Sklave des Verlangens

Here is the short version description of "Save Me." First half seduction and sex. Second half unbelievable contrived plot, with holes the size of truck tires. Basically this is the type of movie that leaves the audience wishing they had never watched it. The film also sees fit to waste the considerable acting talent of Michael Ironside, by keeping him well in the background for the entire interminable 93 minutes. If Lysette Anthony's sex scenes are your sole reason for watching then I suggest hitting the eject button at halftime. You know the type of film where the end keeps getting more ridiculous with each rewrite, well "Save Me" is that film. - MERK

'Save Me' is a well-made psycho-sexual drama typical of the erotic thrillers made in the 90s. The film stars Harry Hamlin as Jim Stevens, a stockbroker whose life is falling apart when his wife's (Olivia Hussey) infidelity drives him into a marital separation he does not want. Stevens' life is also being made miserable by an inept and power-driven boss (Steven Railsback) whose illegal dealings threaten his job.

When by chance he meets Ellie (Lysette Anthony) his whole life changes, but as you will see, not necessarily for the better. He becomes obsessed with her, and she with him, but soon their sexual rendezvous become known to the other man in her life, Oliver (Michael Ironside), a psychiatrist with whom she is living.

The plot thickens when Oliver threatens Stevens and he becomes the target of assaults and attempts on his life by an unknown assailant. The plot twists and turns into a suspenseful surprise ending, and Stevens learns the bitter truth: an English rose of such unequaled beauty and charm has many thorns.

This film is characteristic of many 'B-titles' that have made the rounds on the cable circuit, only this one is also available in a unrated version that you won't likely see unless you rent it. There are some casting shortfalls not unlike 'B-titles' but the story itself is plausible and a good showcase for stunning Lysette Anthony, who easily mesmerizes the viewer into noticing little else in every scene she's in.

No suspenseful music score would be able to save this trashy film and Harry Hamlin made this film just so he could have simulated sex with Lynette Anthony. That about sums up this piece of worthless cinema.

Erotic?

Jessica Rabbit has more sex appeal.

A Thriller?

Don Knotts in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken was more exciting.

Give this clunker a solid pass. Don't waste your time. I give it a less than stellar 4 out of 10 IMDb rating.

One of the curses of the night owl life is that movies like this surface on the cables at 3am, and for whatever reason I must watch the whole bleepin' thing sunrise be-darned.

I saw this on, what else, the Showtime Women's channel. I hate to admit it but I agree with the IMDb reviewer from 1999: the only reason to watch this nonsense from start to finish is to see Lysette Anthony naked. Everything in between is the bonehead self-absorbed stuff that burns through the Gross Domestic Product of whole countries in a Hollywood week. I can not believe people get paid to do this stuff.

Whatever else there is to say about this, it is always good to see Steve Railsback on screen, even when his dialogue is worthy of a 7th grade playwright. This is a really stupid movie, full of zero- quality acting.

In the wake of "Fatal Attraction" and "Basic Instinct" came a bunch of bad to average movies that followed the same basic formula. This is one of those such films. On the surface, this film should have been better. Lysette Anthony, Harry Hamlin, and Michael Ironsides are all great actors, but it's obvious that they weren't giving 100% in this one, and the writing and dialogue didn't give them much to work with. A viewer will easily figure out what's going on long before the main character does.

I've had a crush on Lysette Anthony since seeing her in "Krull" as a child, so, as other reviewers have said, the only redeeming feature of this movie for many people will be seeing her nude for much of it.

Incidentally, if you want to see a better but similar film, try "Dream Lover".