Judas Kiss

And it got it in France ! Why not in the rest of the world while the studios keep churning out expensive post-Grisham trash (Will anyone remember him as a fine writer, and not the most betrayed-by-the-screen author this side of Stephen King ?) this one has it all. Okay, the situations are not always original, has minor plot holes and it has a tendency to be too clever some (brief) times for its own sake, but it actually delivers and is obviously a work of love. I'd be curious to know what the budget was. AND. for once, this is not a cheap Tarantino copy ! (Well, film noir didn't started with Tarantino, you know.) Will it once again be saved by Europe, like John Dahl's movies were, so Mr Guttierez can make another one like this ? If you ever read this, Mr Guttierez, thank you and se

Featuring a "Body Heat meets Pulp Fiction" plot, some delightful film moments, too easy performances from Rickman and Thompson, this first outing is solid and stylish. Well-written dialogue is delivered by a sexy young cast in a hit and run series of well-composed scenes. Political intrigue mixes with sexual dynamics against a crime and crisis backdrop. New Orleans provides historical richness to contrast high-tech communications tricks on the part of the kidnap gang. Recommended...

I caught this film on a lark, never having heard of it, and not knowing what to expect. It is a very well done plot twister, reminiscent of "Body Heat," and with a great cast of unknown young people, backed up by more established stars like Emma Thompson, Alan Ricker, and Hal Holbrooke. You're never really sure about what is happening until the end.

What I really like about this movie is that the kidnapers generally show some intelligence...a rare thing in films. They don't have many of the film clichés that plague this types of films--they don't openly fight showing little or no cohesion, a rift isn't created in which the hostage can exploit to get away, and they don't fall for the "stall them and tell them it takes more time" ploys. The only two discernable "stupid criminal" clichés I noticed was opening up the case and gawking at the money in the gateway car and stopping the car to get another cell phone battery from the trunk...but there are other reasons for that. I also like the way Rickman's and Thompson's characters play off each other...it's fun to watch.

There are people who say it's sub-Tarantino.But I'm not a QT fan,by a long shot ,and I found this flick quite entertaining.There are enough twists to keep you interested throughout.My favorite is Emma Thompson ,whose playing is very tongue-in- chick :I love the scene when she's reading peacefully her book while eating Chinese food while they are waiting for an important phone call.The title is justified too,but you will understand it only in the last third.

Hats off ,once again to Emma THompson,a first-class actress ,who agrees to play a supporting part and so lets lesser known actors shine a little bit.