chmollo

What a waste of talent. John Howard was brilliant in Sea Change but even he couldn't save this predictable drivel. Stunts were OK but stunts without context or any connection to the characters can only do so much. You want stunts, watch Jackie Chan. Curiously, watching this movie made me think of The Children's Hour, which i had just watched, where so much was told with so little. This film does the exact opposite.

I did get excited at one point because i thought i recognized Zach and Mark from Aunty Donna, and then i imagine how they would have improved this movie. I think Broden could play the antagonist.

There are a few movies around that make you feel violated when you make it through to the end. Se7en is one, this is on par with that I think, although I think this one edges the other one out. Maybe. From Hell is another, but somehow that one just reaches me on a revulsion level, possibly too disgusting to be emotionally affecting enough. Unfortunately in the case of this film it is compelling viewing, so it's not like you want to just get up and walk away. And by the time the truly disturbing stuff happens you're already in the middle of it, and what has been seen cannot be unseen. So in a way I wish I'd never seen this film, which is well constructed noir outing with Mickey Rourke in his most convincing role and Deniro also at his best. I note some complaints about the FX at the end and these are possibly justifiable, but this is 1987 people, the era of the Amiga.

My youngest child took a liking to this film which we had lying around the house for some inexplicable reason. Graphically and sonically it is appallingly bad. Most scenes are shades of red. As if that weren't enough to induce a headache, wait until you hear Judge Reinhold's singing. I give it 2 because it's so bad you can kind of enjoy it. The song "why won't you marry me?" is kind of catchy, but often the vocals and music don't seem to relate to each other. Quite an experience. Michael York's performance as the very annoying cat is also quite reasonable, in a film where the king's great dramatic line is "oh dear oh dear". You have been warned.