Olhos de Serpente

Being a HUGE Madonna fan I had to have this film. Dangerous Game is good and bad for many reasons. First.. It's confusing...but mainly because you don't know where the characters who are playing characters start and end. But that also may be what the director intended.

Second.. the editing.. it was rushed or done on equipment that was of little quality. There are times when the dubs are not with the video.. some parts are a mess.. but again.. intended or not?

Thirdly the acting. Keitel is ... well... Keitel... not too much of a stretch.. Keitel, Russo, and Madonna often times seem to improvise... few lines seem scripted.

Sidebar on Madonna and acting...

Madonna usually has a shining moment or two in most of her films, but more often than not Madonna and acting don't mix. I can say that because I am a Madonna fan. Madonna is the "Queen Of Deadpan," she says a line and... NOTHING. She seems to be thinking about her next line while the other person is speaking, which hinders delivery and expression... plus she blinks WAY too much. Those are her biggest acting flaws... DIRECTORS TAKE NOTE... I summed it up... VOILA!

But I digress...

In Dangerous Game, Madonna shows us some of her BEST ACTING TO DATE! There are countless scenes where she is not left to carry the film. She lets her hair down and is actually believable. The scene near the end.. with Keitel actually egging her on to get a REAL reaction. "You think you're so smart"... is BRILLIANT!

Finally... Often times there are scenes where the director seems to use genuine behind-the-scenes footage of Madonna, Keitel and Russo. Sadly the only reason I say this is because Madonna's acting is too good and her performance too genuine. This again confuses the audience. Intended or not?

This film is extremely choppy... very gritty... very dirty... very raw... very sick... very violent..

but very boring in some sections...

I didn't enjoy this film the first time I saw it, and often times I fast forward through scenes when I watch it today. But, the film does have some quality to it that makes you ask... Was that supposed to happen? Is that Madonna or Sarah or what? Did they? Did She? Oh My!

If you like a movie where the ending is not black and white you'll enjoy Dangerous Game.

This one is not your typical Hollywood fare. Emotionally gripping and confronting, "Dangerous Game" cuts to the core of human nature and our search for answers and meaning. Abel Ferrara's exploration of our desires, fears, and failings rings painfully true. Starring Madonna (don't let that put you off) Harvey Keitel and James Russo, and directed by Abel Ferrara, this is an interesting psychological drama about a directors obsession with his film, and the stars breakdown of reality during their making of it. This film is filmed like a documentary about the actors in their film how they get on or not get on you will have to watch it to get the benefit, my description is not fulfilling the content of the film very well.

Madonna and Harvey Keitel are extremely good on their roles, and Madonna is actually able to prove that she can be very good if the role is good enough. She delivers a sincere performance about an actress too embroiled in the characters she plays. Along with the legendary Harvey Keitel, the cast does an amazing job portraying the seedy underbelly of the film industry, using what appears to be old- school method acting. Possibly the best Madonna performance in a movie ever! Such a shame her acting didn't continue along this road. She's actually very credible in this and years later, the movie itself seems much more cohesive than it was upon first viewing.

Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

One of the first movies in a while to really drag me in, possibly thanks to the performances of the leads.

This feels REAL, and it's intense. A movie about the making of a movie where the drama is just as solid and visceral off-screen as it is on, but it's not some reality TV rubbish, it's a deeper reflection on life and relationships. That is, the movie that's depicted as being filmed, and the movie you're watching.. like layers of Inception.

This movie studies what people need to be whole, whether they're intrinsic or extrinsic, whether they need others, need drugs, need alcohol, money, god, or can be whole within themselves. The confusion that lust sows. The conflicts that occur when those needs are at odds between partners. The nature of need. How sometimes when we love someone, they become a part of us, and the separation becomes physical.

Finally a movie that was worth my time.

While shooting a movie in Los Angeles about the abused wife Sarah Jennings (Madonna) that has converted to Christian and her husband Francis Burns (James Russo) that misses their orgies, the New Yorker director Eddie Israel (Harvey Keitel) pushes his lead actor and actress to the edge affecting their real lives. Eddie has one brief affair with Sarah but he feels also affected by his work and confesses the truth about his many infidelities to his wife Mad Israel (Nancy Ferrara), blurring fiction and reality and destroying his marriage.

"Dangerous Game" is a sort of experimental "movie within a movie" showing a parallel journey to hell of the character, lead actor and director blended with sex, drugs and booze. The result is a strange and unpleasant movie but very well acted, especially by Madonna that has a magnificent and very convincing performance. It is not entertaining and certainly not the best film of Abel Ferrara, but for fans like me it is worthwhile watching it. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Olhos de Serpente" ("Eyes of Snake")

This is a strange and disturbing experimental movie. A rare and great performance by Madonna. She actually can act under the control of the right director. Although, I hear she hated. It seems ironic that she finally makes a good movie and doesn't even realize it. I guess she made some complaints that she thought her character was going to be stronger. (Funny, if she wants to be a Feminist Avenger, or some kind of role model of strength, maybe she shouldn't have made a career out of exploiting herself for fame and the all mighty dollar. Okay, now I'm ranting, but isn't funny how men are especially really down with the NeoFeminist Bull about how it's actually empowering for women to exploit themselves.) Ferrara plays with the autobiographical nature of the subject matter. The plot centers on a film director who compartmentalizes his personal and professional life, until the secrets of his professional life overwhelm him.