Movie

Betrayal (2003)

Director Mark L. Lester’s contribution to female villainy is outstanding. Two movies and their respective antagonists make the legendary tier. As a bonus, the third film gets an honourable mention. For plot, the three movies are totally generic, but the female villains don’t disappoint and all have at least one great kill scene. Betrayal is also known as Lady Jayne Killer, a much better title. When you have a fantastic villainess, why not make her your selling point?

Jayne is a mob hitwoman who doesn’t believe in loose ends. This becomes clear early on when she kills an undercover FBI agent and a mafia man because he betrayed her boss. Jayne’s calling card is to stuff luxury women’s underwear into her victims’ mouths. A unique MO, but contract killing pays well, and given her kill count, she can afford the expense.

Other characters are nowhere near as interesting. A generic mob boss, a corrupt police officer (there has to be one), a bland undercover agent, and a single mother and teenage son who get caught up in things. The kid Kerry (Jer Adrianne Lelliott) deals cocaine to help his mother Emily (Erika Eleniak) pay her bills. A bad idea, since a rival gang steals the drugs and their house gets shot up in retaliation.

This is an excuse for Emily and Kerry to go on a road trip. Unfortunately, they offer a certain female assassin in a leopard-skin top a ride, not knowing she has stolen a suitcase of mob money. Jayne has dropped two more bodies by this point. The first is another signature kill: a naked man tied up in a hotel room, gagged with panties, and shot in the head with a silenced pistol. The second murder is far less elaborate, where she stabs a thug to evade capture at a train station.

With the mafia in pursuit, things are sure to get hot again, though there’s a lengthy “cooling off” period with little action. This makes the middle third of the movie a chore to sit through. The ending is a lot livelier, even if Emily turns into an unlikely heroine who can best a trained killer in combat.

Villainess

Jayne Ferré (Julie du Page)

The deceptive villainess claims to be an actress, but that falls apart under Kerry’s questioning. So Jayne tells the truth – she’s a hitwoman with over twenty kills – while making it sound implausible. Emily and her son laugh this off, but when Jayne confronts another motorist and smashes his side window with her bare hand, it really should be obvious this woman is psycho. There’s also a trucker she threatens to ramp up the tension while we’re waiting for the mafia’s arrival.

When the hitwoman isn’t scaring people, she practices seduction on Kerry. At a diner, Jayne speaks openly about fondling breasts while Emily has stepped away. The mother returns in time to stop the conversation and save Kerry’s blushes. That doesn’t stop him fantasising about sex with the beautiful assassin in a shower, but he’s brought back to the real world when he discovers the money in Jayne’s motel room.

Realising he’s in danger yet has the answer to Emily’s financial problems, Kerry makes off with the briefcase. Jayne is really ticked off and drops the innocent traveller act. Emily barely has time to react to the assassin holding her at gunpoint before the mafia show up at the motel. In the shootout, Jayne easily outsmarts her opponents, playing dead to gain the advantage and using cover effectively. One guy takes Emily as a human shield, but she escapes, leaving Jayne a free kill shot.

The villainess abducts Emily (she’s used to it by now) and uses her as leverage to recover the stolen money. Emily grabs the wheel of Jayne’s car and escapes, helped by the fact that she’s too valuable to kill. This doesn’t bother the hitwoman. Jayne simply gloats about murdering Kerry now that she knows where he and Emily live.

Kerry hides the case in the laundry room and calls the authorities. Naturally, the man he speaks to is the corrupt cop on the mob boss’ payroll. Meanwhile, Emily is picked up by Jayne’s contact. Putting aside all the coincidences, it’s time all the key players met. The detective and mafia head visit Kerry’s house, but he sees through their lies. Soon after that, Jayne arrives and finishes the men easily. Being a major character in this film just means you last longer than usual.

It’s Kerry’s turn to be the bargaining chip, and Jayne demands Emily bring her the money for her son’s life. Pity the assassin didn’t search the house, eh? The final showdown is a letdown, though better than White Rush (below). Emily – with the mystery man at gunpoint – brings the briefcase to a secluded industrial site. Here, the guy reveals he really is an undercover FBI agent, then throws the money in Jayne’s face and pulls a gun.

There’s a somewhat chaotic scuffle where everyone teams up on the assassin. This leads into a catfight where Emily proves resilient and breaks free of a chokehold with a headbutt. Then she shoots Jayne, who falls back onto a convenient sharp piece of metal.

Honourable Mention: Criminal Hitwomen

White Rush (2003) – Solange (Sandra Vidal)

A movie directed by Mark L. Lester, released in 2003, that features a sexy hitwoman as the antagonist. Plus Tom Wright as a detective and Louis Mandylor as a bad guy. There must be a script template for B-grade action films, because White Rush is very similar to Betrayal. Sadly, the assassin lacks Jayne’s style. While she has her moments – notably a brilliant seduction kill in a hot tub – the ending is mediocre.

A group of friends out camping stumble across a drug deal gone bad. That’s when they get greedy and decide to make money selling narcotics. The leader is a corrupt cop who lives the high life, threatens people, and does side deals with criminal gangs. Everybody except the sensible Eva (Tricia Helfer of Battlestar Galactica fame) goes along with the dangerous scheme. Smart move on her part, as the Cartel boss sends in the beautiful and deadly Solange, who is a sicario (an example-setter).

Most of what follows is tired, and the victims’ stupidity and selfishness will have the audience rooting for Solange. To prove how sadistic she is, the assassin kills a minor character even after he helps her. The first main kill is the best, with Solange using her feminine attributes to get close to a guy, lure him to a secluded location, and slit his throat. This outstanding sequence gives new meaning to the word bloodbath, but the standard drops afterward.

Cue panic among the drug dealer wannabes as the lethal assassin thins their ranks. She threatens an undercover cop, who’s smart enough to bargain for his life. The next victim is a woman who surprises Solange with a knockdown, but stupidly traps herself in a room. Walls don’t stop bullets, love. This all leads to a showdown at a refinery, where Solange arms herself with a sniper rifle. However, the expected shootout never materialises, and the hitwoman is defeated all too easily.