Directed by:
Jane CampionCinematography:
Dion BeebeComposer:
Hilmar Örn HilmarssonCast:
Meg Ryan, Mark Ruffalo, Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nick Damici, Sharrieff Pugh, Patrice O'Neal, Arthur J. Nascarella, Sunrise Coigney, Michelle Hurst (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
The movie about a woman who becomes increasingly involved in a serial murder case--and with the detective in charge. Adapted from Susanna Moore's novel and directed by Jane Campion (The Piano), the film stars Ryan as Frannie Avery, a writing professor whose non-descript life takes a disturbing turn after she becomes a potential witness in a deadly case. Soon, she finds herself drawn into a torrid affair with the lead investigator (Mark Ruffalo)...even as the killer draws closer to her inner circle. (Home Box Office)
(more)Reviews (3)
A murder thriller wrapped up in a melancholic mood. Jane Campion has a troubled soul and likes to exorcise her demons through cinematic images. But she shouldn’t get into things she is unfamiliar with. From the thriller perspective, the plot moves forward terribly slowly; the film is thus boring, predictable and, in its surprising ending, more naïve than shocking and suspenseful. And that controversial close-up of a blow job in the opening scene exists only so people will talk about it.
()
Well shot dreadful screenplay. Two distinct and notably discordant halves fail to connect even with the crucial twist starting the final chaos, nor the desperately bewildered Meg Ryan. The overly long dialogues do not help to penetrate the characters under the skin, and the flashy flashbacks can extract from boredom, but in the end, they remain mere empty inserts. The erotically inclined storyline of Frannie's personal life then irritates with its openness, which instead of aiding the story, buries it under layers of lascivious and unfortunately occasionally ridiculous scenes. The biggest problem, however, is when lofty phrases appear in dialogues or monologues, which the heroes simply squander emptily. It's a shame for the unpredictable Ruffalo, who doesn't deserve such a film in his filmography, the rest remains a pitiful, albeit occasionally striving, attempt.
()
Visually, it’s very well done (camera, editing, flashbacks, fast-paced scenes), but the director struggled with the content, resulting in a bland genre mix that might be enjoyable, but it probably won't last in memory longer than a few hours. For a shocking women's drama, it lacks more dramatic moments, for a thriller, a better screenplay, and as an erotic film, it probably wouldn't hold up either. It did have a really suffocating atmosphere, Meg Ryan was very daring, but she could have jumped upside-down and it wouldn't have changed the quality of the film.
()