Malibu Express
Short description
Cody Abilene is a private investigator who takes on a case involving espionage, murder and blackmail. Working alongside Contessa Luciana and police officer Beverly McAfee, he sets out to infiltrate a mansion and find out who has been passing computer secrets to the Russians. The investigation puts him in the middle of a tangled web of spies and high-society figures, among them Lady Lillian Chamberlain.
Andy Sidaris directed, wrote and produced the film, which followed his 1979 debut Seven and preceded Hard Ticket to Hawaii in the run of action films he made over the following years. Darby Hinton plays Cody, with Sybil Danning as Contessa Luciana, Art Metrano as Matthew, Shelley Taylor Morgan as Anita Chamberlain, Brett Baxter Clark as Shane and Niki Dantine as Lady Lillian Chamberlain. The production credits 44 cast members and 68 crew members.
Released in March 1985 and running 101 minutes, the film blends action, adventure, comedy, crime and mystery. Its reception has been modest: on IMDb it holds a rating of 4.7 from around 3,300 votes, and on TMDB it sits at 4.8 from a much smaller base of about 81 votes. The two audience scores are close to each other, indicating a similar response across both.
What's left behind the scenes
- Brothers Peter Paul and David Paul, well-known actors and bodybuilders, were supposed to play supporting roles in the film. However, on the very first day of filming, they failed to show up on set because they forgot when production began. The following day, director, screenwriter, and producer Andy Sidaris found other actors for these roles.
- The production of the film was financed by director, screenwriter, and producer Andy Sidaris together with Hugh Hefner, the founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine and creator of Playboy Enterprises. Once the film was completed, Sidaris learned that Hefner's subordinates had sold the movie to MGM and received a $10,000 advance. This infuriated Sidaris. He stated that he had not authorized such a deal, returned half of the advance to MGM, and reclaimed the rights to the film.
- Hugh Hefner did not like the film, in which girls run, sweat, and shoot. He asked director, screenwriter, and producer Andy Sidaris to add a bit of romance to the picture. However, Sidaris refused, stating that he makes action movies, not romantic films.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
