Customer Reviews

Second Skin

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

 

 

When you have talent, a good script and remarkable cast, it is almost impossible for you not to triumph, even you make a low budget picture without great and spectacular effects that just only mesmerize to the new generation of teenagers.
There is solid story behind this plot.As you know one of the classical premises of the Noir Films is that nobody is absolutely innocent. That is why many people are beaten by this circumstance.
The presence of the captivating and seductive Natasha Henstridge from the intial shots, coming to the Used Books Tent will open Pandora' box.
Through a very well articulated mechanism of dark loyalties and hard to believe solidarities, the viewer will be engaged progressively in this drama.
A personal tragedy, a love affair, several stolen millions, betrayal and passionate and complex web of facts and events will make of this film one of the most interesting movies in years that I 've seen.
Highly recommended.

A small low budget film with little or no publicity could join the noir greats. It has all the classic ingredients - an ice cool blonde, a bad bad gangster, and a savage twist at the end. some really interesting effects from the director with cross and jump cutting. Liked every bit of it.

I have not enjoyed a film noir so much since Blood Simple.

Second Skin is a very nicely realized contemporary noir tale that is considerably elevated above the usual "cable noir" junk by its beautiful photography, icy score, and the remarkable beauty and underrated acting of Natasha Henstridge, who has never been sexier or more controlled in her performance. The director makes the most of his Cape Town locations, which look enough like the California coast to make you forget this was shot anywhere else. The plot doesn't break much new ground, but it delivers a very surprising final twist. Fans of Henstridge and the genre wont be disappointed.

brief plot: a used-book store owner's life starts to gets interesting when a mysterious woman enters his life. She is hit by a car and, when recovering consciousness, has a case of amnesia. The store owner falls in love with her.

things get complicated when they both try to re-trace her life history. They find her apartment, and a sack full of cash as well inside it. He soon suspects that she is hiding something, but he has secrets of his own..

personal comments: I'm a fan of Natasha Henstridge, so I'm a little biased in favor of this film. Having said that, the plot twists and turns keep the viewer guessing, and a brief appearance by Peter Fonda adds to the quality of the film.

*recommended viewing*

This dark mystery/thriller begins well enough, but it gets increasingly implausible until by the end it loses most of its credibility. Crystal Ball (Natasha Henstridge) walks into a second hand bookstore owned by Sam Kane (Angus MacFadyen) ostensibly to apply for a job. Upon leaving, she is hit by a car. Sam takes her to the hospital and cares for her while she recovers. The impact causes her to lose her memory, so she doesn't know who she is or where she lives. The two fall in love and then Crystal suddenly remembers that she was sent by Merv Gutman (Peter Fonda) to kill Sam because Merv thinks Sam stole money from him. The film goes through a number of gyrations including confrontations between Crystal and her boyfriend Tommy G (Liam Waite), Crystal and Merv, Sam and Tommy G, Sam and Merv, Crystal and Sam, etc., etc.

The plot has a few interesting twists, but the dialogue is banal and many of the scenes drag. However, for a film made on a $3.5 Million budget, director Darrell Roodt delivers some excellent photography and shows himself to be talented at creating powerful imagery.

If there are two things that stand out from this film, they are the talents of Roodt and Henstridge. Roodt gives the images style and richness with interesting perspective shots and a number of beautiful location shots. I'd like to see him get a more prominent project where he can put his talents to work. Natasha Henstridge carries the film with an excellent performance that should portend a shot at meatier roles in the future. Her striking appearance and superior acting ability is made even more obvious playing against journeyman Angus MacFadyen, whose performance here helps validate his relegation to supporting roles throughout his career. MacFayden is stiff and forced, contributing little to the believability of his character. As mediocre as MacFayden is, Liam Waite is worse. Peter Fonda gives a nefarious performance in a minor role.

This film isn't bad for a B movie and shows twinkles on the horizon for Roodt and Henstridge. I rated it a 6/10. With a stronger screenplay, it could have been very entertaining.

Having never heard of the movie before it was suggested on Netflix, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by outstanding performances all around.

Angus Macfadyen, who has taken a few hits for his performance, gives a masterfully subtle, nuanced performance as Sam. To compare him to other actors is to compare Baroque to Romance periods of classical music; Romance composers had more wild flair, but Baroque is appreciated in the precision, control and details. Like a Baroque composer, Angus Macfadyen shines in the details. He can show a vast range of emotion simply by raising a brow, tilting his chin, getting a hard look in his eyes. If you aren't accustomed to watching people for these changes and reading those small subtleties of their mannerisms, you miss some of his greatness. A great performance isn't always handed to you. Sometimes you have to be invested in it but a talented actor like Angus Macfadyen makes it well worth the effort. In the end, you find yourself identifying with his character even though he is flawed and has brought much of this on himself with his questionable former life. He takes a character we may not like under other circumstances and makes him someone you are rooting for in the end.

It was a thoroughly engaging movie and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good thriller to add to their DVD library.

What more can I say? Buy the movie; you'll want to watch it over and over!

The plot begins with the sizzling Natasha Henstrige, having a smoke. After a brief confrontation with Sam, a book store owner, gets "smashed" by a car and -Lo and Behold- , she winds up with amnesia. She proceeds to fall in love with Sam, only later realising that she was supposed to kill the guy. The reason? For susposedly stealng money from this guy.

The trouble starts.

Nausiating, but very enjoyable

Henstridge is the best thing in this. Angus Mc-whats-his-name is atrociously bad. Mind numbingly, indescribably terrible. Perhaps the worst acting I have ever seen outside of "Battlefield Earth". The plot of this thing is dumb-o. At the end it was aiming to be "daughter-of-Basic-Instinct" - and missing that particular target by about a zillion miles. This isn't even good B-movie fare. It is very bad maybe Z-movie fare. I think I am gonna use the DVD for wind chimes.