Crimes de Amor

The concept of the legal gray area in Love Crimes contributes to about 10% of the movie's appeal; the other 90% can be attributed to it's flagrant bad-ness. To say that Sean Young's performance as a so-called district attorney is wooden is a gross understatement. With her bland suits and superfluous hair gel, Young does a decent job at convincing the audience of her devout hatred for men. Why else would she ask her only friend to pose as a prostitute just so she can arrest cops who try to pick up on them? This hatred is also the only reason why she relentlessly pursues a perverted photographer who gives women a consensual thrill and the driving force behind this crappy movie. Watching Young go from frigid to full-frontal nudity does little to raise interest, but the temper tantrum she throws standing next to a fire by a lake does. Watching her rant and rave about her self-loathing and sexual frustration makes Love Crimes worth the rental fee, but it's all downhill to and from there. Despite her urge to bring Patrick Bergin's character to justice, her policing skills completely escape her in the throes of her own tired lust and passion. Patrick Bergin does a decent enough job as a slimy sociopath; if it worked in Sleeping With the Enemy it sure as hell can work in this. But I can't help but wonder if the noticeable lack of energy Young brings to the film conflicts with his sliminess. I'm guessing it does and the result is a "thriller" with thrills that are thoroughly bad and yet comedic.

This is by far my favorite film of all time. That's mainly because it's not afraid to delve into some very politically incorrect topics (such as spanking and female submissiveness) that other mainstream films are just too timid to touch. Nothing seems to be off-limits in this film as the director freely develops the story without any concern given to possibly offending the viewer. However, I don't think anything was done here purely for shock value or to purposely offend anyone. Sean Young turns in an excellent and courageous performance. Most established mainstream actresses would not have taken on this role or would have asked for some major script changes before accepting it. The other cast members do a fine job as well.

Have you noticed that this movie hasn't appeared on pay cable since an obligatory brief run a year after it hit the theaters? Have you ever wondered why? The obvious reason is that it just doesn't fit today's political atmosphere. It seems quite ironic to me that some premium channels now carry softcore porn (that's getting closer and closer to hardcore porn) but will not carry a mainstream movie like "Love Crimes". Sadly, even though this movie is only 11 years old, it could probably not be made today.

District attorney Sean Young goes undercover to catch a crazed maniac (Patrick Bergin) who sexually humiliates and terrorizes women, fooling them by posing as a photographer. Naturally Young was a victim of child abuse herself and thus she becomes sucked in by Bergin's sick actions. Strangely there might actually be an attraction between the two leads. Now how sick could that possibly be? Soft-core trite the whole way here as director Lizzie Borden (who had minimal success with sexually-motivated productions and premium television programming in the mid-1990s) would rather get her performers naked and in compromising positions than tell a cohesive tale. Bergin and Young, two people that have never had any business in front of a camera, are not good enough players to give "Love Crimes" any substantiated success. Turkey (0 stars out of 5).

This review is for the UNRATED version. The R-rated version would merit a *1/2 out of 4 rating.

Slick thriller about a female district attorney (Sean Young) who uses herself as bait to lure in a con man (Patrick Bergen) who seduces woman and then forces them to do inexplicable acts. Intelligent, extremely thought provoking with a perfect performance from Sean Young. Most people call her turn wooden, because most people have only seen the awful R-rated version which edits out some important scenes. Here, her aloofness works because the con man has traumatized her and forced her into a little girl state of mind. Young's turn is complex and underrated. Her tall body and ballerina build only make her performance all the more convincing. Patrick Bergen is also very good. Sure he may not be very handsome, but the women he picks up are plain looking everyday women that could easily fall into his trap. His smooth dialogue and mannerisms make this turn work.

Film also goes where most other films would not dare to go to. There is on screen fetish scenes (involving spankings and horses), full frontal nudity, and graphic sexual situations. All of this plays key parts to the story and move the action along. None of these scenes are done for just the thrill of it. The only thing that hurts the film is the rushed ending. It just doesn't cut it. For such a smart thriller one can only naturally feel extremely disappointed. The story is progressing and then boom the ending just comes out of nowhere. Still this is a noteworthy film worth watching.

Unrated; Graphic Nudity and Sexual Situations, Strong Adult Themes, Violence and Profanity.

I read somewhere that when director Lizzie handed in this film, the producers so objected to her ending that they sniped it before release. Granted, it concludes abruptly, but the reason we're left hanging is far deeper than that. Sean Young is so puckered, she barely squeaks any personality into the character. We are left with puzzling, blue-tinted flashbacks of a sexually traumatic event, that, possibly ends in a death, I'm not sure. There's a story here--especially in the photographer/seducer--it just wasn't filmed.

But bad writing and acting are only the tip of the iceberg, unfortunately. Titanic is overall cinematic style. I'm not sure if Lizzie was going for a gritty, quasi-documentary look, but the over-lighting and shoulder-high camera angle make the film look just amateurish. Even the dark scenes at the cabin incorporate the light source in the frame, effectively ruining any atmospheric interiors. Thematically, this is about assigning blame when things go sexually awry--a very interesting and exciting subject. Fortunately, the script doesn't accept the "fry 'em" attitude of date rape that is currently correct. Unfortunately, the visual argument is hopelessly bogged down in misdirection.

At best, it's a hung jury.