Dark World

OK, this movie has seen some bad reviews. Look past some of the acting, or lack thereof, and enjoy the twists and turns. It's a good story. Filmed well. I'd watch it again. Why? I like almost anything film noir from the '40's and '50's. I like gritty. I like characters that narrate and throw in some humor or twisted dialogue. This film may not be up to some classic noir but it does contain grit. I like Theresa Russell, the only actor I recognized in this work. The reviews are just opinion. Watch the flick, make up your own mind. I gave 4 stars because it will never be confused with a great film, but it's not a total loser, either.

The 4 lead actors are the reason I stuck around. These were hit commodities back in the 80's that just never really made it to their publicists promises. I'll watch Michael Pare and James Russo in practically anything. Theresa Russell and Steven Bauer are B-list that had a few starring moments back in the day, but yet - here they are. The rest of the cast just weren't in their caliber and could not hold the film. I did enjoy watching it, even though it was poorly written and the cinematography was non existent. Good way to waste some time while recovering from getting 3 teeth (1 was a wisdom tooth) pulled & on zone out meds. I dug the twist at the end. Again, poorly executed, but an interesting take on split personalities and tragedy. As I stated before, this could have been a decent film given better character depth and scene setups.

This movie requires you pay attention its done in the film noir style to date only one film has really been successfully delivered that's Blade Runner and to a lesser degree D.O.A. dead on arrival with Dennis Quaid. This genre of film making is often hard for people to get into myself included, with that said I did enjoy this and the cast. Some reviews have commented on the cast delivering lines as if it was a first reading with no passion there are moments like that for sure but and the director goes in so many directions in the end I found it satisfying. This cast would be like a dream b-movie cast from the 90's, Theresa Russell, Michael Pare, Steven Bauer, James Russo all of which have made a few hit movies and some stinkers as well. Acting is just average with a few highlights but not many, the best part is the twist ending and not just because its finally over.

"Is that a gun in your hand or are you just glad to see me?" Seriously?! Dialogue like this makes any solid ground the actors might have to stand on disappear. Along with the poorly sewn together scenes this movie comes off as a run through rehearsal in need of a lot of work. Because we spend much of the time having the characters "tell" us or ask other characters what they are supposed to be doing, thinking and feeling the dialog isn't so much a chance for the actors to act as it is for them to "pretend" their characters. As Al Pacino once said 'don't lie to the camera it will always see it' and because the actors are never really allowed to act they end up having to fake what the dialog and the director can't seem to create - a plausible tale. This might have been a really good story but in the end this piece is a bit too "tacky" to "easy" for any of us to really enjoy. I give the acting two stars. Underneath the wreckage of what the director has done there could be a rather spooky and interesting piece of work. But not even the actors can make this film believable. FAIL.

I sat and watched this film with mouth wide open, shocked that such rubbish could not only be made but then marketed. Not even Theresa Russell saves this film. The acting is so bad, it reminds you of a class assembly at school where most of the kids don't want to be there in front of everyone. The sets look like Prisoner Cell Block H rejects and the dialogue is really toe curling. Pare is truly dreadful, his monotone delivery of the fifties b-movie style detective film talkover is so laughable there is no way the producers were serious (is there?). As for the rest, they just try to outbadact each other. The storyline looks like it was made up as they went along and nobody thought anything was a bad idea. Not one of the characters in this waste of a couple of hours is one bit believable. Don't waste your time, this is an absolutely shocking film.