Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Heatwave

It's a shame that "Heatwave" is not better known, because it is quite possibly the film where Erika Eleniak makes the transition from busty sex symbol to legitimate actress. Playing a cop whose anxiousness to prove her worth leads her to a traumatic experience, Eleniak disappears into the character almost completely. The same goes for the rest of the cast - they may not be very well-known, but they fit their characters. Written and directed in a very tight, economic (and admittedly "TV-ish", with lots of close-ups) style, the film is sometimes exciting (especially in a foot chase in the middle) and sometimes hard to watch (intentionally, due to the nature of the story). The only part of which the significance I still haven't completely figured out is a secondary murder/bigamy case that the detectives are investigating. Maybe it was just added to give more of a "documentary on the daily cop life" feel to the production. *** out of 4.