Motivo

The plot: An arrogant businessman tries to hold on to his charmed life after an ill-advised affair threatens to bring down everything.

Motives is a low budget, direct-to-video erotic thriller. Erotic thrillers often end up being half gritty noir and half soft-core porn, and Motives isn't any different. The noir element was fairly straightforward if a bit derivative, with a pretty decent twist at the end. However, the sex scenes were so unconvincing and amateurish that I almost laughed. I've seen better sex scenes in made-for-cable movies back in the 1980s when there was nothing else to watch after midnight.

Motives has an all Black cast, which could be either viewed as a gimmick or an attempt to break out of the stereotypical "Black" movie. I think it's a bit of both, really. It's also got a soundtrack chock full of R&B ballads, which really didn't do anything for me. I prefer heavy metal or classical music. Given the movie's demographics, however, this is probably a better choice than Iron Maiden or Judas Priest.

Though it sometimes degenerates into soap opera melodrama, it always comes back to thriller territory eventually. If you're looking for an original, slick, and sexy thriller, Motives might not be the best choice. If you just want something to pass the time, it'll do.

One of the outcomes of the struggle Black actors in Hollywood obviously face (judging from their relative absence on the screen) is that one can afford to have an entire cast of actors who can actually act. Much that comes out of the mainstream film industry is that a star or two leads of relatively unseasoned, mediocre cast of pretty faces. Films such as this, with a notably soap-operaish plot, brighten the screen and captivate out interests because of the talent of so many talented actors on one screen, in one film. It's was an experience to see seasoned actors play off one another, feeding viewers desire to see what would happen next. And Vivica Fox is just fierce. Shemar Moore and most of the others are fine, too!

No pun intended - this reminds me a bit of the Trois series (if you can call it that I reckon) ... this thankfully was only two movies: this one and the sequel of course. Not really a great story behind it - and even worse humans representing them. I doubt many will feel with the main character here ... we are supposed to root for him and he goes and does stuff that ... well again mostly we shouldn't like.

That said, it doesn't mean he did something horrible ... the thing he is accused of. His wife seems quite unaware - and you may not like her. Even when she does make sense (trying to hold him accountable) ... I reckon some may find her annoying. But Vivica A. Fox is right ... and should actually be the most likeable character ... until she undoes everything towards the end ... which may make you think ... well I won't go into details! And the sequel will shine some light on the questions that may have felt like they are not answered here.

Still predictable - I think you can waste your time with better stuff. Even if I do like the actors (most of them) involved in this project.

Thin script, average acting, dumb plot but l liked looking at Shemar Moore. For the male viewers beautiful women added spice to an amateur B movie production. Kinda like a porn movie without the porn....watch and you will see what I mean.

Motives is a souped up soap opera with a restricted rating due to graphic sexual content, more sex with a little violence thrown in . Everyone looked so pretty and the life these fine people lived definately makes you want to covet. It was an interesting film just easily one read like a Soap Opera hyped up in its own melodrama.

Emery Sims played by pretty boy Shamar Moore, is just that, a pretty boy who owns a restaurant business who's very wealthy and respected in the community. When a consensual affair goes wrong along with a murder investigation pending, Sims world begans to spiral down. But as the events unfold Sims begins to question the ones closest to him including his most trusted wife played by Vivica Fox. I thought her perfomance was bland in this movie as they made her into the attractive yet subdued nagging wife.

So yes its been done before and its all acting. Need I say two of Young and the Restless' (Moore and Rowell) were plucked from this sitcom. I also found the beginning subplot unnecessarily used for this story. I do however support the rise of more all star casts of African Americans in films whether their backed independently or not. I just wished that the storylines weren't so confined to stereotypes and overdone material. There's no slighting of the actors because I'm a fan of Fox and Rowell. And let's not forget the knockout performance from Mr. Joe Torrey himself. Just lose the material. You have a potential fan waiting.