Second Skin

Standard mob story with pretty girl falling for the wrong guy. She ends up with amnesia and starts her life over with the guy who happened to be there. Lots of behind the scenes intrigue going on, with secrets being kept by everyone. Tough to tell who is scamming who, and just how we got to this point of payback. It all comes apparent in the end, but by then you really don't care. The characters do there lines okay, but not much to work with. He gets the pretty girl, but there is no spark and no reason to believe she would ever be with him. Maybe if they used different actors, then the emotion would have been better. Then we would try to believe the mystery or even bother to understand it. This looks like it could have been okay, but along the way it just ends up flat.

Pretty decent film noir, well acted, gets better as it goes along. Then a stupid tacked on surprise ending blows all sense of reality. God I hate it when they do that. Sure I was surprised. Why wouldn't I be? Why would I expect an ending that nothing suggested and that negates everything I've seen before? The movie has charismatic leads (Henstridge has done a lot of bad stuff, but she's very good here in what I can only describe as the Linda Fiorentino part), Peter Fonda is sho'nuff creepy as the villain, Liam Waite (Henstridge's real life partner) is convincing as a hit man, and Angus MacFadyn makes a believable hero. There are some nice (believable) twists and earned climaxes along the way. Some clichés, yes (amnesia). But all in all, a very good time until the silly betcha-didn't-see-that-coming, surprise-is-everything last couple of minutes. Oh well, life is full of disappointments.

The problem with this movie is the leaden touch of Darrell Roodt.

Pretty photography and an absolutely gorgeous lead babe can't hide the fact that there is no plot, that the girl is getting involved with a guy who has the charisma of a rotting potato and that by the time you get to the mystery, you've really stopped caring.

The movie _slowly_ meanders from one cliche to the next. Guy without a past runs a bookstore without clientele, when a beautiful babe comes in and spouts a number of tacky cliches. Then, in the mother of all plot devices, she walks out the store and _gets hit by a car_ so she can "lose her memory".

Who cares? I don't. A waste of money.

I liked this movie right from the beginning. It's obvious by the way it looks that it isn't a blockbuster, but it certainly was entertaining, moody, and well executed. I especially liked the music, which added to the atmosphere of the film, and was written by former Prince band members Wendy & Lisa. It stars the lovely Natasha Henstridge as a mysterious woman who wanders into a small bookshop looking for work. The dubious owner is sceptical at first, and refuses her request even though he is attracted to her. But he is soon drawn to her, as he witnesses her being run over as she leaves his store. Many good plot twists and turns follow, in this stylish thriller.

But the ending was unsatisfying, and left me wanting more.

This movie is very good except for the ending.It is suppose to be a surprise to me it was a let down and a big one at that.The story is well construct you come to care for the two main characters and then wham the ending.I own a few of those movies with that ending but this one it does not work at all.Sam and Crystal goes through so much together to end this way is stupid.I can't explain without revealing this bad ending so see the movie it is good only the last 4 minutes are stupid.The acting is very good except one character you see only three times,what is she in this movie I don't know.That's why the ending is so bad.But see it it is worth the price of the renting.I give it a 7 out of ten,I was so mad when I saw the ending that I give it a 7 but on the whole movie beside my reservation on the ending it is worth a 9 out of ten.