Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4034 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-03-26
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
• Dubbed in: Portuguese
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 116 minutes

Amazon.com
Original Sin belongs in the "so bad it's good" category of languid potboilers, offering enough nudity, sexual chemistry, and far-fetched plotting to make it an enjoyable lazy-day diversion. Based on Cornell Woolrich's novel Waltz into Darkness (previous filmed by François Truffaut as Mississippi Mermaid) and set in turn-of-the-century Cuba, the film traces a tailspin of amorous obsession when coffee plantation owner Luis (Antonio Banderas) discovers that his American mail-order bride (Angelina Jolie) is not the plain wife he'd expected, but a beautiful, scheming thief who's after his fortune. The movie asserts that love is truly blind, but absurd twists of plot make Luis appear more stupid than passionate. Writer-director Michael Cristofer fared better with Jolie in Gia; here, he's made another good-looking film about beautiful people, but its plot just can't be taken seriously. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

There's No Shame in Saying That "I Love This Film."
Though "Original Sin" received coldest reviews from critics, I enjoyed watching it, and really love that film. We got gorgeous Angelina Jolie and sexy Antonio Banderas, and what do we expect more? Yes, the story is ridiculous, I admit, but the classic noir "Double Indenmity" has also a very far-fetched story that would easily match that of this film. Some point out that there already has been a French version of the story in "Mississipi Mermaid" directed by Truffaut, claiming "Original Sin" is just another Hollywood-made trash remake, but Truffaut's one is not among his best works in spite of two French icons Catherine Deneuve and Jean-Paul Belmondo.

Simply put, "Original Sin" is about love. Lots of love. The film is set in the 19th century, Cuba. Antonio made success with coffee trade, and receives a mail-ordered bride, Angelina. They soon marry, and love each other, but she suddenly disappears with all his money. Enraged Antonio traces her to Havana, where he finds out Angelina, now with a different beau. Instead of killing her, he loves her again. No, he makes love much, much, again. But she has a secret, for which she suffers.... Nothing should be said about the latter half of the film (which completely differs from Truffaut's rather somber version) except that the ever winding story goes like Mulholland Drive.

The suspense element is too thin and the whole storyline is too incredible to take seriously, but the film somehow succeeds on one level, that is, descriptions of illogically passionate love between two leads, whose emotions flare up with enough chemistry to convince that they (actors) really mean it. Antonio, first trying to take back money, soon decides to give everything; Angelina, first trying to deceive him, soon gives up herself. I don't know how American audiences reacted to this illogical behaviors -- some have said it's stupid, yes, I understand -- but I, a Japanese, somehow find myself drawn deeply into their emotional relations. After all, love is what makes people ridiculous, isn't it? If so, they are very credible, I believe.

Everyone would agree that the production design is fine, and costume (of Angelina Jolie, especially) is delightful to look at. (It was actually shot in Mexico; imagine wearing a suit there.) Good photography makes up for perhaps unnecessary plot twist at the end. Campy, you might say. But as a "Woman of Fate" Angelina Jolie is perfect, and I am not the only one who would give everything to her -- and you too, Billy Bob?

a twisty erotic tale with a dark feeling to it
I loved this picture! In Germany it opened a week after "Tomb Raider" (so Angelina Jolie was one of the reasons I went to see it), and because it was praised as a love story, I took my girlfriend - and she also loved it! Jolie (more beautiful than ever in those costumes), Banderas and Thomas Jane ("Thursday") did a good job in their roles, but mostly the erotic and morbid atmosphere of Havanna during carneval was what made the movie so pleasent to watch. The story-twists were good, it was exelently shot - only the ending was a bit of a disapointment, simply because the director chose to lighten up the dark theme of the movie with a happy ending, which doesn't really fit into the flow. To sum it all up: This is not popcorn-cinema! It's a dark love story with great atmosphere! I fully recomend it, although it isn't a movie for all audiences...

Dark Love Story
This film should be up there on your need to watch list. It's a brilliantly casted and wonderfully scripted story of blind love. When Luis (Bandaras) meets his mail-order-bride Julia (Jolie) he is stunned at her beauty. She is nothing like he expected, yet he marries her immediatly. Luis is the perfect gentleman, and that makes Julia's next move even harder. Once she has gained Luis' trust she leaves him, taking him for every cent. Luis then, with the help of a P.I., decides he will find her, and kill her. The problem is that he still loves her. But does she love him? This film shows the dark side of love, the side that allows you to love someone you don't even know, but can feel, someone you connect with, someone that makes you whole. Jolie and Bandaras are spot on (especially with their clothes off...HOT HOT HOT) and they work wonders with this script. I have watched this film over and over and still can't get enough of it. The unrated version of this film offers a steamier and much more explicet love scene with movement and lots of nudity (no full frontal Bandaras shots though, you'll have to settle for quite a few butt shots) and it includes a few other sex scenes, less explicet, that were cut from the movie entirly. Either way you'll be pleasently pleased. The unrated version doesn't add anything new to the plot and or the flow of the film so pursue only if you're in dire need for a near-porn-like nude scene...otherwise, the theatrical version is just fine (and you still see quite a bit of nudity)...Great acting, great story, great bodies...what can I say but Great movie!