Chen Kaige has been responsible for some of the most notable Chinese films of his generation. Farewell my Concubine (1993) was one of the most stunning films of the past decade and, whilst slightly flawed, Temptress Moon (1996) is a well-made examination of the modernization of China. Could someone explain to me, then, how he has managed to create such a pile of old cobblers in Killing Me Softly? Bad acting, worse script and ludicrous sex scenes: suddenly Body of Evidence (1992) doesn't look all that bad.
Alice (Heather Graham) is a web-site designer languishing in a dull relationship. After a chance sexual encounter she falls for Adam (Joseph Fiennes). As she gradually loses her inhibitions -and their sex becomes more violent- Alice receives notes from a mysterious stranger warning her away from Adam. Ignoring the advice, she and Adam marry. But Alice begins to hear disturbing things about her husband's past. Is he really the romantic that she had him pegged as, or is he something a lot more dangerous?
It's quite incredible how stupid the characters are throughout this film. Hmm, let's see. Alice goes off for a fling for a man she meets at a pedestrian crossing (yes, it really is that dull) and has rampant sex without knowing anything about the man she's screwing. She then marries him, despite the fact that he is an obvious psycho (Fiennes has the obligatory 'I'm ever so evil' sneer throughout the film). As the 'truth' begins to be revealed, we're not worried about her. In fact, we hope she gets bumped off as anybody who is that dumb deserves it. The actors seem to have realised that they are making an utter turkey: everyone phones in their performances with the two leads exuding the charisma and sexual chemistry of a carrot. The ending completely negates everything that has gone.
The direction is no better. Set in a flat and featureless London, the film avoids any glamour whatsoever. The supposed shocks are pedestrian and can be seen from a mile away, while some of the mountaineering scenes seem to be tacked on to give a bit more grandeur to the proceedings. Needless to say, it doesn't work.
Hopefully everyone involved will let this one slide to the bottom of their CV. It would probably do quite well on video with the dirty mac brigade hoping to see Graham in the buff. But she does the same in Boogie Nights (1997). Get that instead.
Reviewed by Laurence Boyce
Reader comments about Killing Me Softly
orestes (absentminded09@yahoo.com) writes:
Contrary to the bad review, the charisma and sexual chemistry is the best i've seen in any film to date. There are no teasers or "art" shots, instead the director did the best thing by showcasing the sex scenes in the manner that he did. Even though it seems that they seem to be the only thing that ties the whole movie together, that isn't necessarily a bad thing as you actually are abled to grasp the foundation of their relationship instead of being left with cheap "huh? when the hell did that happen?" scenes. What should be noted for are the subtleties in the characters. These are surprising perfomances by joseph fiennes and especially heather graham. Instead of going through the deer-caught-in-headlights route that most actresses go for in dangerous plots (ie. Nicole Kidman in Dead Calm), heather graham actually brings personality to her character. The scenes which showcase this best are...basically every scene. For joseph fiennes it's the part in the taxi cab when they first meet, as Alice puts her hand on the car door, Adam gives a sly know-it-all look, a subtlety that most actors aren't able to pull-off. It's hard to not want to believe that Alice must be a crazy and paranoid little girl and that the two should get a happy ever after in the end. Plot-wise, this is certainly different from almost every script out there. The suspense is chilling emotionally and visually without resorting to cliche shots even though it tends to make you believe that it will. I found myself actually giving serious thought to the storyline and the characters when my first intent was just to watch joseph fiennes' rippling pecs and heather graham's perfect set of ti- *cough* legs. The acting is lavish without being overacting. Reviewer Laurence Boyce obviously does not see the importance of the mounteering and it's connections and basis with Adam's controlling behaviour and sexual perversities in their relationship. However, i have the strong feeling that people who have not been in slightly similar situations (in general; ie. swept away by lust/love, or even slight afflictions with bd/sm) will not be able to connect as much with the characters or even understand the underlying genius in the film as a whole. And comparing Boogie Nights and with Killing Me Softly, Paul Thomas Anderson doesn't have as much professionalism/creativity to handle the sex scenes as Chen Kaige did. Instead using them as a shock tool more than anything else. In Boogie Nights, PTA was selfish in using the actors just as hangers (cardboard actors) instead of letting the characters speak for themselves. And with such a such a great line-up it all went to waste. Actually that could've been the problem, in most of his movies there's too much talking that goes on for 3 straight hours and the "artistic" silences in between. This Laurence Boyce person is exactly the type of audience that Chen Kaige would pay to not see his films as they do not realise the difference between hyped-up/cool-as-Starbucks/cliched "art" films and a damn good movie that deserves to be preserved till the cows come home so that all so-called cliched "art" directors can be slapped at the side of their heads with the DVD cover years from now. This is the kind of movie not meant for old dinasours who still think sex is supposed to be shocking in this information age. This caters for the more younger open-minded movie-goers who know the beauty of a sex scene when they see one. The ones who survive on movies and're able to weed out great films from the spoon-fed art variety. Not meant for pessimists who try to make themselves look or feel better by putting down a movie just because she/he still covers his/her eyes when people start getting naked.
Karin Kloosterman (karin@eyescene.com) writes:
Just saw the film. It ended about half an hour ago. Fantastic. I loved the director's choice of what the audience should see and what we shouldn't. Even after most of the world has read the ridiculous 'men are from mars women are from venus' sagas, it's a surprise for me to understand how poorly men and women communicate. This film is a modern masterpiece. Fooey to you Alice for choosing to look for the cynical side to life. There's still time.
Steve Norman (Email address withheld) writes:
The film is very cliched with the audience able to guess that Adam is actually a good guy underneath it all and the weird Deborah is really a psychopath. In the book, Adam is supposed to be so devastatingly attractive yet in the movie Joseph Fiennes portrays him like a homeless person with his unshaven face and rapper's clothes. Plus his expression throughout the film is as if it was glued on. Heather Graham is slightly better and does show moments of tense anxiety. The only bits worth the ticket price are (obviously) the scenes with both protagonists in the buff bumping and grinding. Thank God the director didn't choose to go "arty" with those scenes with out-of-focus long shots. The ending graveyard scene is totally ridiculous and reminds me of some B-grade TV drama. Go watch this only if you appreciate beautiful human anatomy.
Antonia Mulder (a_muld@hotmail.com) writes:
I don't agree with the first two opinions about how great this movie is. Heather Graham has this perpetual tense look while Joseph Fiennes is just irritating ! Character-wise , I find it quite unbelievable for a woman to just follow a man (and a scruffy one at that)that she has just bumped into on the street back to his apartment for sex. Why do men bother trying to pick up ladies in bars when they can do very well at pedestrian crossings?
The sister Deborah character is so slimy and overly affectionate that Alice should start wondering about her preferences. Whatever the case, in real life Alice would've stayed clear away from her. Why does Adam need to keep a lock on his closet if he lives alone plus as he claims "I have nothing to hide". The questions one can raise about the holes in this film could fill up an entire page. As for the much touted sex scenes , it was gratuitous to see a naked Joseph Fiennes (and Heather, if you prefer) in some awesome pelvic action but that does not save this film from being an absolute waste of time.
Awareness (Email address withheld) writes:
well the movie was quite good. i have been long waiting to see heather graham upclose and personal. how ever in this movie it seems that joseph fiennes overacting. he was too errrr.
and how can a clever girl alice could fall in love with such guy. for sex maybe. for awhile. how bout for rest of her lives. not only male has adventurous feeling for love. female does have adventurous for love. they don't have to stay with one guy. well it seems that from this comment we can know that i am a 30 year old lady who againts monopause frustrations. wahahahaha
katy ridge (katy_atyourservice@yahoo.co.uk) writes:
i think it was a good film but the sex bits were just a over the top.but over all i watched it cos joseph fiennes was in it and i thought it was a very good film
jasmin (t.jasmin@gmx.de) writes:
I just saw the film and its fantastic...I've never saw so a touching film and so a great unrestrained passion..the relation went under but their love never end..wow thats so romantic..the sex was arouse joseph and alice actually very good yeah adam is so overwhelm...yes, the film is beautiful!
Katherine (Email address withheld) writes:
I read the book 'Killing me softly' on which the film is based, before seeing the movie and thought that the movie was a complete let down. They have changed the ending to make it a happier ending. In the book Adam did kill his girlfriend and the others in the climbing group. He ends up hanging himself. Read the book! It's much better than the film
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