Scissors

After a young woman (Sharon Stone) is attacked in the elevator she meets her neighbors for the first time. One of them has a secret, the other has a crush on her. Her analyst tries to help her over the attack, but when she is invited to a mysterious apartment things get worse and worse.

Not even Ronny Cox could save this film. While Cox is an incredible actor and an amazing presence, this film has a few too many annoying aspects and tends to run a bit long. Sure, there is some suspense, and you need time to build that suspense, but there is a line that divides suspense and boredom, and I think the director may have crossed that line.

There are things to like about the film (besides Cox). The quirky characters, the menacing music... much of the architecture even makes of a good background. I do not happen to be a big fan of Sharon Stone (although Netflix seems to think so, because it has suggested her films more than once now). Some say this is among her best roles. Maybe, I do not know. A good editor good fix this one up nicely.

If a film could be rated just for ideas, then perhaps i would rate higher than a five. For me, the ratings are all about the overall entertainment value that watching a movie provides... and this film did provide some entertainment! It's definitely a thriller rather than a horror. And in some ways a very simplistic thriller at that. Every character has two dimensions, or sides to their personality. Angie is schizophrenic, there, simple, two sides to a personality. The man across the hall is possibly undecided about whether he wants Angie, or wants to get back with his ex. Another two sides! His ex and his twin brother (another two!) play one role in front of him, and another when with each other! Two's company to be sure! And the list goes on.

The possible calculations of all these two's, allow the movie to traverse its twists and turns without too much friction... it's a thriller, and we don't want to know "who done it?" till the end, right?? So we learn a little about Schizo-Angie's world, and very little it is at that, and then see her plunged into a carefully designed, even designer, nut-ball apartment of hell. And believe me, what goes on would be enough to send anyone schizo, let alone someone already suffering problems! The acting is passable... Stephen Railback does well playing both twin brothers, Ronny Cox plays the same character he always does... oooh, he can look mean when he wants to! And Sharon Stone has her usual moments of smouldering sexuality, determined beauty, and vulnerable perfection which make her performance and her 20-something virginal character acceptable! However, I did spot one rather interesting fish impression... I wonder if she's thought of developing that into a mermaid role or something!!

The complexity of the situation Angie finds herself in is what really makes the film. With thrillers, or horrors, we viewers do need to ask "just how will she get out of that!" And for this low key, low budget film, they certainly made sure we asked the question!

"And what was the point of the scissors?" you ask... well, scissors have points!!

Gorgeous blonde Angela Anderson (Sharon Stone) buys some scissors from a hardware store, despite already owning countless pairs; then she spends $20 on a revolting, knackered old doll fit for a dumpster. Is she crazy? Well, yes, she is, actually - a 26-year-old virgin with deep seated mental issues relating to childhood trauma, her condition only worsening when she is almost raped in a lift by a man with a red beard.

Angela is befriended by nice-guy neighbour Alex Morgan (Steve Railsback), and continues to seek professional help from psychiatrist Dr. Stephan Carter (Ronny Cox), but neither can prevent the young woman from spiralling into madness, especially after she goes to a temp appointment, and becomes trapped in an apartment with a dead body and an accusatory raven.

This film, directed by author Frank De Felitta, would dearly like to be Repulsion with a twist, but De Felitta is no Polanski and Stone is no Deneuve. Each successive scene is worse than the one that precedes it. Stone is so bad that it is no wonder that she had to flash her minge in order to achieve the fame she desired. Railsback is every bit as bad as Stone, doubly so if you take into account that he plays both Alex and his brother Cole (both with terrible hair!). Ronny Cox is far better than this nonsense, but with a script this bad, he cannot do much to make matters any better.

The final act, in which Angie totally loses her marbles, gives Stone ample opportunity to show that subtlety and range really aren't her thing, and De Felitta unveils his ridiculous twist, making an already terrible film even worse.

Scissors is an utterly awful psycho-thriller, but still kinda fun if you have a predilection for really bad movies; I do, hence my far higher-than-it-really-deserves rating of 5/10 (if you don't find z-grade flicks entertaining, take that score and subtract at least three points).

I first saw "Scissors" some ten years ago, and I had kept some memories of it when I saw it again on tv. It fulfilled my expectations, as I remembered it as rather interesting, though somewhat far-fetched.

Several reviewers have wondered about the necessity of showing Sharon Stone's beautiful bare breasts. I think it signifies that, though she reacts frigidly to men's advances, her sexuality is nevertheless present and no longer repressed when she is alone. Most writers rightly stress the excellency of the impersonation of Sharon Stone, on her (delayed)way to stardom. However I should like to point out that Steve Railsback, a very underrated actor, is quite remarkable too in the dual role of the neighboring twins. I think the film is worth a 8.

There are so many things that make no sense and plot points that are completely meaningless. The main supporting actor, Steve Railsback plays twins, but neither of those characters story arcs play a factor in the main storyline or the climax of the film. The acting is so over the top you'd think someone told Sharon Stone this was a comedy. Almost no situation put on screen in this film makes any logical sense. There's a bird in the film and you can see the string attached to its leg that the handler is using to control it. This is definitely a so bad it's good movie, but be warned the score may be the worst I've ever heard and it's bad in a bad way and the movie is at least 15 minutes too long, so even the "good" parts can drag and get tedious at times.