Jade

Jade got a bad rap when it showed in theaters and still appears to be getting one now from the comments here, so I didn't expect much when I caught it on cable. It never hurts to have low expectations, but I was quite pleasantly surprised and have watched it a few more times since then.

No, the plot isn't especially tight nor the story original, and it can be hard to follow at some points, but it's still an exciting, kinky, disturbing ride nonetheless.

I think the main reason I enjoyed it was the actors involved - Caruso and Palminteri were both very skilled (and surprisingly sexy - I hadn't found either to be that way in any roles I had seen them in previously, including NYPD Blue). And most of all Fiorentino smokes up the screen whenever she's on it. Sensual, damaged, brilliant. She's amazing when given a good script like the Last Seduction, but even with a flawed effort such as Jade, she still sets the house on fire.

The cinematography and art direction were the other thing that made this film. I loved the lavish sets and especially the eerie lighting during the final scene.

And as far as the comparisons to Basic Instinct, I see it as being about equal, suffering from the opposite problems as Jade; while the story was far more interesting the acting was pendantic at best. But maybe that's just my personal bias; I find Michael Douglas pompous and annoying and Sharon Stone shallow and vain.

I'm shocked by the huge number of negative comments. This film is great, obviously written before Showgirls was released (when the screenwriter's ego was still intact.) Between Joe's deliriously entertaining B-movie dialogue and Friedkin's rock-solid direction, I find this movie fascinating and fun, the only downpoint being the lackluster ending. Jade has the greatest car chase I've seen in any film since the last time this director tackled one, and it's full of cute little references to the rest of his career. There is even a blatant homage to "Cruising" (Al Pacino) for those of you who were really paying attention. When David Caruso takes those cufflinks out of the drawer and looks in the mirror as we fade to the beach skyline...shot for shot and beat for beat it's the last two shots of Cruising, and it even conveys a similar meaning. This movie is clever, raunchy, sexy and fun. It's not the greatest film ever made, but it certainly deserves a lot more credit than it is receiving here. When did film lovers become such humorless prudes? (And why did Friedkin insist that the DVD be released only in a fullscreen version? Why, why, why???)

To say Friedkin's career has had its ups and downs is an understatement, his eighties filmography inarguably has enough bombs to sink a oil tanker. Yet eschewing their performances at the box office, many of his films yearn to be rediscovered, from "Cruising" to "Deal of the Century" to "Rampage". Let's not kid ourselves, "Jade" is not a great film, and this is the fault of one man and one man alone - Joe Esterhas. If trash had a messiah, it would be him. For a fleeting moment in the nineties, Esterhas was paid by the bucketload to write formulaic movies for guys, and the erotic thriller has him to thank for its continuing lugubrious existence. "Jade" is interesting however, it is an erotic thriller without the erotic part. While Paul Verhoeven filled "Basic Instinct" chock full of the sleaze he had become renowned for, Friedkin's films are notable for primarily dealing with male characters, and are subsequently about as erotic as as a bowl of cereal. "Jade" is not about sex; it is about sexual jealousy. The talent of Linda Fiorentino cannot be underestimated here, giving depth to a part that amounts to no more than a typical male fantasy - part good girl, part whore - that's right, it's "Crimes of Passion" without Anthony Perkins and his bag of dildos. The leads are well cast and all give adequate performances, and Friedkin throws in all his usual directorial touches (subliminal images and, you guessed it, yet another bloody car chase). "Jade" is an enjoyable film, with delightfully silly twists and over-the-top violence (come on, you know you want to see Angie Everhart get run over again), and is given some class from it's cast and director, but, in the end, proves itself to be a guilty pleasure that makes one feel more guilt than pleasure.

A wealthy art collector (and admirer of world leaders Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Richard M. Nixon) is murdered in his San Francisco mansion. Due to repeated chops with a hatchet, there is an abundance of blood. Along with many pricey artifacts, the dead man has an amply supply of sex paraphernalia. His most prized possession appears to be a collection of his partners' pubic hair. Four hours later, red-haired assistant district attorney David Caruso (as David Corelli) is at a dance attended by still sexy old flame Linda Fiorentino (as Anna Katrina "Trina" Maxwell). He still longs for her, but she married best friend Chazz Palminteri (as Matt Gavin), a rich defense lawyer. Employed to investigate, Mr. Caruso finds a cuff-link at the murder scene. Curiously, he decides to withhold it from other collected evidence...

The cuff-link is from "The Golden Bay Club" where Caruso and Mr. Palminteri are members. Also discovered is the murder victim's collection of pornographic pictures. Most importantly, there are photographs of California Governor Richard Crenna (as Lew Edwards) with a young prostitute. Caruso confronts Mr. Crenna with the dirty pictures and is threateningly told he has a future in State politics comparable to Jerry Brown - a line they must regret, as Mr. Brown is presently serving an historic term as Governor. Everything seems to come together in an intriguing web of sex, mystery and murder. But, by the end, "Jade" proves looks can be deceiving. This is a puzzle with pieces shoved into place, by director William Friedkin. He shows the usual skill with car chase scenes, but doesn't make this story coherent.

***** Jade (10/13/95) William Friedkin ~ David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino, Chazz Palminteri, Richard Crenna

This is a decent erotic thriller/mystery brought down by predictability, cliché and some rather bad writing. The film does have an impressive pedigree, having been directed by William Friedkin, and starring Chazz Palminteri, Linda Fiorentino as well as a pre-CSI: Miami David Caruso. All of the actors do a serviceable job, but they have to deliver some of the hammiest dialogue I've ever heard. The script is devoid of any real surprises or thrills, and so it relies on an over-insistent score. It's like it's shouting "Look at me! Take me seriously!", except it's impossible to take anything in this movie seriously. The most impressive part of the movie is the intro (before the score has become overbearing), which features some creepy music and surrealistic camera-work. It's too bad that they overuse the style throughout the film, though. Another bright spot was a well-filmed (but ridiculous) car chase through San Francisco, but it wears out its welcome once they hit Chinatown and the movie almost literally comes to a halt. So, there's also some issues with pacing, particularly in that sequence. However, the biggest problem with this movie is the script, penned by Joe Eszterhaz (who also wrote BASIC INSTINCT and SHOWGIRLS). Not only is the story relatively unengaging, but it's rather misogynistic towards its female characters, and the voyeuristic camera-work doesn't help in that regard either. At best, it's a rather bland erotic thriller with some decent performances, but it could be worth a late-night watch if you're into this sort of thing.