Color of Night

An Agatha Christie-like whodunit remixed with Basic Instinct and a touch of Hitchcock, set in a Psychiatrist's practice in that most psychiatric city, LA with strong early 90s vibes. Jane March is very hot and shows it, and the sex scenes are gorgeous. The characters are otherwise a somewhat underdeveloped catalog of mental disorders, and although I am generally a fan of his, Bruce Willis is not a compelling shrink. The script is extremely implausible, and would have benefited from even a cursory industry consultation. That said, it was quite entertaining and loved the 90s atmosphere. Probably couldn't be made today (2023) so enjoy it while you can.

Knowing nothing about this movie before I saw it, I have to admit that it surprised me with its plot-twists...but looking back, I should have known better! That's the great thing about trashy movies: you can have a high time while it's playing, knowing you'll hate yourself the next day (and that you'll never have to watch the thing again). Bruce Willis is a psychiatrist troubled by a patient's suicide; he goes to stay with a friend and...to give any more away would be criminal! Suffice it to say, Bruce is nude in this one, and it's a long-held sequence that gives star-peepers what they've paid for. I didn't think the sex scenes were terrifically charged, but you gotta hand it to Willis: he takes a chance here and shows his courage. Yet there are times when he has question marks all over his face, as if to ask, "what's a nice box-office star like me doing in a piece like this?" ** from ****

As I sit and recall all the idiocies of this film, one of the most amusing that I remember is the idea put forth that a person with DID will disguise themselves to look like a different person when one of their alternates come out. In nearly eleven years of knowingly watching these patients switch from personality to personality, I have yet to see this happen. This is before we even get into the fact that Jane March's behaviour during this film more closely resembles that of a person suffering mania - hypersexuality, paranoia, irrational fear, and so forth.

Bruce Willis must also be wondering why he signed up for this stinker. I'm sure the shooting script must have looked wonderful, but a combination of extremely clumsy editing (the sex scenes in the middle of the film are a wonderful example) and poor character development turned this into another Plan 9 From Outer Space. To all of you who gave this turkey positive comments, I ask you to ask yourselves: what psychiatrist in their right mind would see patients in buildings where it is that easy for patients to off themselves? Especially in such a lawsuit-happy society as America? What psychiatrist in their right mind stays back late in their office without carrying a firearm when they know someone is stalking them? Finally, when was the last time you heard of a psychiatrist taking over a group of patients for a friend in the profession when one of them might have murdered him? Oh, and a special note on Ruben Blades' role: even beat police are not that ignorant about psychiatry, an especially important element of their job considering how often they may be confronted by psych patients waving weapons in the middle of an episodic crisis.

As a veteran of numerous therapy groups, I could not stop laughing at this film. If it had been approached with the intention of making a comedy, then it would have succeeded beyond all expectations. However, the advertising campaign and the babbling tone of the dialogue left me with the general feeling that this film was taking itself WAY too seriously. If you do take yourself that seriously, get a better script. If you have such a ridiculous script that will get laughed at by the 20% that will experience some form of psychiatric problem in their lifetime (that's just a statistical fact based on reported cases... the real incidence may actually be higher), don't take yourself so seriously. It's that simple.

Why everyone is SO mad about this movie? It's not THAT BAD. Come on! This is a well-directed and acted feature. Bruce Willis is wonderful as Doctor Capa, and I think it is one of his best performances. He just proved here that he can act normal characters, and not only Die-Hard macho idiots. Jane March is very hot as Rose and the mystery of her apperances and disappearances sticks the spectator to the screen. Love and murder scenes do a very good job too, Dominic Frontiere's music is charming and thrilling and Dietrich Lohmann's cinematography is magnificent. Frankly saying, I liked it even more than The Silence Of The Lambs. I don't know why...

The director's cut, no pun intended, seems to be a much better film than the one that was shown commercially, but it still is a far cry from a satisfactory movie to watch. Richard Rush could have done better, but the psychological film we see, adds nothing to what has already been shown before.

From the beginning we realize who the killer is, as well as the person with the multiple personality problem. It's too obvious! The film relies heavily on the sexual attraction between Bill Capa and Rose. Much has been speculated in this forum about whether we are actually seeing Willis' willis, or not. Since most male stars wouldn't be caught dead showing their genitals, for obvious reasons, what is seen for a second in the pool scene is that of a body double. On the other hand, we see Jane March showing it all, which is a welcome attraction.

Only the final sequence has any impact. There are many things in the plot that don't add up and the viewer is ahead of the story at all times.

Bruce Willis with a hairpiece looks good. Jane March has a better chance with the character she plays. Also Brad Dourif, Lance Henriksen have their moments. The one that doesn't come across well is Ruben Blades, an otherwise excellent actor trying to do a Columbo routine in this film.