Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Murder and Passion in the Big Apple, February 27, 2005
This review refers to "Someone To Watch Over Me"(VHS Columbia)...
No matter how often I view this thriller, I still get caught up in the suspense, the thrills and the romance. Director Ridley Scott does an excellent job of pulling us into the lives of the characters, and like in a good Hitchcock flick, has us wanting to warn them of impending danger.
New York City is the setting. On one side of town, in Queens, a party is going on at the modest home of newly promoted Detective, Mike Keegan. It's a close knit group of cops and their wives having a great time. Meanwhile in uptown Manhattan, another party is going on in a very upscale apartment, attended by the rich and "beautiful people". One of the guests is the lovely Claire Gregory. Claire is invited to view some artwork on a lower level of the building, and it is there she witnesses the brutal murder of her friend. The murderer spots her and now her very life is in danger.
Keegan has his first assignment...babysit the witness until the perp is hauled in and identified. But Joey Venza, the killer, is ruthless and is not going to let a few cops get in the way of his plans for Miss Gregory. The film provides many heartstopping moments of thrills and suspense as he goes after her. The film is more than just a thriller though, and as the song goes, like 'lost lambs', family man Mike and Claire find passion and comfort in each other's arms. The film becomes a complex but tight story of murder and passion, that will have you immersed from the first frame to the last.
The cast are all excellent. Tom Berenger is Keegan, torn between his family and his feelings for Claire, while still protecting her from harm. The role of Claire, is tailor made for the beautiful Mimi Rogers as she just exudes class. Lorraine Bracco packs a punch(literally) as Keegan's wife. Jerry Orbach is of course the perfect choice to play "the whip", Keegan's superior, John Rubinstein is Claire's stodgy boyfriend and Andreas Katsulas(the one armed murderer in "The Fugitve"), will scare you out of your wits as Joey Venza, "the perp".
An excellent soundtrack, that flows right along with the story, will treat you to some haunting Opera music, and 3 different renditions of "Someone To Watch Over Me", including one by Roberta Flack over the closing credits. The cinematography is also a wonderful plus for this film and includes some great views of the New York Skyline, and one fabulous shot of the WTC, as Berenger and Bracco are lunching in the city.
Five stars for a film that has not lost any of it's appeal since it's release in 1987. A great thriller to add to your library. One that will stand up to repeated heartpumping viewings.
Get the popcorn ready and enjoy.....Laurie
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Date Movie., April 30, 2002
This movie somehow got overlooked in theatres, but there's no need to miss it now.Long story short: Rich socialite Mimi Rogers witnesses a mob hit and thus becomes a target. Tom Berenger is a blue-collar cop assigned to protect her. He is attracted to her, but is married (to Lorraine Bracco, playing the same character she always played before The Sopranos). Complicating matters is that she is attracted to him and the intense situation is constantly pushing them together. What sets "Someone..." apart from other movies with similar plots is that Bracco's character is pretty sympathetic so it's not a cut-and-dried issue. Berenger is drawn to Rogers because she is a vulnerable woman who needs protection. Bracco's character is a strong, independent Brooklynite who can challenge him in the relationship, but can't provide the one thing he needs (a chance to be needed). High-concept stuff when you think about it. All of this romance is sandwiched in between a pretty good thriller as Berenger attempts to protect Rogers from some very bad guys. The thriller-story is what the movie was sold on and it succeeds on that level. The DVD offers some good extras, but nothing inventive. Don't miss this one a second time.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
About the songs...., October 14, 1999
By A Customer
Well, here's some info on the great opera song in the soundtrack....good luck finding the soundtrack!!!"Aria from LA WALLY" aka "Ebben? ne andrò lontana" Composed by Alfredo Catalani (1854-1893) Performed by Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez with the London Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Vladimir Cosma Courtesy by DEG Records, Inc. An opera that hasn't been staged frequently, possibly because it calls for the heroine Wally and her lover to die on stage in an avalanche. Still, the aria from Act 1 has become one of the most popular in the repertoire, helped by its use in the film Someone to Watch Over Me. Wally has been ordered by her father to marry Gellner, but she is in love with Hagenbach. She resolves to leave home for love rather than be forced into marriage, and this aria is the expression of her feelings. Recordings of the complete opera are available but are few; the aria is the highlight. It has been used before in the movie Crimson Tide, Diva as well as this one; also UK TV ads for Rowenta Powermaster.
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