Erreur parfaite

this movie quickly declares itself as a did-she or didn't-she detective mystery. i am not so sure about the plot, but it is worth contemplating and it has its distinctive moments (which is not easy when there are so many similar plots out there). the movie has that shot-in-l.a. look that makes it seem cheap even if the visuals are well conceived. director reuben preuss shows obvious talent. the real surprise is that nicolette sheridan can act. she is cast as "a walking wet dream" and even if you are not immediately captivated by her luscious looks, she quickly wins the viewer's affections with an intelligent portrayal of her character. there is one scene, in a hotel room, where ms. sheridan shows great strength, and one wonders whether BEVERLY HILLS NINJA is a fair place for such a capable actress to be plying her trade. robert davi also turns in a strong performance. harry hamlin is not my idea of a leading man. but he does not grate, and he wins for his role sufficient sympathy to keep the movie going, even if the script calls for an inhuman number of emotional twists from his character. the actor's guild should put a limit on the number of turnabouts that the writers can demand of a character. if you want to claim that this movie doesn't hold a candle to BASIC INSTINCT, ask yourself what this very capable crew might have done with a bigger budget, darker sets, and a little more time to work out the story line.

This is a pretty good movie if you like murder mysteries. Harry Hamlin does his usual good job at being the bad boy cop who does not have enough sense not to get involved with a suspect and the usual gratuitous sex was nice Ms Sheridan has the required nice Bod. And the Sax Soundtrack is familiar from the red shoes dairies movies. And it was not annoying. it surprised me at the end but I had figured it out or had a good ides about who did it. must not have been that hard to figure out if i got it right

If i wanted some mindless entertainment i would watch it again

This is definitely not the worst movie I have seen, but I still would not recommend it to anyone. Actors were bravely doing just OK, but the totally unbelievable, seen-this-million-times-but-rarely-this-badly-written plot and really cheap settings made sure this movie never really got off and the god-awful soundtrack with neverending sax torturing gave it coup de grâce.

Honestly, 4 stars is too many, but I wanted to be generous. Deceptions was not what I expected. This was the slowest-moving and most yawn-inducing film I've seen in a while. Even a physically attractive lead actor (Harry Hamlin) wasn't enough to keep me engaged. And that's unusual for me, because I love eye candy, but the acting was so melodramatic, and the plotline was so weak, that I found myself not even caring to know what the resolution of the story was. Harry Hamlin is a cop named Nick Gentry, who, along with his partner, Jack 'Harley' Kessler (Robert Davi) are investigating the murder of a man killed by his wife (Nicollette Sheridan), a socialite who spends her days walking around the house in a bikini, in what appears to be a home invasion. It's no surprise when her and Nick sleep together. Instead of remaining objective, he lets himself get hypnotized by her looks. How stupid is it for a cop to have sex with the suspect? The loopholes and inconsistencies are annoying. Not to mention, once the characters start making self-destructive moves, I'm done. If you ask me, the whole film seems to have been made just for the cast to show off their bodies. Granted, it is labeled as erotic, but I need more than that if I'm watching a mystery/crime drama. It's okay if you're looking for something mindless to watch. But if you want a solid storyline, multi-dimensional characters, or anything deep, I would suggest looking elsewhere.

DECEPTIONS (1990 TV Movie)

A woman, Adrienne Erickson, (played by Nicollette Sheridan) shoots her husband, when he breaks into their house, and tries to stage a home invasion murder.

Two cops are assigned to her case, Nick Gentry (played by Harry Hamlin) and Jack 'Harley' Kessler (played by Robert Davi). Nick gives Adrienne the benefit of the doubt, but Harley thinks everyone is guilty.

Nick and Adrienne soon fall in bed together, but is there more going on here than Nick is willing to see?

WHAT DOES WORK: *THIS MOVIE HAS A MOOD-SETTING SCORE, with lots of sexual saxophone. There's lots of beefcake and cheesecake shots of both Nicollette Sheridan & Nicollette Sheridan, who were both in their prime.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *IT'S STILL JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE No matter what, her husband broke into their house, wearing a mask, and tried to kill her. This is justifiable homicide, no matter what she knew or when she knew it. Everything else is minutiae.

*DIALOG NOT DELIVERED WELL Some of the dialog is delivered in a stiff manner, and doesn't come across as very believable.

*STUPID MOTIVATIONS At one point, Adrienne calls Nick, and implies she's going to kill herself. Nick busts in the front door, without even calling out. The last guy who did that got shot.

*HOW DOES NICK AFFORD A PORSCHE? Nick drives a 911 Targa, even though it's being redone, the parts alone would be too much for a cops salary.

*CONTINUITY PROBLEMS In one scene, at dinner Adrienne's fingernails are red, then the next scene, she's back to white tips.

*CARS DON'T EXPLODE ON IMPACT, that's TV fiction.

*MORE STUPID MOTIVATIONS Why does Nick assume Adrienne is involved when the brakes fail in her car, with him driving? Wouldn't that substantiate her claim that someone's trying to kill her?

TO RECOMMEND OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IT THE QUESTION: I would not recommend this, sheerly because of the writing. The acting is about what your expect from a '90's TV movie thriller. But there are too many unexplained plot holes for me to recommend it. Also, the twist at the end makes you hate this movie.

CLOSING NOTES: *THIS IS A MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I HAVE NO CONNECTION TO THE FILM, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.