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Psychological twists and turns strangle the plot of this disappointing effort from the director of
The Stunt Man, Richard Rush. Emotionally damaged psychiatrist Bruce Willis leaves his practice behind and moves to LA when a patient commits suicide in front of him. Out of the goodness of his broken heart, he takes over the practice of a murdered colleague (Scott Bakula). Jane March is the needy but mysterious woman who literally crashes into his life, making sexual advances the good doctor soon reciprocates. What March seems to need most, however, is underwear. The plot and the dialogue vacillate between silly and inane, leaving us with some so-so sex and overblown performances. This could explain why it was the winner of the 1995 Razzie Award for Worst Picture. If you want a more effective thriller that delves into damaged psyches, take another look at Alfred Hitchcock's
Vertigo.
--Rochelle O'Gorman
This comic murder mystery about psychotherapists and their patients is the first movie that Richard Rush has directed since "The Stunt Man" (1980), and it gives the audience nearly as wild a ride. The cut version of the film, which is now playing in theatres, is terrifically enjoyable, but it's so unstable that it plays as parody: it's the "Beat the Devil" of erotic thrillers. In the director's cut-a six-minute-longer version, which will be released on video-the plot actually makes some sense, and the performances of the stars, Bruce Willis and Jane March, are much more effective. The theatrical version is worth seeing, though, for Rush's witty, imaginative visual conceits, and for the sensational supporting cast, which includes Rubén Blades, Lesley Ann Warren, Brad Dourif, Kevin J. O'Connor, Lance Henriksen, and Scott Bakula. Screenplay by Matthew Chapman and Billy Ray. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006
The New Yorker
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