Sob a Sombra do Mal

James Spader at his best. Michael (James Spader) is a v successful young man in LA in late 80s who has trouble saying no.

He has a controlling girlfriend. An older brother who is an underachiever and always borrows money. A coworker who is v manipulative and walks all over him.

His life is being "run" for him. Until he meets Alex (Rob Lowe) who is a rogue, bravado guy who does whatever he wants. Michael (James Spader) is drawn to him.

It starts out fun but Michael later finds out "grass is always greener on the other side", and his life was a actually pretty good when it was "boring".

Rob Lowe his 80s good looking best. Fun movie if you were an 80s yuppie and want to see the South Bay Area in LA. Nostalgic.

I enjoyed this movie very much, which is why it got seven stars from me, but it's by no means a fantastic or transcendent experience. It does it's job as a thriller ably, and it's worth watching.

The good: You do care about the characters, and James Spader and Rob Lowe are both fantastic actors who are on the top of their game here. It's interesting to see Spader play a guy who isn't super cool and self assured for a change, and he handles it well. Lowe channels a bit of Patrick Bateman and creates a great GQ sociopath. The supporting cast is quite good as well, however this could very well have been a two-man film, as you can fit the dialog of all the other characters in the movie combined onto maybe two sheets of paper. The director also had a great eye for style, as the locations, clothing and music were gorgeous and perfectly suited to the era, and gave the film a great deal of authenticity.

The bad: I'm not entirely convinced why Spader was so quick to discard his fiancé (who was beautiful, rich and from all indications a very nice person that cared for him a great deal). The film never really sets up any kind of conflict or apprehension between the couple to justify Spader's truly rash behavior. Yes, I get that he wanted a taste of the bad-boy life that Lowe was a part of, but he seemed to throw it all away far too easily and willingly. For the type of character that he was, I'd expect a little more internal conflict, moralizing and apprehension to go along with a decision like that. It just seems like his descent was inexplicably rapid and left a lot of questions unanswered. Beyond that, I think the ending (or last 30 minutes or so) could have been done a little better.

The good does really outweigh the bad, and the movie is genuinely worth watching if you're a fan of the genre. Don't expect a Michael Mann film, but you can definitely get some solid entertainment value out of it nonetheless.

James Spader is typically engaging in the role of Michael, a wimpy yuppie who tends to not stand up for himself. He is about to get obliterated by a jealous boyfriend in a bar, when a stranger (Rob Lowe) steps in to save his ass. He ends up running into Lowe again, and thanks him, and a curious relationship develops. "Alex" (Lowe) introduces the element of risk into Michaels' life, and helps him "grow a pair", so to speak. But Michael soon learns that only dark things will come out of this supposed "friendship", and he realizes that he must eliminate Alex from his life.

"Bad Influence" is a decent thriller set in hip, "modern era" California, with various clubs and parties used as backdrops. Well shot by Robert Elswit, it boasts a screenplay by then relatively fresh screenwriter David Koepp. It may not be on the level of "Strangers on a Train", but it entertains in compelling enough fashion. The give and take between our hero and his nemesis creates sufficient tension, as Alex sets about trying to prove that he was merely exposing the hidden ugly side that Michael wasn't showing the world. As this plays out, you can't help but sympathize with Michael to some degree, as the story turns into this kind of nightmare that seems to have no end in sight. There are some sexy ladies in the cast, and a little dose of gore, so this thriller does deliver in terms of some sex and violence. Director Curtis Hanson, who at this time hadn't yet achieved mainstream recognition, guides it all in style.

Lowe is decent as the shady antagonist with the undetermined motives. He seems to be just plain evil. Spader outshines him, of course, and receives strong support from a cast including Lisa Zane, Kathleen Wilhoite, Marcia Cross, Tony Maggio, Grand L. Bush, and John de Lancie. Keep your eyes peeled for David Duchovny, who appears fleetingly in a club scene. Christian Clemenson delivers a standout performance as Michaels' slightly pathetic brother who tries to redeem himself in his siblings' eyes.

Solid entertainment that picks up considerably in its second half.

Seven out of 10.

This is the most textbook demonstration of Nietzsche I've ever seen. Rob Lowe is the gifted liar prepared to go all the way to get whatever he wants and keep himself entertained. Spader is the timid, uptight yuppie who doesn't understand just how much he's in for when Lowe's "will to power" rubs off on him. What ensues would bring anybody back to good old fashioned organized religion. A morality play taken to extremes that nonetheless works as a thriller, too. Worth seeing. 8.

When you encounter a bad movie, the tendency is to just blow it off. After all, most folks are largely incompetent at what they do. But if you check the credentials of the people involved, you have to think again.

The writer has written successful movies as well as fine ones. "Snake Eyes" is great until the end, a fine examination or watching for us to watch. And "Panic Room" is an experiment in making a building a character.

The director has written and directed films that show he understands the mechanics of noir, the very thing being tinkered with here. Spader has been involved in several noir-bending adventures, always as a contributor.

What went wrong? The pitch certainly would have been "noir personified," specifically by mixing in the "visitor that changes lives" genre. Noir is when a man or couple get accidentally caught up in mischievous fate, fate that seems to actively play with their lives.

A well established derivative is the "omniscient serial killer" genre, which to some extent puts a face on fate. "Funny Games" is a similar experiment in building calmly human dervishes. But it is an entirely different matter to make fate a friend. That's what's attempted here. It may be possible, but not the simple way that's tried.

The minor fold here is that fate uses film (video) in the two events around which the story turns.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.