Salvami!

One of the curses of the night owl life is that movies like this surface on the cables at 3am, and for whatever reason I must watch the whole bleepin' thing sunrise be-darned.

I saw this on, what else, the Showtime Women's channel. I hate to admit it but I agree with the IMDb reviewer from 1999: the only reason to watch this nonsense from start to finish is to see Lysette Anthony naked. Everything in between is the bonehead self-absorbed stuff that burns through the Gross Domestic Product of whole countries in a Hollywood week. I can not believe people get paid to do this stuff.

Whatever else there is to say about this, it is always good to see Steve Railsback on screen, even when his dialogue is worthy of a 7th grade playwright. This is a really stupid movie, full of zero- quality acting.

The premise of the film seems very clear-cut, with no surprises to be had. Nonetheless, there was a moment after I discovered the title, and before I began watching, that I thought there may be a possibility of something a bit more noteworthy. After all, there are some solid names in the cast, and surely they wouldn't be dragged into total pablum, would they?

Well. Olivia Hussey has barely any time on screen - a grand total of about 1 minute, if that; I assume her appearance was fulfillment of some contractual obligation, or perhaps a favor owed. Throughout Michael Ironside's career, he has turned in portrayals that have ranged from enthusiastically all-in to perfunctorily phoning it in - and his turn here is on the latter end of the spectrum. I can't say I'm particularly familiar with Harry Hamlin, but I've seen him around; whatever his list of credits may portend, in this instance his acting is less than convincing - generally subdued, and rather bereft of nuance. For what it's worth, Lysette Anthony seems to be the only person in the cast to give a meaningful performance - maybe just as much to the point, hers is the only role written with sufficient complexity to allow her space to emote. As Ellie she ably demonstrates range and nuanced poise to bring the character to life. Unfortunately, for much of the length, opportunities for Anthony to show her skills as an actress are outnumbered by the scenes that merely require her to be unclothed.

I don't think 'Save me' is outright bad. It definitely leaves a lot to be desired, though.

The initial scenes of romance feel forced and inorganic. If not every last one, there are still a few major story beats here are predictable somewhat early on. Though I can appreciate the induction of minor admirable themes at the climax, they make for specious motivation considering how the character in question had been written all throughout the rest of the movie previously, and feel shoehorned in as they are. The very end, the literal last few seconds, are plainly overdone. There's poor balance between the thriller plot, and the steamy romance. Factor in broadly lackluster displays of acting, and it's hard to be truly invested in the movie. It's kind of enjoyable, but only just.

I suppose the technical craft and rounding details are quite fine, including costume design, hair and makeup, sound design, and so on. If unexceptional, and despite the mentioned unbalance, I do think the scene writing from one moment to the next is reasonably strong, and the execution of each, too - love scene, drama, and action alike. Why, there's even a small sense of tension, and suspense; would that I could be more enthusiastic about the narrative overall. Fair as they are, however, these don't truly stand out, nor counterbalance the lack of readily striking construction elsewhere in the film. If not for Lysette Anthony giving an admirable, comparably adept performance (evident even through the constraints of the sultry side of the writing) I don't know that I could say there was much of anything especially distinct about 'Save me.' There's not enough here to distinguish it from similar titles.

In all fairness, if you're looking for a thriller filled with (softcore) eroticism, then this is pretty much exactly the movie you want. And to be clear, I don't dislike 'Save me'; I think there were good ideas here. But the screenplay isn't wholly sound, and its realization is essentially just all around unremarkable. Unless you're a specific fan of someone in the cast, or unless this is precisely what you were seeking in the first place, there's no reason to go out of your way to find this picture. Still, it's not the worst way to pass 90 minutes.

Recommended if you want a passably entertaining thriller without needing to actively engage with it.

At the start of the movie, Jim Stevens has to explain to his young son Kenny that parents sometimes have to spend time apart. It's not that he and Kenny's mother hate each other, but he and Kenny both wish things could be different.

And if you were looking for a family movie, that is all you should watch.

Jim goes to a mall to buy a present for Kenny, and he sees this beautiful woman walk into a lingerie store. Ellie tries on a sexy teddy, and she actually walks out into the store still wearing it. Jim desperately tries not to appear to be a pervert.

Outside the store, Oliver shows up angry, and his behavior suggests that he abuses Ellie. Ellie writes a note with her phone number and the words "Save Me". Jim calls the number and Ellie suggests meeting at Santa Monica Pier. There, she explains that Oliver is the psychiatrist in charge of her mother's care, that she wants to break up with him, and that he will do anything to stop her from leaving.

Jim sells bonds for Barton and Robbins, and while he has made lots of money for them in the past, the company has been carrying him for a year and this has to stop. And on that day he had the talk with Kenny, Jim did show up late and dressed like a construction worker while everyone else was wearing nice suits. Barton seems to be on his side, but Jim's new boss Michael wishes he were in charge so he could just fire Jim. Jim refuses to go against his values, which Michael doesn't have. On what may be a related note, someone with Michael's values handles Oliver's money.

Jim's values are quite different where personal relationships are concerned. He doesn't seem to be formally separated from his wife, and yet what happens with Ellie makes this a forbidden romance/women in jep movie typical of Lifetime. Actually, we don't really see Ellie in jeopardy nearly as much as we see Jim running for his life.

Jim's friend Matthew offers help in solving the Oliver problem, and he has a cabin with a hot tub to which he invites Jim and Ellie.

The second half almost redeems the movie. There are some unexpected plot twists. Or, if you're the type who can see these things coming a mile away, lame plot twists. But I enjoyed them. Also a pretty good car chase.

Even if this wasn't any better than a typical TV-movie, Michael Ironside and Lysette Anthony give superior performances (well, for this material, anyway). I wasn't sure if it was just the accent in Anthony's case, but later I realized she was talented. Bill Nunn did a good job as the detective. Only one acting performance was truly bad: Steve Railsback as the evil boss Michael.

If you enjoy watching a woman just get undressed, there's a scene in the lingerie store that should make you feel cheap and dirty. Since the credits say "nude model", I have to wonder if the scene was redone for TV. I didn't see much of Ellie either, which I understand is a shame.

I wouldn't say good, only "good enough".

In the wake of "Fatal Attraction" and "Basic Instinct" came a bunch of bad to average movies that followed the same basic formula. This is one of those such films. On the surface, this film should have been better. Lysette Anthony, Harry Hamlin, and Michael Ironsides are all great actors, but it's obvious that they weren't giving 100% in this one, and the writing and dialogue didn't give them much to work with. A viewer will easily figure out what's going on long before the main character does.

I've had a crush on Lysette Anthony since seeing her in "Krull" as a child, so, as other reviewers have said, the only redeeming feature of this movie for many people will be seeing her nude for much of it.

Incidentally, if you want to see a better but similar film, try "Dream Lover".

(1994) Save Me ADULT THRILLER/ MYSTERY

After the success of Basic Instinct. Release one year prior to this one, other companies came out that possess a similar theme.

It centers on businessman and separated, Jim Stevens (Harry Hamlin) entering into a boutique, when as soon as he spots Ellie (Lysette Anthony) wearing a piece of lingerie, he begins to notice her. When her spouse, Oliver (Michael Ironside) shows up and when Jim leaves, Elie and Oliver then leave soon after. But not when Ellie leaves a sticky note behind for him to look at! And upon looking at the footnote, it says "Save me!" hence the title with her phone number written on it for him to call her. We find out Oliver is a professional and licensed shrink and he tries to convince him to not to believe everything she is telling him.

When I first saw this movie, I was a horny little teenager and did not pay too close attention to the movie and set up itself. But after re-watching it again after many years later, the movie is not half as bad, considering it is a little predictable with some twists.