Kidnapping

Full disclosure here...I picked up this movie because I love to look at Dominic Purcell. So charismatic is this very attractive guy that he can make smoking sexy (and he does A LOT of it during the film). Believe me, an actor must have a high degree of sexiness to make me still like him when he smokes this much. And I must give the director credit, the sex (at times gratuitous but always fun) gives equal time to all genders...the women are sexy, the men are sexy, and each really seems to enjoy the act- this must be a difficult task to pull off, at least in a mainstream movie when the sex is not real. But I don't mean to overemphasize the sex in this potboiler. It is hot (although not as hot as it could be...), but, at times, it is actually integral to the plot. I will go topic by topic in my review... Acting: pretty darned good, except Ms. Gershon. She starts out with a bang, with one overheard scene (a nice touch by the intriguing writer), but she falters in an awful scene that attempts to capitalize on the untapped possibilities of Stockholm syndrome; but top honors have to go to Joy Bryant, in a thankless role that gives her some puzzling lines to deliver, some of which are confusing (very), at least until the denouement. Ms Larter need some work (despite some interesting work in fluff like American Outlaws and the Final Destination series), and she certainly cannot deliver some hardboiled lines like those after her sexual encounter with the kinda hot Desmond Harrington which deal with the problem of secrets, namely that no one can keep them. Mr Yoakam, as always, deserves better- he smolders with an odd sexuality that rivets the watcher as long as he is on the scene; he even makes pain believable. Directing: like I said, somehow the director makes the sex interesting for people of all sexes and sexual persuasions (I especially like Purcell's tattoos), but at times some of his scenes seem forced. The stand-out is the overheard scene between Harrington and Gershon (although, oddly, Ms. Larter can't pull it off)...credit the writer for this, which brings me to... Writing: some very interesting stuff (despite the dialogue between Larter and Harrington in their car toward the beginning- but perhaps we should blame Larter). The theme of overheard plans (however well-laid they may be) may be derived from the book (I don't know), but its commonness in the film is a reason I think this writer is smarter than the material he has been given- the script sets up events in a necessary manner which is often lacking these days; how many times have you said to yourself, why is this happening? This event does not necessarily follow from the last! There is a GREAT scene toward the end between Bryant and Purcell when they don't quite understand one another that is hilarious, but it is so subtle that it may be missed. The ending: well, despite some tantalizing dialogue, the ending is not so much a surprise as a relief. Everyone gets what they deserve, and the right people end up with one another. I just wish Yoakam's character had reached a more interesting end- at least we get one last look at Purcell on the beach. Perhaps he is more appealing to gay males, but, well, give him a chance, women! Overall, if you are a little drunk on a Fri night and want some sexual titillation paired with some degree of intellectual stimulation, you could do worse than this thriller. At least it holds together and provides a great deal of pleasure, even if it won't be on any Academy voter's list.

1st watched 5/29/2006 - 4 out of 10(Dir-Scott Ziehl): So-so straight to video story about blackmailers being blackmailed by a man who overhears their plot to kill the man's current wife and receive the inheritance. The man who overhears the plot is played by Dominic Purcell as Lew, who just happens to have a checkered past himself and is looking for a way to disappear and thinks he's found it. Other characters enter the story including the brother of someone that the main character supposedly killed and is played by Dwight Youkim and the wife who is supposed to be ofted, played by Gina Gershon. These two more well known names have smaller parts but the DVD box tries to sell them as stars in the movie. Joy Bryant has a bigger role as Lew's girlfriend and partner in his scheme and does a good job in her character. The problem with the movie is that the story doesn't keep your interest and Purcell doesn't do a very good job of carrying the movie. He plays his part half-heartedly and the movie moves along at the same speed making for a very, as I said before, so-so movie.

THREE WAY is a modern-day attempt to update the classic 1940s film noir genre to a modern setting, featuring a protagonist up to his neck in murky dealings as he attempts to turn a planned kidnapping to his own advantage. The title and the inclusion of some extraneous sex scenes make this look like an attempt to plough the same furrow as WILD THINGS, but this is nowhere near as good.

Dominic Purcell's protagonist is one of the worst things about this: he's ineffective and weak throughout, and you just wish he'd man up and throw a punch here and there. None of the other cast members are particularly good, with Gina Gerson's role a limited one - she seems to be included for name value alone.

Although the convoluted plotting could have been interesting in better hands, often the writing feels lazy here and many sequences which should be suspenseful just aren't - they're boring instead. After I finished watching, I couldn't help but consider this a waste of time.

Lew (Dominic Purcell) is a carpenter with a past, who accidentally hears the conversation of two lovers in a car in an isolated spot about a kidnapping of a woman of a wealthy local family. He architects a plan with his girlfriend Rita (Joy Bryant) to steal the ransom from the couple, but things do not work how planned. "3-Way" is a erotic and sexy film-noir, with a very reasonable story and very beautiful actresses. There are many plot points and double-crosses, and I found it interesting. However, the commercial conclusion spoils the film. The director and the writer should have seen the masterpiece "Body Heat" and offer an end more suitable for such amoral story. The participation of Gina Gershon is minimum, basically to give her name to the credits. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Seqüestro, Chantagem e Morte" ("Kidnapping, Blackmail and Death")

"The participation of Gina Gershon is minimum, basically to give her name to the credits." No offense Ms. Gershon, but DUDE from Brazil obviously must be a big fan of yours, "Watch out" - I had to actually "IMDB" Gina, b/c I could not place her in anything. I came to this movie b/c I saw that Ali Larter produced - 'VERY HOT LADY' if you are reading this Ali 'Just one date, please?!!' I did see that Dwight Yoakum is in this movie and I may just rent it since it also sounds good. The ten line minimum must be done away with, it is really annoying. Please do not block my account!!!!! I'm seriously not trying to pad my comment, its just that I feel that 1000 words and/or 10 lines is way too much.