Masquerade

Masquerade is a nifty tight thriller that's fun, and wonderfully packaged as one with kick, and some real big shocks, nasty twists that sting, all done in an impressive duration of 88 minutes, in an '88 hit surprise, in which so many things happen. Lowe is well cast, and does do the role justice, as a born yachtsman/playboy, trying to work his way up the ranks, by sleeping with hot young wives, and resorting to some deceptive and selfish motives, even graduating to murder. He falls for this young heiress (Tilly) who's very good, hitting the role with honest to god, truth, as an innocent, naive young girl, who's just lost her mother, and is fighting over her fortune with his last pig of a stepfather (excellent, the film's firey star, bedding floozy, Delaney). Yeah, greedy motives, interwoven with jealousy on and betrayal make for this impressive little thriller. Savant is the other second best performance, as the jealous ridden cop, and childhood friend of Tilly's. There's an even aftershock on Lowe's part, an act of retraction, you might say, which was another feature that impressed me like every surprisingly good performance from the cast, in a thriller that's fun, where at the end of the too short duration, we're kind of sad the ride is over.

(1988) Masquerade DRAMA THRILLER

"Masquerade" is a name of a boat that's intended for sail racing owned by wealthy heiress Olivia (Meg Tilly). The film appeared to look like an erotic drama but succumbs to becoming an unsuspenseful thriller centering on yuppie looking, Tim Whalen played by Rob Lowe hired to live with a wealthy extravagant couple in the Hamptons to lead a sail racing boat. He's then gets attached to Olivia who's inherited a substantial fortune from her mother, while living with her stepfather who's already gotten a girlfriend played by Dana Delany. By looking at the big picture, this film may have been the basis for other films that followed particularly 1998 "Wild Things" since they're some unexpected twists along the way, and 1992 "Basic Instinct" because of the approach to some erotic scenes as well as the musical score. It's basically a little mystery thriller movie with almost zero suspense, that could've been another Hitchcock's Suspicion or The Lady From Shanghai. What we get instead is a dramatized drama soap opera with splashes of some erotic scenes which doesn't offer any new surprises even though it does have it's moments which can keep viewers interested until the end without any care. And Rob Lowe is too shallow for this role to be taken seriously.

Okay, could Rob Lowe be more naked in more movies? That said, this isn't bad it all. It's very Dick Wolf in the incredible number of switchbacks the storyline endures, but essentially compelling and capable of retaining surprise. The end is ham-handed at best, and Jennifer Tilly is essentially a cardboard cut-out good girl with her little lace collars. Both Rob Lowe and Doug Savant are competent and almost complicated as prominent figures in the heiress' life. Rob Lowe is perfect for the role, although the director doesn't make the most of either his complexity or his simplicity, whichever way you choose to see it. Doug Savant is especially sharp, but his character's emotional motivation is never clear and the extent of his involvement remains murky. (For example, did the mother die accidentally or on purpose?)

The film gets its title from the name of a yacht owned by a wealthy heiress, an attractive young woman just out of school, named Olivia (Meg Tilly). Olivia is a tad starry-eyed, wistful, and overly trusting. She owns eight houses and lives in the Hamptons, on Long Island. "Masquerade" is her story, and it involves romance, betrayal, and death.

Into Olivia's life comes a good-looking, but not wealthy, skipper of a racing boat, a young man named Tim (Rob Lowe). Olivia falls in love with Tim. But is Tim really in love with her, or just after her money?

The film's setup is both slightly misleading and a little slow to develop. But a major plot point at the end of the first Act perks up interest. And from here, "Masquerade" becomes a generally enjoyable thriller, until near the end. The plot climax does seem contrived. A simple phone call could have achieved one character's desired result. Instead, that character takes matters into his or her own hands. The result is an unnecessarily dramatic outcome.

The casting of Meg Tilly is perfect for the role of Olivia. Everyone else in the cast is at least adequate.

Color cinematography in outdoor scenes is quite good, especially those scenes filmed on the open waters off the coast of Long Island. Indoor sets are okay. Background music is boringly nondescript.

My only major complaint pertains to the film's dated thematic style. Many scenes in "Masquerade" show lush mansions, manicured lawns, expensive sports cars, and haughty parties where women wear expensive gowns and dance with wealthy men to the ballroom music of a live orchestra. All of which is well executed. But some of these visuals are awfully reminiscent of other 1980s productions like "Dallas" and "Dynasty", which make "Masquerade" look stuck in the 1980s.

This film offers entertainment in the form of interesting characters, more than one of whom "masquerade" as something they're not, and a twisty, betrayal driven plot that leads to an outcome that the viewer probably will not be able to predict.

Masquerade is a psychological thriller which aspires to be a 1980s Hitchcock rejuvenation, and thanks to nice pacing and delicate acting, it largely succeeds for two thirds of a movie. The writers, Larry Brody and Dick Wolf, combine a knack for the clever with an inclination for the soapy, but fine direction by Bob Swaim keeps it together. At times, the film is confidently elegant, almost timeless, set in the idyllic Hamptons on Long Island and shot in a colour palette which almost convinces us of its Hitchcockesque affinity. Much of the trick is the combination of raw beauty and talent in the lead roles. Compared to today's over-glossed, photoshopped young stars, it's a delight to see Meg Tilly and Kim Cattrall stripped to the bone (both literally and metaphorically). Tilly revels in her role as the naïve, dreaming Olivia. By her side, a stunningly good-looking Rob Lowe is all right for the part - veiling his performance as the title suggests.

While Masquerade may have resembled something from Hitchcock's hand for an hour or so, the final part is more like something out of Dynasty. Whether it was the 1980s disease or just bad judgment, the writers go over the top with plot twists, and we start thinking about logic instead of being seduced by the initial playfulness. The final climax, which is particularly stupid, was arguably the main reason for the many bad reviews this film received, but if you're willing to ignore that, Masquerade is as enjoyable and perceptive as any film in the psy-thriller genre.