Le pendule

Pendulum is a murder mystery, or rather two murder mysteries. Rachel Hunter plays a detective originally assigned to investigate the brutal murders of several street prostitutes, then reassigned to investigate the murder of a prominent law school professor.

Hunter's character is not exactly "Colombo," and there are several red herrings along the way. The film is set in a milieu of prostitution, lies, kinky sex, corruption, violence, etc., which is why I consider it a "film noir."

This movie isn't a classic, but it keeps you interested. If you enjoyed "Presumed Innocent" you'll enjoy this one.

Rachel Hunter makes this predictable murder "mystery" watchable. We have a law school professor murdered in home as well as several prostitutes mutilated. Are the crimes connected?

This would make a good USA or TNT film so I wouldn't recommend renting it but you might want to tape it when and if it hits one of the premium channels.

Pendulum is my favorite Rachel Hunter film. It is stylish and suspenseful, and kept me guessing all the way through the first time I saw it. Rachel Hunter seems to really find herself in her role as a troubled but determined detective, working a homicide that produces many twists and surprises. She brings a dark, brooding quality to her role that binds the rather wandering plot. Things got a little slow once in a while, but Rachel's style and charisma kept me interested. This is really an unpretentious but effective cop mystery with an intriguing cast of characters to enjoy. I think any fan of the genre, or Rachel Hunter will thoroughly enjoy this film. I see no need to reveal any of the plot at all. I recommend you just sit back and let it all develop for you.

The first howler in this is the notion that Texas hosts the 'finest law school in the south,' as if it were possible - and if would matter if it was. Of course, once we are introduced to a DA running for Congress, we know who the villain is. Having made that scriptwriting error, we wait to see whether the author will redeem himself with suitable twists along the way. And he nearly satisfies. There is a rather interesting red herring in an old case of 'justified' homicide which is cleverly introduced. There are the double red herrings of two fishy lesbians, obviously engineered for prurient seasoning and to reference Eszterhas's 'Instinct.' There is an unexploited narrative fold: we see the murder through a witness's eye and then see the detection through a detective's eye.

It comes pretty close to being acceptable storywise. All the acting and directing is much worse except for one example, a woman with the mellifluous name of Scarlett McAlister, who has the appearance of a young Nichole Kidman. If this were an intelligent film, say a Lynch project, her role as double narrator and provider (as librarian) of the backstory would have been a fine opportunity for folded acting. The director is oblivious of course, but either she or her acting coach knew - and you can tell she tried this difficult approach. She's on my list to look out for.

Though the murderer is easy to spot, the meaning of the title is not. I suppose it refers to the exhusband, who (we assume) swings both ways.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 4: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Oh my. Imagine a Texan detective with a New Zealand accent trying to sound southern. And at that, Rachel Hunter is the high point of the movie. She looks right for the part - an accomplished and tough grown up woman who works as a cop, not a starlet. Still she soldiers her way through some of the worst writing that I've ever heard. She TWICE tells suspects - 'If I have any further questions, I'll be sure and feel free to call you." Ouch... Other than that the potential for noir is lost in the sunny settings,and a Texas without Hispanics - anywhere or ever - just doesn't seem right. So if you want to see amovie in the worst way...