it may not pass this way again.If you should actually come across it, it's worth checking out. (And then let me know where the heck you found it!)

Some film critics labeled this film a bomb. I feel, however, the only thing exploding with such rash comments are their lack of true experience in and with the real, down and dirty, world.Upon exiting the theater to find their cars stolen, do these critics even wonder about the innate nature of the person who has absconded with their vehicles.Stockard Channing enters the role and world of a dedicated car thief with such deft character acting, that many of the true criminal element were (reportedly) able to bond with her. And for that reason alone, the viewer has to watch this film with their focus solely limited to the character being depicted. Disregard everything else in the film with the notable exception of her motive, methods and single minded determination to achieve one single soul driving goal.Listening to Channing spew out the dialect of the seasoned criminal with such convincing force and believability, one might easily suspect she had at one time actually been such a person who lived in such an environment. Most definitely, one would never guess she had attended the socially acclaimed Radcliff College. If character acting is what acting is all about, then Ms. Channing is one hell of an actress.This highly underrated cinematic character study is well worth the renting for the true film buff.