Review: Who’s the real victim? Who cares?

A low-budget, no-excitement thriller, “The Victim” was written and directed by Michael Biehn, who also stars as a loner whose chance encounter with a frantic stripper leads to all sorts of mayhem.

Annie (Jennifer Blanc) turns up at the cabin where Biehn’s Kyle lives with a tale of a woodsy tryst with dirty cops, a friend (Danielle Harris) murdered and herself the next target. He springs into action as a wild-eyed protector, leading to some premium-cable-ish sexy time with Annie. It seems she has the emotional fortitude to set aside her fear of death to purr seductively over her savior’s well-preserved bod. (Blanc happens to be Biehn’s wife.)

Marital consummation exhibition fetishes aside, “The Victim” is flatly face value about its boobs-and-blood exploitation bent, and cringeworthy in its acting — it’s a tossup whether Biehn’s shouty line readings or Blanc’s facial expressions are more comical.

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“The Victim.” MPAA rating: R for strong violent and sexual content, language and some drug use. Running time: 1 hour, 23 minutes. At the New Beverly Cinema, Los Angeles.