A classic neo-noir from the 90’s. Recommended.
A little too long and a little convoluted, but a well-done thriller nonetheless.
My God, this has got to be the most seedy film noir ever made, not because of the subject matter or that there are a couple titillating scenes, but just the general vibe of the film has a tawdry underbelly, filled with despicable characters, doing terrible things endlessly, that it's hard to get behind anyone here. I mean jeez, even when I was a hormonal teenager I felt like I needed a shower after watching this. Still, it's an interesting melodrama filled with more twists than a Shyamalan movie.
A C-class movie, a weak story that cover its gaps with "scenes". It's a pity for Bill, because he's the only one standing out there.
Entirely driven by the sex appeal of late 90s Matt Dillon, Denise Richards and Neve Campbell. I probably would've liked it a lot more if I was 15 when this came out, but in an age where we have internet porn it's lost most of its value now. The crappy acting, ridiculous amount of innuendo and schlocky plot twists lead to quite a few entertaining moments of comedy, most of which feel very intentional (the editing and score give this a tongue 'n cheek feel). Does that make up for how trashy everything is? Not really, in fact I'd argue that treating a subject like rape accusation as a silly B-movie is the one aspect that's aged worse than everything else. It can't fall back on the filmmaking either, compared to other 90s erotic thrillers like Basic Instinct this doesn't have the perverted eye of someone like Paul Verhoeven behind the camera. Overall, it's obviously terrible and dumb, but if you'd give this material to someone like David Fincher it might've just worked.
2.5/10
On one hand, yayyyy Denise Richards tits.
And that’s about it.
The problem with convoluted twist after twist after twist in films like these is that well before everything’s about to wrap up, you find yourself hating all of the characters and subsequently completely indifferent to what happens to any of them.
Plot holes galore; it’s obvious that even the director couldn’t keep track of all the convoluted script bullshit, leading to glaring inconsistencies and narrative issues.
I suppose Ken Bowden was all right. Fans of the Breaking Bad universe and Better Call Saul will appreciate Bill Murray’s character.
Review by MarinkaBlockedParent2022-07-01T09:22:55Z
I'm more than pleasantly surprised at how good this movie is. Where has it been all my life? It's a hidden gem for me. I see that not everyone shares my opinion though.
Let me say first off that it is extremely hard to surprise me. I expected this to be just another stalker type of movie but it served up not one but four (maybe five?) twists. Three of which I did not see coming!
Suzie Toller is a savage queen. I am more than intrigued with her. I wish we could learn more and more about her. I was convinced she was the patsy of the plot. The weak link. Turns out she is the evil mastermind. One step ahead constantly. I loved to see his movie unfold.
It's a late 90s movie which means the way things were acted out and filmed are so different from what they'd do now. I giggled quite a few times over the dramatic way things were acted out but I think it's part of the charm. I am ashamed to say this is the first movie I watched with Neve Campbell but definitely not the last. She is captivating to watch and has a certain mischief twinkle in her eyes. Yes, I fell hard as you can tell.
Honestly, this is going on my list of 'must watch' movies.