Product Description

No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 4-AUG-1998
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34216 in DVD
• Brand: HARRELSON,WOODY
• Released on: 1998-08-05
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 113 minutes

Amazon.com
With a foreigner's revitalizing influence, German director Volker Schlondorff turns this standard potboiler (based on the novel Just Another Sucker by British pulp writer James Hadley Chase) into a beguiling exercise in genre classicism. Woody Harrelson stars as a former journalist, just released from serving two years on a trumped-up charge, who is drawn into a troublesome mock-extortion scheme by the scheming wife (Elisabeth Shue) of a dying Florida millionaire. The movie's got style to spare and plenty of humid Florida atmosphere, but it's built on a series of improbable developments and is too low-key to generate riveting momentum. But Schlondorff occupies this tawdry territory with a keen sense of necessary mood and pace, maintaining adequate internal logic and awareness of the story's vintage roots. Subplots involving Shue's stepdaughter (Chloë Sevigny) and Harrelson's girlfriend (Gina Gershon) provide enjoyable distractions from the story's implausibilities. The movie's better suited to the fertile pulp mills of cable TV. But with an absurdly twisting plot to hold your interest, it's fun to watch how Schlondorff builds a bridge between traditional film noir and a more contemporary approach to sultry intrigue. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

A film noir that completely baffles the viewer
Woody (a brother of mine from Sigma Chi) seemingly unerwhelms the audience along with all the other actors in this feature. Those who like Film noir along the lines of Bogart's movies, or even more contemporary features like L.A. Confidential, Wild Things, and others, will enjoy this. I couldn't help but be more and more impressed upon repeat viewings by the low-key or deliberately understated performances by the Woody, Elisabeth Shue, Gina Gershon, and others. Don't go into this looking to be dazzled, it is a cerebral and intelligent dark drama.

How could you not like this movie
This is one of the most fun movies I have ever seen. It has everything I need. Heat, murder, comedy, and there is an element of fantasy that makes me want to see this movie when I want to escape. Buy It!!!

Make more movies like this one Hollywood. And make more in Florida. It's just better that California.

Absolutely brilliant. How about a Special Edition?
I own this masterful thriller and absolutely covet it. Probably my all time favorite thriller/film noir. A perfect example of steamy, teasing, dark femme fatale film noir classic. Excellent script, direction and acting. Some people who say the film is "too over-the-top" are missing the point and don't realize it's that way on purpose. That's the whole film noir/femme fatale genre, folks. Roll with it. Get caught up in the fake kidnapping scheme and the surprise twists and it's a roller coaster ride! I love it and will always love it. One question: WHEN is the Special Edition gonna come out, with Director's and Actors' Commentary, Behind-The-Scenes (I BEG YOU) and many other features? A film this great deserves a Special Edition DVD. People at Castle Rock: PLEASE issue another DVD version.