Aux portes de l'enfer

BUT - I wanted to thank John Gartner of Portland for his hilarious (and sometimes educational) comments!

I'm not sure which Berenger film I saw first, but he has warmed the cockles of my heart (to be genteel) from the first. In this flick, the shot where he reveals to his lover the dirty little secret underneath his shirt was worth the whole movie! - See, we gals can salivate over just a hint of the rest of what's there - or maybe it's just me, I'm an easy mark for a certain type of... ahem... torso, shall I say? But I'll never understand why guys are even attracted to that Daisy Mae-type critter - so obvious, so over-the-top; and here, she was really, really annoying, and just wouldn't go away! I, for one liked Berenger's deceptively easy-going southern man characterization. It doesn't have to be revolutionary if it works. As for his crying scene, I didn't think it was bad at all, as it was sudden and unexpected. To me, it was his lover's reaction that came across as forced and unconvincing.

What I like about this actor is that he often plays roles as what I consider a real man - he's a man's man, yet fully capable (sooner or later, often gradually) of connecting with a woman in a palpably tender way. If you think about it, there aren't many actors who can achieve this. They're either too intense at being tough to switch gears believably, or they're too obsessed with being proper at all times...sorta like a lot of actual people...

So, I guess I'll not heartily defend the script or the plot, etc., but I will vouch for Tom Berenger. In my book, he reliably adds quality to any film.

An Occasional Hell is one of countless cable TV crime melodramas that start to blur together if you've seen enough. They don't often have high budgets, and as such usually only contain a few elements: a handful of actors, a murder mystery, deception, eroticism and very little in the way of fancy special effects. This one has a solid lead in Tom Berenger, who can make anything watchable, and great supporting players who pitch in as well. The story, or lack thereof, is where the problem arises. Berenger plays an ex cop and forensics wizard turned college professor, who is hired by sultry widow Valeria Golino (remember her from Hot Shots? Lol) to solve the murder of her husband and his hot young mistress (Kari Wuhrer), who has vanished. It turns out the mistress may have been involved with drug runners (random) the state troopers get involved and it's all one big mess that neither Berenger nor the plot can seem to figure out. There's a cynical lead Trooper played by a snarky, laid back Robert Davi, and other assorted people including Richard Edson, Ellen Greene, Geoffrey Lewis and a kooky Stephen Lang, who shows up in flashbacks as Golino's eccentric civil war enthusiast husband. None of it makes all that much sense or seems to flow in a way that's believable, but Berenger makes it somewhat worthwhile, as do that other players. Just below average stuff.

I've seen Valeria Golino in comedies, but till now not in such a film. In this film she shows what an allround actress can. I was deeply impressed by both of the players, Tom and Valeria. It's a pity that I didn't see the full length of the film, but it held me in my chair from the beginning to the end. My advice: See the movie.

As the opening credits roll, there is a montage of Civil War photographs flashing on the screen. This is a definite reminder of two facts. the movie you are about to see takes place in the deep South ( as if that needed explaining), and that two Confederate Officers from the fabulous film "Gettysburg" are in "An Occasional Hell". So you get Tom Berenger and Stephen Lang, with Berenger given very little to work with, and Lang barely in the movie. Suspects abound but with little logic as to why they might commit a murder. I found this film to be confusing, unsatisfying, with a rushed conclusion, that makes little sense. Throw in the unending flashbacks, and what you are left with is a mess of a movie. Avoid. - MERK

"An Occasional Hell" is a low point in Tom Berenger's career. His acting in this picture is so lifeless that when people refuse to tell him what they know about the case he's investigating, he looks as if he's about to say "Fine, what do I care anyway?". The script is so slow-moving that at times it doesn't seem to be moving at all, and the direction is so pedestrian that, without the brief flashes of nudity, this could easily pass off as a TV movie. Apparently everyone associated with this movie was just too tired to even try making something good out of it. Everyone, that is, except Kari Wuhrer, who is incredibly sexy as always, and gives the film its only spark; sadly, her role is all-too-brief. (*1/2)