Tempted

I have to say i quite enjoyed this movie, i am the worlds biggest "Burt Reynolds" fan, although I was a bit confused with his part in the film, I dident know if he was the good guy or the bad guy, I still scratching my head over that one. I also thought "Saffron Burrows" did a great job in her part, although I was very surprized to see her do nudity in the film, you don't see that too often.

8/10

Burt Reynolds looked spooky with his new facelift, but no one can take away his first-rate timing in line delivery, and his character in this semi-clever thriller from writer/director Bill Bennett is aptly creepy and unpredictable. The plot is quite intriguing: a rich old man hires a handsome young carpenter to test the fidelity of his beautiful young wife. There's money, power, and sex on the table, and the performers revel in Bennett's seething New Orleans atmosphere. Burt's surprisingly effective voiceover at the start of the film gives us a backdrop of sweaty summers and secretive swamps, and Bennett's persuasive presentation makes most of the film's more or less preposterous suggestions seem believable, even downright irresistible.

"Tempted" tries to be one of those sweaty New Orleans noir crime flicks about infidelity, jealousy, deceit, temptation, treachery, and murder. Unfortunately the film plays out like a B-flick in all respects from shallow characters whom were not given a reason to care if they live or die to a convoluted and minimally interesting story with soporific side effects. A marginal small screen watch at best for crime junkies only. (D+)

"Tempted" sounds like a great idea. It's about a wealthy man who hires a young law student to "tempt" his wife, in order for the wealthy man to see if she's loyal to him. Naturally, the wealthy man is crazy jealous, and eventually there are a lot of dead bodies.

Burt Reynolds is by far the best actor on this film. For whatever reason Burt has gone through his own marriage troubles and he brings that out in staggering fashion. The movie was worth it because of Burt.

However everything ELSE about the film - the other actors, the script, photography, etc. etc. is very average.

If there's anything a lower budget film should excel in, it's the script - because that's where you make up for lack of money for the rest of the project. But it was clumsy, overworked, cliched, .. a draft that's been through too many Hollywood "story seminars" - there are too many clunky plot elements in a bland effort to liven things up, when it should have been fixed by sticking to the main story and improving the ACTING, and little details that add to the overall mood.

There's a subplot regarding a murder conspiracy that's majorly half-baked - it seems like the start of ANOTHER script by the same writer, but simply not out of the oven yet.

Most of the actor's emotions don't track well through the film - except for Burt. The supposed "feelings" between the law student and the wife always come off as hollow. Even when she's supposedly trying to kill him, they have one last sheepish meeting at a bar with awkward dialog - it doesn't make sense. Her motivation for sleeping with him turned out to be interesting though..

The movie seems to share a lot in common with "Body Heat" - an 80's film script touted as a winner by the king of script hacks, Syd Field. There's the wealthy husband, the beautiful but dangerous wife, and the morally ambiguous lawyer. The difference? Body Heat kept things simple - and William Hurt played the young lawyer.

In summary, watch it for BURT, man that guy can act. I found the whole idea of him creating a "self fulfilling prophecy" fascinating - it's almost like he relentlessly (and fatally) stabs himself emotionally and doesn't know why.

I found the film nailed me from the beginning, this film has nearly everything a decent film has to have , good-great acting, an original concept, a good trace of the pilot, many turns and twists...

See this film without high expectations, its not a classic , but a film that will keep you on your seat while watching it, thats for sure.