Lured Innocence

This movie is SO not what I expected...

The film is very slow, probably in part because these actors seem like they don't want to be there...They all seem bored, especially Hopper. One can imagine that the ONLY reason Hopper did this, is because the young female lead gets naked. This leads me to my last point. Marley Shelton, the Wendy Peppercorn of the kiddie flick "The Sandlot", plays the role as a bad girl who doesn't know how to be bad. The affair in the movie is supposedly the characters first. However, given the way that she plays out the lifeless sex scenes(3 of them), it will probably be her last affair...Since she apparently sucks at it. Also, the setup leads you to believe that you'll see skin. Um, you won't. The sex scenes are nothing that can't be shown on NYPD BLUE, after some silly grunting and moaning is muted.

Have you ever thought sometimes that a director should resist the temptation to make a film? This is such a film. Incongruity is its hallmark. Wasted foreboding and contrived red herrings are patently unbelievable. Dennis Hopper can't need work this badly.

Where was the hardcore male nudity in a movie that hinged on being sexy? Also, the psycho from Speed was hard to take seriously as someone capable of being lusted after and the journalist twunk was a joke of a lead. Sheri O'Teri shines in a small but serious role.

No Marley is not a dog - quite the opposite so no pun intended. Marley the actress was cast for a particular reason - for a few that is. One of them being her looks and of course another one her ability to act. I am aware that some may feel that she may not be the best in that job category.

That being said, she is more than good enough for the role she has to play here (again no pun intended). Having a Dennis Hopper at her side, who has fun with his role (quite obviously and understandably so) helps too of course.

I reckon most will be able to deduct and guess where the movie is heading. Towards the end it even tells us clearly what happened and what went on - and yet, the inevitable has to happen ... it is what it is. A neat little thriller.

After seeing the movie and reading the other reviews, I believe I should add an alternate opinion. The film is a slow simmer rather than a frantic sex thriller. And yes, the sex scenes are not the usual grunting, breathless BS where the girl somehow can't wait to rip off her clothes and then orgasms after about 30 seconds of doing it. Everything shown is directly related to the characterizations of the lead players. The twists and turns happen organically, and the writer did a good job of revealing the story gradually. This is not a story for the impatient. Movies used to be written that way. Unfortunately, short form Tik Tok videos and today's quest for "fast paced" stories and "action" coupled with some people's expectation of explicit porno sex scenes seem to have caused these kind of stories to become very rare.

I also must respectfully disagree with those that say the actors were lacking in effort. I found every characterization to be proper for the story and the actors all did more with their eyes and manners to portray their parts. No one was over emoting. Once again, the preconceived expectations of the reviewers were coloring their opinion of the actors performances.

Overall, I think this was a good movie. I enjoyed taking the ride, and I let Marley Shelton seduce me, just like she did the others. Just don't expect a porno thriller. That is not what this is about.