Invaderbank
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
Roy Hart
If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
Leoni Haney
Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.
Abegail Noëlle
While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
haildevilman
Had a hard time following this one.3 years removed from an Oscar nom, our man Tommy Hulce plays a fish out of water. A very Hitchcockian thriller here. Confused guy gets caught up in things he can't control. Been there seen that.This seemed like a bunch of separate scenes thrown together in the hopes something coherent would rise. Pity it didn't happen that way. The wife goes from cheating whore to 'die for my man' attitude in record time. And John Doe's hit-man decides to shoot himself in sacrifice at the last minute.I felt like stuff was missing. And this print is a bit dark too.Wayne Wang is a talented director. What happened here?
GlimmerTwin87
I caught this movie on cable late one night and was pleasantly surprised. I found it to be entertaining and even a bit suspenseful in a 'Memento' sort of way. Adam Ant has some good comic relief and Tom Hulce is very satisfactory in the lead role. If you are looking for a sleeper at the local video store, check this one out. It appears at times to be a low-budget, late 80's type of film, but sometimes that is not a bad thing at all. I gave/give this film a solid 7 out of 10, and I recommend it for viewing. Two or three cocktails is a nice beginning to this steady film. The only real drawback is the heavy, who comes off as so wimpy that Virginia Madsen could take him out, but hey, that is just my opinion.
kergillian
This film is gorgeous. Cinematography is original and startling; some of the shots are truly art. The unfortunate part is that the film itself needed some *major* help. The plot was so mysterious that the clues barely connected to the plot, and even at the end the answers were tenuous at best. It's all laid out but so flimsily and haphazardly that much of the story lacks proper explanation (for example: what part did John Gilbert have in the whole set-up? Why was Adam Ant's character friendly with John and why would he betray a seemingly close friend?) As well, much of the story was unbelievable, such as Helen sleeping with Adam Ant's character, which also really had nothing whatsoever to do with the story and could have been eliminated altogether without making a difference. And Nye's lackey who seems too involved with the whole situation for a flunky and his characterization was so back and forth it felt like he was schizophrenic...Also, the pacing was really off. The fast pace contrasted too sharply with the slow, and the slow was *way* too damn slow. The film wasn't too long, but at times it dragged too much, which could have been solved by more consistent writing and better pacing and transition between scenes.The cast was quite good as a whole, though most of the characters were too flat (not the actors' faults). But I *really* didn't like Tom Hulce. He whined and he was much too (how did the goon put it?) chicken-shit' for a buff guy. And did I mention he whined a hell of a lot?? It was like watching Steve Guttenberg in a murder mystery. Adam Ant rocked though, he was definitely the best of the cast, though Harry Dean Stanton was good as always, though he got stuck with a fairly useless role.Overall: the film needed a re-write. I appreciate what Wayne Wang was trying to do; and the moulding of art-film style shooting with a noir-style plot is a bold, albeit difficult, one to try. This film is admirable for what it attempts, and the vision succeeds; I have to reiterate: what a beautiful film!! Gorgeously shot; clever shots, fabulous lighting, and consistently great uses of mirrors! If only the story wasn't so awkward...it has such great potential!! For cinematography I give it a nine, but as an overall film, 6/10.
Sic Coyote
Maybe I am biased when I say that as I only rented this out because Don Opper wrote it and played a part. But that's only because he's good at what he does. Five years after writing and staring in the classic film Android he made this downbeat conspiracy mystery which has a good handful of funny bits stuck in for good measure. A woman is dead and the police are suspectful of an artist who called into the police after escaping from some strange guys with guns. The plot is slowly revealed as to what is going on. Although this movie doesn't really have enough twists in it than it should have had it is still rock solid entertainment, why Adam Ant is in there as the artist's mate I'll never know. Rent it out and see what you think. 7 out of 10