Customer Reviews

Pendulum [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Pendulum" is a pleasant surprise. For a lower budgeted movie, it holds our attention. The sense of style created by James Deck carries the picture a long way. The main character is Amanda Reeve played by Rachel Hunter. To prove she's not just another pretty face, she takes a lamp in the face in the first few minutes and carries a big scab on her cheek for the remainder of the film. Particularly compared to the two women who play gorgeous law student lesbians, Hunter remains without much makeup, playing it real. James Russo the Senate candidate is a curious mix, partly power hungry politico and also seemingly a man wanting to make a difference. The interface with Matt Battaglia as Hunter's former lover D.A. Cobb brings us to the conclusion that the world is not black and white, good or evil, but a mix and blend, which is an extremely profound and realistic portrayal for a small-budget feature to make. The supporting cast is strong from the sex hungry professor to the library student to the law student slasher. The actress who plays the other cop Stephanie apparently passed away in real life and is remembered in the credits; she was also very real. The DVD doesn't offer a lot of bonus material, but is adequate. This film is an unexpected gem, perhaps a bit slow moving, but thoughtfully slow. As a detective suspense film, this one's very good. Enjoy!

This movie is a great "edge of your seat" suspense thriller. It keeps you guessing around every corner who is behind the mysterious and violent murders. But it goes much deeper than that and explores the many forms that "power" is exercised... from a woman's beauty to a man's political position to a police detective's badge to a killer's knife.

Once you start watching, you won't be able to stop until you know the truth. The question is "can you handle the truth!"

It is good to remark the slender differences between it means a thriller according the European style and the American approach. In the first case the psychological motivations and the danger taste come from the inside to the outside: that makes the rhythm and the tempo looks slower. You must build the puzzle and the facts will complement the whole drama.

This brief introduction makes the picture may be considered not a perfect thriller according the American gaze. There are many dispersed clues and many involved interests. All of them have a common denominator; the fight for power and domination and the fact of no matter how your weapons are: the betray, adulation corruption double moral. But these variables maintain the dynamic from the power's spheres downstairs and vice versa. Everybody has something to win and loose. Covering their backs according the position in the social pyramid.

The truth is handled as a romantic and devaluated concept in this ideas' order. And that' s the original point game that revaluates this slow paced but fresh thriller.

It will reward you. Highly recommended.

Down-to-earth thriller without frills but with solid grounding in reality. Good acting by Rachel Hunter, whose 'street look' is exactly what you would expect from the detective character she plays. The film moves along at a fair pace, but the lack of an exciting storyline weighs heavily on the action. In the end, little more than a time filler.

Rated R for violence, language and brief nudity.

PENDULUM is a complex and often engaging thriller that collapses with its unexpected ending. Rachel Hunter stars as Amanda, the cop who is pulled from a prostitute murder investigation to find out more about the death of a law professor from a prestigious university in Texas. Hunter is excellent in the role, and she carries the movie in a credible and believable performance. James Russo portrays the district attorney with aspirations to the senate; Russo as always is solid and convincing. Matt Battaglia portrays Cobb, Hunter's former lover, who has his eyes on the soon to be vacated DA spot; Battaglia is good, but his role is the least developed of the three. The supporting cast is good and the movie has some suspenseful and disturbing moments. The ending, however, seems to de-emphasize the moral code of Hunter and Russo/Battaglia. While admirable for its depiction of a more gray (rather than black and white) resolution, it leaves the viewer with a sense of discomfort rather than satisfaction. For a lower budget movie, however, PENDULUM has its merits.

Not much of a critic, as I enjoy most movies I buy. All a movie has to do is entertain me, and this one certainly did. Decent plot, good acting, pure entertainment.

Despite the rather gory murder we encounter in the first minutes of the film, this is a rather quiet, low key police-detective mystery. There is a splash of color with a young lesbian couple, notably lesbian, but nothing much in the way of action comes of it. What is lacking to raise this into a more dynamic experience is the absence of any star power. None of the characters, including the lead, rises above the material to punch it up. On the whole, however, I would say it would equal the average TV film or longer episode of a recurring series. It does have a sufficiency of good points to be a decent time filler.

This movie is well directed, which makes up for a weak story line and forced plot points. Nonetheless it holds your attention. I've seen James Russo in other films but have never seen him in this type of role. He shows a sophisticated side that he should show more often. Rachel Hunter also displays the fact that she is not just pretty face. for a B-movie - All in all this is a job well done.

I thoroughly enjoyed this suspenseful movie! It was well directed and Rachel Hunter is wonderful in this movie. Great twists and turns.