Sliver

Sharon was the absolute goddess back in the early 90s. She exuded the vibe of a blonde bombshell back in the 50s and 60s. Her every smile, every laugh touched the young soul of mine when I watched it as a kid. William Baldwin, however, couldn't act to save his life. The music was the highlight, eerie but atmospheric. However, the plot is a straight ripoff from Basic instinct, only 10 times thinner. The ending also made no sense at all. According to the backup ending, Zeke was supposed to be the bad guy and in the end, he flew a helicopter into a vocano with Carly after admitting he was the one behind it all. Makes sense since this and Basic instinct came from the same writer.

Sharon as Carly was absolutely beautiful though. The restaurant scene where she seduced Zeke was comparable to any scene in Basic Instinct. Strongly recommended for any Sharon fan.

'Sliver' takes a mish-mash of different ingredients and combines them in pursuit of being a highly charged piece of entertainment from the Hollywood movie making machine. One part romance. Two parts torrid sexuality. One part murder mystery whodunit. Plus one part soapbox commentary on surveillance & technology. It shouldn't work. It should collapse under all it's weight, but it doesn't. It's a fun trip.

Carly Norris (Sharon Stone) a newly divorced book editor lands an upscale apartment in a trendy building in NYC after it's previous female tenant is murdered. She may not being looking for another relationship so soon, but certainly misses physical intimacy. She doesn't have to look any further than eager building residents Jack Landsford (Tom Berenger) an accomplished published writer and the mysterious Zeke Hawkins (William Baldwin) to accomplish that. Of course tenants are dropping like flies in this building and if she wants to stay alive, she better get to the bottom of things and pick the right guy, eh.

Written by Joe Eszterhas (Jagged Edge, Basic Instinct) and directed by Phillip Noyce (Clear and Present Danger), I had a pretty fun time with 'Sliver' in spite of myself and the material on hand. Stone can do this role in her sleep. Smart, disarming sexuality. Baldwin weirdly charming while Tom Berenger is always a treat to watch unravel. You can also catch Martin Landau as Stone's boss and CCH Pounder as a detective.

'Sliver' features laughs (intentional or not), few sex acts and an abrupt ending that doesn't leave any ambiguity. Spelling everything out for you in a satisfying manner leaving it being an effective one time watch. Isn't much of depth to really take away - other than most of the characters featured are damaged - but I had a good voyeuristic time watching the sometimes smart, sometimes trashy material play itself out.

"Sliver" was not nearly as bad as most reviewers have suggested, in my opinion. It may be true that Joe Eszterhas rehashes his basic formula one more time here - "Is the person with whom the hero/heroine gets sexually involved a murdered or an innocent victim, framed by someone else?" - but it's a formula that works, that grabs your attention instinctively. The plot is flimsy, yet inherently interesting. Maybe this thriller would've been tighter if the gratuitously protracted (and not very erotic) sex scenes had been trimmed down in length, but Baldwin is magnetic in his role and Sharon Stone, great to look at as always, also gives a decent performance; they both overshadow Tom Berenger who doesn't make even the slightest impression. (**)

Apartment complex in New York City is beset with strange deaths and cameras everywhere; new tenant Sharon Stone is dating the mysterious owner, but could he be the killer? Based on a flimsy novel by Ira Levin (who was slumming, but that's a different story), this unappealing film wants to be both sexy crime-thriller and murder-mystery, but it is such a mess from a writer's standpoint that, in the end, all you have left are the performances, which aren't dynamic enough to carry the load. Sharon Stone performs in a low key and comes off somewhat self-conscious; this might have worked for her tentative character but, unfortunately, the filmmakers are so concerned with exposing the killer that they've lost track of this woman and her plight. Drop all the mystery, and you might have a decent character study. *1/2 from ****

Stylistically this is one of the best films from the early-mid nineties. But style isn't substance. The script was less than perfect going into production, and several endings were filmed for lack of a clear resolution. But don't let that stop you from seeing this film. Stone and director Noyce polish a bad script into a fine music video. It's like watching VH1 merge with the Playboy channel. A fine soundtrack with an even better [unreleased] score from Howard Shore play well against the dramatic, color-rich backdrops and voyeuristic black and white camera shots. It's very easy on the eyes, and perfect for a $14 dvd (if they ever release it).