Killing Me Softly

This movie was sexy, yet a little disturbing.

Heather Graham portrays an American who recently moved to London. She has a nice, safe relationship with her boyfriend, an Englishman who is very reliable. You can tell that they are both comfortable with each other, but because of that their romance has died off and has made things quite boring. One day, she encounters Adam, a mysterious man on the street. The looks they give each other are lustful and very intense. What chemistry! The looks itself were sexy and erotic! And can I just say...Joseph Fiennes is one helluva sexy man! Oh my goodness! He can play the hopeless romantic in Shakespeare in Love and the dangerous rugged type in this film.

Well anyway...they get involved in a very obssessive, sexual relationship. They get right down to business...the scenes are like whoa! Sexy Sexy Sexy! Eventually, all the lust turns into love. However, they know very little about each other which drives Graham's character, Alice, mad. Unexpected secrets are revealed...and believe me! they BIG secrets...which starts to crumble their affair.

I liked this movie a lot! It's not Oscar worthy...but its worth your time. This movie has a lot to offer...romance, sex, lust, drama, thrill, and most of all...entertainment!

"Killing Me Softly" has one of those scripts that just don't give the audience a break - not only does it set up an improbable situation, but the big "twist" at the end is also mind-numbingly predictable (unless perhaps you haven't seen a thriller before in your life). The chemistry between the two leads is also lacking; Fiennes brings some physical magnetism to his role but as far as his acting is concerned, he's an inexpressive bloke, while Heather Graham is ALL TOO expressive - she overemphasizes every emotion her character is supposed to feeling by making faces at the camera. Besides, she's not even that attractive; even her co-star in this particular film, Natascha McElhone, blows her out of the water in that department. In spite of all that, Chen Kaige's direction is good, and he creates some suspenseful moments. So I give the film a generous "** out of 4" rating.

***Mild Spolier*** I like a sexy no-brainer movie just as much as the next guy but this was ridiculous! Not only did the plot leave sooo much to be desired but the acting sucked. For instance, Heather Graham had no problem sleeping with a total stranger but then all of a sudden she's too shy to let him see her boobs. Not to mention that they've had about three sessions of hot sex with virtually no conversation which means-alas! We're destined for each other-let's get married! Grahamn and Fiennes have been in some great flicks (Shakespear in Love, Boogie Nights) but this was definately a step down. It was almost depressing to watch what has become of their acting careers.

I rented and watched KILLING ME SOFTLY on DVD and giggled throughout the movie. It's so unintentionally funny, and silly and stupid and pointless, that I'm sure people in the near future will look back at this as camp. The film stars Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes. Heather's character goes though a number of things or does things that are totally divorced from logic. She marries a man she hardly knows and the rest of the film is spent on her trying to know her husband's suspicious past. (If Heather's character had tried to get to know him first before marrying him there wouldn't have been a movie). Heather's role is funny and oddly endearing at the same time. She tries so hard but the whole thing is so silly that her efforts are all for naught. In EVERY scene, Heather is seen with her big doe-like eyes, dropping her clothes at any given moment, looking totally befuddled. The scene when the reporter faxes her the strange messages at her office, which is supposed to be filled with apprehension, is very funny. As is the scene when Heather pretends to be a reporter from The Guardian. Or the scene when Joseph ties her down on the kitchen table, which is simply priceless. Heather, bound to the table, doesn't look terrified or stressed, she looks bored and annoyed. The entire scene is truly out of this world. After seeing it, I wondered "What was that all about?" If your new husband ties you up on the kitchen table and starts going crazy, well, there's a good chance that the marriage won't last long. As for Joseph Fiennes, well, he looks, hmm, weird. I think the director was intimidated by Joseph. It seems the director didn't know how to film him at all. And because of this, his character/performance is WAY over-the-top.

The story (or lack thereof) is so obvious, the moment the "villain" appears on screen I knew it. The revelation of the villain's motives made me laugh out loud. It's supposed to be shocking and twisted but it had me in hysterics. Add to this the fact that the director literally took the meaning of title and applied this to the film's script/action, and everything about this film ends up looking truly silly. Everything is treated just so softly (like when Heather is tied to the table). Imagine a S&M movie directed with the soft touch of a bunny rabbit.

Many scenes look like they were rushed (the mountain climbing scenes). In one scene, you can see Fiennes looking straight at the camera for a split second. The direction is not really good. The look of the film is sometimes interesting. Some scenes where cool but the whole ultra-hip look of the film will positively date it in a matter of years. The office where Heather works looks like a place where the Teletubies would feel at home. Everything about KILLING ME SOFTLY is hilarious. It's pure camp.

Could have been a whole lot better, the film is, nevertheless, not as bad as some suggest. I only got round to watching it because it came on the same Blu-ray disc as Dennis Hopper's Hot Spot - goodness knows why, I can't think of anything they have in common. The other reason was the hysterical comments from some on Amazon (and they must have been from people that chose to buy the film). Heather Graham is fine and certainly performs the sex scenes well but Natascha McElhone looks better and seems more assured an actress throughout. Co-incidently (or not!) both actresses appeared in the US TV show Californication with David Duchovny, who, now I think about it would have been a better bet than the rather flat, Joseph Fiennes in the lead. Music seems inspired by that for Basic Instinct and someone was probably hoping this might reach those heights, but no such luck. I see the story is based upon a book by Nicci French. I have not read her but find it hard to believe that the dull, uninteresting and unbelievable storyline is her fault. Something very substantial must have been taken out (lesbian affair? incestuous relationship?) because although made with great style, this really does not amount to much.