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Released by: Umbrella Entertainment
Released on: January 2nd, 2019.
Director: Terry Bourke
Cast: Peter Thompson, Edgar Metcalfe, Alan Cassell, Phil Cleary, Cheryl Rixon, Norman Yemm
Year: 1975
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Plugg - Movie Review:
Directed by Terry Bourke, the same man who helmed Inn Of The Damned and Lady Stay Dead, 1975's Plugg, which opens with some animated opening credits just like the Pink Panther movies that likely inspired it, follows the exploits of a private detective named Horatio Plugg (Peter Thompson). Some opening narration gets us up to speed on this character as we learn of his latest case, wherein he's to compile a dossier on the Pussycat Escort Agency at the behest of Mayor Claude Marshall-Enright (Edgar Metcalfe). The hopes, on the part of the mayor at least, is that Plugg will get him the information he needs to have the place shut down - but Plugg, well, he seems more interested in following around a curvaceous blonde woman than doing any real detective work.
The owner of the agency, an avid golfer named Herman Cavanagh (Alan Cassell), is obviously hoping not to be shutdown. As Plugg goes about his business, which seems to involve appearing in a room anytime a woman is about to undress, he's followed by a bumbling cop named Inspector Closer (Norman Yemm) and his sidekick Constable Hector (Reg Gorman). When Plugg figures a farmer named Big Mick Hendlebreyer (Phil Cleary) is going to pay his way into the pants of agency girl Kelli Kelly (Cheryl Rixon) he figures he's going to get the proof he needs to close the case. It all leads up to some bizarre nude aerobics and Plugg hauled into court!
"The Wildest... Sexiest... Funniest Australian Film Ever Made!"
Peter Thompson, who played the mayor in Mad Dog Morgan, is an odd choice to play the lead in this one. He doesn't have much charisma at all and he isn't much to look at. Perhaps the producers thought casting a hairy, chubby, out of shape guy in the part would make the movie appeal to the unwashed masses? Either way, he's goofy. He isn't really very good in the part but he's so strangely miscast that you can't help but want to know how his plight will resolve. He, Norman Yemm and Reg Gorman do the whole 'bumbling fools' thing reasonably well but the main draw here, for the most part, is the presence of the lovely Cheryl Rixon, the 'Pet Of The Month' in the December, 1977 issue of Penthouse. She makes her film debut with this picture before appearing in a few other films including Robert Zemeckis' Used Cars. She makes quite an impression here.
The movie is well-paced and loaded with a lot of double-entendres and innuendo to complement a whole lot of completely gratuitous nudity. It isn't a particularly complex film nor does it have any lofty artistic ambitions but as far as dumb exploitation comedies go, it's entertaining enough.
Plugg - DVD Review:
The screen caps below do not lie - Plugg does not look good on this region free DVD at all. The 1.33 fullframe transfer is clearly taken from a tape source, likely all that was available, so set your expectations accordingly. The image is soft and fuzzy, colors are faded and yeah, it looks like an old tape.
The English language Dolby Digital Mono track on this disc was also taken from a tape source. Dialogue is usually reasonably clean but there are spots that sound muffled and a bit 'lost.' The levels are fine. There are no alternate language or subtitles provided.
There are no menus here, but if you let the movie play all the way through a theatrical trailer for Plugg plays afterwards.
Plugg - The Final Word:
Plugg might be a raunchy Australian take on the Pink Panther movies but it's entertaining in the way that trashy seventies T&A comedies can be. The presentation on this DVD is pretty rough, but as of right now this is the only way to see it.
