Customer Reviews

Color of Night [VHS]

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

Two lovers. One killer. Five suspects. Bruce Willis is a troubled psychiatrist who quits after a patient commits suicide. But when a colleague is murdered, Willis gets drawn into web of intrigue -- and into the arms of a patient (Jane March) who's also a suspect! The DVD contains 17 minutes of deleted scenes (including Willis in the buff)- That alone is worth the price of the DVD.

I give this movie 4 stars for one reason...skin...Janes and Bruces...I have to say that each of these attractive individuals shows off more than one can chew...Miss March may not be much of an actress but she looks good naked, and while this is not Mr. Willis's finest performance, he sure had me standing at attention (good god is he hot)...anyways, the plot is good but the script was wack...would have been much much better had the script been tweaked a bit. Bruce is a great actor and I feel did what he could with what he had to work with (which wasn't much) but the sex scenes were hot and did I mention theres a lot of skin...my only dissapointment with Bruce's nudity was that his butt cheeks were whiter than white (although he still looks good and you do see a full frontal shot). No complaints about Miss March because she showed alot and was smoking hot the entire movie...noce rack sweetheart...ANyways, if you want a good movie skip this one...if you want to see to extremly hot people having gratuitus sex in a pool in a bed on a table and in a shower with male and female nudity then get this movie...

This one is a jaw dropper and quite the cinematic cocktail. If you are expecting Vertigo or even Fatal Attraction you are hopping the wrong train. This is pure goofball entertainment. The sex scenes are fun(Thank you, Ms.March),the violence is over the top(conceptually cribbed from Italian giallo, no doubt), the dialogue is inane(beautifully so, I think), and the plot and its many twists are plenty outrageous(as in, "oh, come on...WHAT?"). Did I mention the supporting cast? All of your favorite "whatsis names" get a chance to chew the celluloid in an attempt to "out crazy" their costars(BTW, Brad Dourif wins-AGAIN). This is a delirious, trashy, Hollywood mutant of a movie surely deserving of a devoted cult all its own.

This movie was trashed by the critics. I only saw it (at the cinema) because I needed somewhere to hide for two hours while I avoided an unpleasant social obligation. I found myself liking it, almost feeling guilty for liking it ("But I'm supposed to hate this!") It's largely cheap thrills, but I really did enjoy it. The beauty of Jane March didn't hurt ...Well, call me stupid, but I DIDN'T see the surprise ending coming.

I liked it.

There's a good film in here somewhere just aching to get out, but the filmmakers seem more interested in playing Box Office Wheel of Fortune than caring about the quality of the product they're trying to sell, and it makes "Color of Night," directed by Richard Rush, one of those movies that makes you shake your head and think, Ah! what could have been if only! And that single "if" makes all the difference in the world with regards to what finally winds up on the screen.

When his treatment of a patient fails and ends tragically, leaving him with some pronounced psychological damage of his own, New York psychologist Dr. Bill Capa (Bruce Willis) quits his practice and goes to Los Angeles seeking the solace and, perhaps, the help of an old friend and colleague, Dr. Bob Moore (Scott Bakula). Capa quickly discovers, however, that Moore is having problems of his own, apparently stemming from a weekly group therapy session he has been conducting for some time. Moore, it seems, has recently received some death threats, which he believes are coming from one of the patients of this particular group, though he hasn't a clue which one, nor any proof of his suspicions.

Moore invites Capa to sit in on the next group session, hoping for a fresh perspective and possibly some insights into the matter. At the moment, Capa feels incapable of actively engaging in the practice of his chosen field of endeavor, but in light of the fact that he's Bob's house guest, he acquiesces and agrees to observe the group. But it proves to be an inauspicious proposition for all concerned, and subsequent circumstances quickly put Capa at the center of just the kind of situation he left New York to avoid. Once the hand is dealt, however, he has no choice but to play it out to the end.

Rush began his career as a director with low budget exploitation films like "Too Soon to Love" in 1960, and ten films later achieved legitimate status with the highly successful black comedy, "The Stunt Man" in 1980, for which he received an Oscar nomination (along with his leading man, Peter O'Toole). He did not direct again until this film, some fourteen years later, and during that hiatus, Rush apparently lost whatever expertise he had accrued by 1980, and his "roots" are clearly showing in this one. The violence of the film is inherent in the story, but Rush makes it unnecessarily graphic; and while this could have been an incisive and insightful character study (and intrinsically more interesting), he takes the low road, fleshing it out instead with scenes of gratuitous sex and nudity, as well as superfluous action (he works in no less than two ridiculous car chases, one culminating in a vehicle being pushed from the top of a high rise parking garage). Furthermore, he ignores motivations and character development almost entirely; the two areas that required the most attention if this film was going to work at all.

Rush especially lets his actors down, inasmuch as most of these characters presented real challenges that could have been met much more successfully with the help and guidance of the director. Rush would have served his actors, as well as himself, better had he taken the time to explore these people being portrayed with some depth. He apparently did not, however, and with one exception the performances by one and all suffer for it.

In 1994, Bruce Willis simply was not the accomplished actor he is today, and he, especially, could have used some help in finding his character. it was help he obviously did not get, and his Capa ends up being too much John McClane and not enough Malcom Crowe. Willis flounders between the two personalities, creating a kind of schizophrenic characterization that seriously affects the credibility of his portrayal. And it's the same fate suffered by Scott Bakula here. Even in the scenes which places them in their "professional" setting as psychoanalysts, they are simply not convincing.

Making the case of poor directing even stronger are the performances of Lesley Ann Warren (Sondra), Brad Dourif (Clark), Ruben Blades (Lt. Martinez) and Kevin J. O'Connor (Casey). Like Willis, all of them seem to have trouble defining their individual characters, vacillating between any number of personalities and unable to achieve that necessary, final focus. It's the kind of indecisiveness that is usually resolved during rehearsals, but inexplicably made it to the screen here. The single exception is the performance turned in by Lance Henriksen, as Buck, who unlike his costars, somehow managed to find his character and make him convincing.

The odd-"woman"-out of the entire bunch is Jane March, who as Rose has perhaps the most challenging role of all, and when given the opportunity actually displays some talent. Unfortunately, Rush-- for the most part-- uses her in a way that is demeaning and without merit, and she becomes the object of a sleight-of-hand that is nothing more than a cheap trick Rush pulls out of his hat. And by failing to use her in a more productive way, by not concentrating on developing her character (which is so vital to the story), Rush commits his most critical error of all.

The supporting cast includes Eriq La Salle (Detective Anderson), Jeff Corey (Ashland), Kathleen Wilhoite (Michelle), Shirley Knight (Edith Niedelmeyer), John Bower (Medical Examiner) and Andrew Lowrey (Dale Dexter). The high note of this entire project was played before it ever even got off the ground, that being the story itself; but screenwriters Matthew Chapman and Billy Ray proceeded to methodically remove any and all credibility it may have initially contained, and Rush took it from there, taking "Color of Night" straight into that black hole reserved for movies that fail to deliver on their promise. It is not surprising that Rush has not directed a feature film since this one; once the magic is lost, it's hard to retrieve.

First of all I would like to stress, and I think I am in a minority here, that Color of Night is a awful movie, more so since very talented actors like Bruce Willis, Brad Dourif, Lesley Ann Warren and Eriq La Salle are in it.It would have been much more bearable had some unknown B actors been involved instead, because no matter how great the appeal of the A list names is, Color of Night is an erotic thriller, exactly the same as the hundreds of other films of the genre that litter the video and DVD market.
Of course, the only reason this filmed gained such a controversy at its time of release, and indeed why anyone would want to watch it in the first place is for the sex scenes..and the infamous ones that has Willis other talents exposed, with the beautiful and sexy Jane March. Surely, the plot that revolves around a psychologist and his psycho patient,which is usually the standard plot for most erotic thrillers, is not enough to stimulate the interest of any movie lover.
And this is exactly why this DVD version has in big bold letters,the 'exclusive 15 minutes extra hot scenes', too daring to be shown in theatres!! And this is why I am writing this review to draw your attention to the following:
It is a marketing gimmick that yet again I dive straight into, only to be disappointed! (but I am learning!)
Well, yes, there are some extra 'bits and pieces' added that are not quite as daring as you might be lead to believe, and in comparison to any French or Spanish films of late,it looks quite tame.
And yes, included is the lesbian scene between March and Warren which was cut in its entirety for the theatre release.(a quite talked about scene at the time,like as rumours have it the still lost girl-girl scenes of Basic Instinct alledgedly also cut).
Now a word about this scene:(if it can be properly described as scene)
Why it was cut in the first place is a great mystery! and another riddle yet to be solved into the strange workings of censor's mind!It is the tamest and most ridiculous girl-girl kiss I have ever seen..Russian leaders used to kiss each other and some unsuspected poor international visitors for longer and more passionately! and it was filmed for all to see!!If you expect action similar to Bound, A Girl Thing or Monkey's Mask then think again!
And think twice before buying this DVD,if you find the lure of the 'extra hot' too tempting ..If you like Bruce Willis and enjoyed the film, then fine, but just beware of the marketing 'beast' that might very well disappoint you as much as I was.

It was a great mystery,and very sexy, with my favorite hunk, Bruce Willis. I have seen this movie many times. I refer it to everyone!

This movie is one of my best. It offers alot of surprise and suspense from beginning to end. It's a sorid tale of who done its, and the acting is superb. I was extremely excited to find this on DVD so that I could add this to my collection.

That's the question you'll be asking yourself at the end of this joke of a movie(if you even make it to the end!). I really like Bruce Willis, but, to me, this movie seemed to be a way for our boy, Bruno, to have "sex" with a so-so attractive young thing without really cheating on his now ex-wife, Demi. Not only did the gratuitous sex and nudity not lend itself to an already bad and unbelievable plot, it just prolongs the viewers agony. Maybe, MAYBE if the sex scenes were even remotely sexy, my rating would have gone up a notch. I won't even waste my time critiquing Ms. March's performance or lack thereof. I'd like to meet the person who told her, "Jane, you really need to go to Hollywood 'cause you've got talent." I'd like to meet that person and slap him/her. In conclusion, I have this to ad: shame on you, Bruce and Leslie! You're better than this and you know it.

Ladies, if you love Bruce Willis this is for you. For the person who said he wasn't he shape? WHAT? He looked great! I thought the movie was really good and he and Jane March made a pretty good team.