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Hoo-ah! After seven Oscar nominations for his outstanding work in films such as The Godfather, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon, it's ironic that Al Pacino finally won the Oscar for his grandstanding lead performance in this 1992 crowd pleaser. As the blind, blunt, and ultimately benevolent retired Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, Pacino is both hammy and compelling, simultaneously subtle and grandly over-the-top when defending his new assistant and prep school student Charlie (Chris O'Donnell) at a disciplinary hearing. While the subplot involving Charlie's prep-school crisis plays like a sequel to Dead Poets Society, Pacino's adventurous escapades in New York City provide comic relief, rich character development, and a memorable supporting role for Gabrielle Anwar as the young woman who accepts the colonel's invitation to dance the tango. Scent of a Woman is a remake of the 1972 Italian film Profumo di donna. In addition to Pacino's award, the picture garnered Oscar nominations for director Martin Brest and for screenwriter Bo Goldman. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (73)

By far my favorite movie
When I first heard of this movie, I had no clue what it was about. My friend and I saw a teaser poster with Al Pacino and Gabrielle Anwar dancing the tango labeled "Scent of a Woman". Putting two and two together, we went into the theater thinking we were watching a love story until the movie started. Whoops. Despite my misgivings in the beginning, I was pleasantly surprised. What I found was a riveting story of mentor-mentee relationship. I love movies that involve the master taking young grasshopper under his wing. Except master is not Mr. Perfect himself. Both the student and the teacher learn from each other's weaknesses. And despite Lt Col Slade's struggle with his misfortunate blinding accident, his Army core values were still in tact. Hard-working and willing to give up a Thanksgiving weekend to look after an embittered retiree, Slade sees an underlying goodness in Chris O'Donnell's fragile, fence-sitting character, Charlie. Like most young men his age, he was susceptible to peer pressure and could easily choose the wrong path as his friends had. Slade is blind but easily sees the temptation to compromise the boy's integrity and future. "This old bat has sharper radar than the Nautilus" Slade tells his young league. He lays all the cards out for Charlie to see, but knew instinctively it was up to the boy to make his own decision. Charlie eventually shows his true colors in the face of adversity. Like a good soldier, he never leaves his commander's side even when the danger is self-inflicting. Character like that is a rarity in anyone and must be preserved! This prompts Slade to reciprocate his support for Charlie who is enrolled in a prestigious school reknowned for producing some of the most important figure heads in America. "Be careful what type of leaders you're making," he warns the school staff. Charlie learns lessons in life that no school could teach him.

Underneath the tough exterior, there was a softer side to Slade. He definitely had a thing for the ladies. Instead of playing up a macho cassanova, "Mac-Daddy" persona predominate in a lot of films today, Slade is quite the charmer and gentlemen. He's cultured, sophisticated, genteel and surprisingly knowledgeable about women's perfume. Hence the film's title. I find that warrior-poet quality incredibly sexy and appealing. You can't resist a man who makes the tango look so easy and doesn't mind getting "all tangled up" with you. A beautiful role played by Pacino earning him a well-deserved oscar which probably was most credited for by his empowering monologue in the end. This is by far his best role in a movie.

Lovely film. Sweet, sad, romantic yet uplifting. This is truly a classic for the ages.

One of This Decade's Best Films
I have probably watched "Scent of A Woman" thirty times. I find it one of those movies that becomes hypnotic a few minutes into it. Al Pacino is absolutely outstanding in the role of Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, retired from the U.S. Army. Slade, blinded by a drinking/grenade game he was playing with one of his drinking buddies, is now living as an embittered alcoholic with an adult niece, her husband and two little children. He is an arrogant, angry man used to issuing orders and not displaying very much gratitude or affection.

Charlie Simms, played well by Chris O'Donnell, is a scholarship at a nearby prep school in the same town in New Hampshire where Slade lives. Charlie's trying to earn some money over the Thanksgiving weekend so that he can travel home to his parents in Oregon at the Christmas break.He discovers an ad placed by Slade's niece to care for her blind uncle over the Thanksgiving break so that she can travel with her husband and kids to Albany, New York for Thanksgiving with her in-laws.Charlie answers the ad and the adventure quickly develops.

Slade has his own plans for Thanksgiving. A last big blowout in New York City before killing himself.

He is abusive to Charlie at first and acts as if he is one of his military aides. He doesn't let him in on his plans until it's practically time to leave for New York -- while Charlie had been told by Slade's niece that the weekend would be at her home looking after her uncle.

A beautiful bonding begins as Slade and Simms interact and except for his anger and bitterness, it is obvious that Slade is not particularly handicapped by his blindness as he has developed an extra few "senses" which make him seem remarkable.

The journey to New York is a roller coaster of emotion from comic to touching to almost tragic. When Slade finally decides to kill himself, Charlie manages to save the day -- although it's pretty touch and go keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout.

Charlie has problems of his own. He's not particularly self confident and Slade is tremendously intimidating. Charlie's other problems center around an incident at school which places him at a crossroads -- whether he should rat on some kids at school at the headmaster's own brand of intimidation, or face expulsion.

The movie concludes with an impassioned speech by Colonel Slade on Charlie' behalf before a school-wide assembly being held for a disciplinary committee hearing on the incident Charlie has knowledge of.

Simms remains true to himself and proves himself to show new confidence and an outstanding sense of personal integrity.

Slade has also benefited by his own plans gone awry and his opening a window of care for Charlie as another human being. He emerges as a sign of hope to overcome his bitterness, anger and alcoholism.

An absolutely remarkable film!!!

My Two Scents
Actor Al Pacino has amassed quite a stellar career over the years, filled with strong performances, that make him one of the best at what he does. He skills, magnetism, and range put him at the top of my favorites lists. For 1992's Scent Of A Woman he hits another high point, winning an Oscar, and alowing a relative newcomer to earn his acting chops, working with a master.

Charlie Simms (Chris O'Donnell) is a young scholarship student at an exclusive prep school in New Hampshire who agrees to look after Lt. Col. Frank Slade (Al Pacino), a blind retired army officer, to earn extra money over the Thanksgiving break. Frank is an acid tongued and cynical bully who completely suprises Charlie with his plans for their weekend together. He has bought them tickets to New York, booked a suite at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and rented a limousine, all to take the Big Apple by storm. Before Charlie realizes what he has gotten into, he is accompanying the colonel around Manhattan as they begin their wild and eye-opening adventures that include a fast-paced test drive in a Ferrari and a tango with a beautiful woman (Gabrielle Anwar). Frank's passion is women; he waxes lyrically on their bodies, scent, and sensuality, and gradually Charlie becomes aware of the sentimental romantic buried deep within the lonely man's heart.

Directed by Martin Brest, the film is nearly pitch perfect, with Pacino commanding the screen. Even though, I know Pacino isn't really blind--he plays the disability very well. By the end, I couldn't imagine another actor, playing it as "real" as he did. I thought O'Donnell was also quite impressive holding his own oppossite Pacino. The script from Bo Goldman has drama, humor and is very organic. The only minor problem I had was the film's very end. A bit predictable if you ask me...

The film deserves to have an upgrade to special edition status. The current DVD has little in the way of extras. I wanted more. There's only a few production notes and cast biographies on the disc. Not even the theatrical trailer made the extras. Until a special edition is a reality, the film is still a must see, even in its current form on DVD.

I'll Show you out of order!
I absolutely love this movie. The first advertisement I saw for this movie was a poster of Al Pacino and Gabriel Anwar doing the tango. My firend I went into the movie theaters eagerly awaiting to see a lovely romantic comedy. But when the first scene started with a boys school and just kept going, we were beginning to wonder if we walked into the right movie.

However, the movie was captivating as soon as Al Pacino came on screen, he obligates Chris O'Donnell to accompany him to the airport and head to New York. You keep wanting to see what happened next in the movie and before you know it, you've just fallen in love with a hopeless manic-depressive and a young kid whose promising future is about to go under because of a compromising situation that swing the wrong way.

Where does loyalty start and integrity ends? Both Pacino and O'Donnell have to come to grips with in some fashion or another. But there is no doubt the bond between the two of them is unbreakable.

Pacino Shines
Scent of a Woman, a 1993 Academy Award Nominee for Best Picture, is about a friendship that builds between two opposite people, the blind retired Lt. Colonel Frank Slade and the prep school student Charlie Simms, during a wild weekend in New York City. Both are coming to a crossroads in their lives. Charlie has to decide whether he will tell on who played a practical joke on the school's headmaster. But his future is lying in midst of it. And Lt. Colonel Frank Slade, once an aide to Former President Lyndon Johnson, now blind, is considering taking his own life. Their friendship grows, and although I don't want to give too much away, I'll say that I was satisfied with the ending.

Al Pacino's performance in this was stellar, and have many others have mentioned, won him his first Best Actor Oscar. Great film which will undoubtedly be enjoyed by many for years to come. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Twister was a mega-million-dollar blockbuster--helmed by a director (Dutchman Jan de Bont) hot off another scorcher hit (Speed)--that flaunted state-of-the-art digital effects and featured a popular leading actress (Helen Hunt) who would win an Academy Award for her next film (As Good As It Gets). But ask anybody who's seen it and they'll tell you who the real star of Twister is: the cow. Not to give anything away, but the cow is one of those inspired little touches (like, say, Bronson Pinchot's career-making cameo in Beverly Hills Cop) that adds a touch of personality to a gigantic Hollywood production. The story is blown out the window after an impressive prologue in which Hunt's character, as a little girl, witnesses her daddy being sucked into a tornado. Basically, Hunt and Bill Paxton are thrill-seeking meteorologists chasing twisters in order to study them (and help warn people of them, of course) with a new technology they've developed. If you thought the Kansas tornado in The Wizard of Oz was every bit as scary as the Wicked Witch of the West, then this may be the movie for you. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (202)

The DTS version rocks the home theater!
This is the first disc I bought since I got the home theater set up and this one you won't believe! Ok, I'll admit the story here is a little weak, but this isn't supposed to be a "Raging Bull" type of character study. This is a very entertaining, state of the arts effects, fun film. The sound from this DTS version is extraordinary. The separation of the 5.1 is incredible. The twister sequences will blow you away. You feel the sound and the fury! The only other disc that compares is the Saving Private Ryan one. For you home theater fanatics, this is your film.. you'll see it, hear it, and feel it. This disc also has some great extras like director commentary and a cool documentary of how it was made. All in all, it's not one of the finest 100 or 200 movies ever made, but you may find yourself watching it over and over for the experience of it! You'll love it! The movie itself is about a 3, but the DVD DTS is about a 5!

I like it anyway...
OK, I've read the other reviews...I think "Twister" is entertaining, with great CGI effects. The plot is intense, and most sub-plots are silly. Helen Hunt is beautiful, and quite a good actress. Bill Paxton is customarily hammy. Still I enjoy this film as entertainment. It's interesting to note that a lot of our current best actors today got a start in this film. Philip Seymour Hoffman, in particular, shows great flair, as well as Jeremy Davies, playing the wimp. Director Jan de Bont seems to use Alan Ruck a lot, and for good reason: He's talented. I was disappointed when Jamie Gertz won the Razz Award as "Worst Supporting Actress" in '96. I thought she gave a fine performance...her character was written to be reactionary, and I thought her every nuance was touching and sincere. As far as writing, well, some of the soap opera stuff could've been cut short. Jan de Bont, with all the films he could've chosen, showed scenes from Kubrick's "The Shining" (at the drive-in), and Cukor's "A Star is Born" (before Aunt Meg's house is blown away). If these are homages, he has good taste. And Lois Smith was solid as the aunt; I've liked her since she played Nicholson's sister in "Five Easy Pieces". A fine character actress. With this stuff in mind, I watch "Twister" often, and enjoy it each time. Why be so analytical? It was made as mass-marketed entertainment and, on that level, it succeeds. Doesn't seem to matter that it was also on quite a few "10 Best" lists in '96. I like it a lot; if you don't, maybe you should get out more...

the suck zone II
In the movie, the twister destroys a drive-in while The Shining is showing on the screen. One could only imagine that this amounted to a review of The Shining. I don't agree with this review. The Shining is a very good movie.

the suck zone
I rented this movie thinking it was going to be a remake of The Wizard of Oz. Boy what a letdown. Come to think of it I had the same experience watching Zardoz.
While watching this movie, it became clear to me that "actors" are people who have been randomly selected to get in front of a camera and pretend to do things. The characters say things like, "these satellite readings have increased in the last ten minutes" "Keep monitoring this pattern" "Ok" Then there is a tossing aside of sodas and a melee of excited, riot-like running toward vehicles. Then there is more dialog, like "We're not going to be able to intercept!" "No, we will. Hang on!" "Are you out of your mind?"
"We gotta get outta here!" "I know!" This last dialog is screamed over the sound of lots of wind. The movie appears to be about a weather phenomenon wherein lots of wind causes a general sucking effect: the script sucks, the acting sucks, the effects even pretty much suck.

The tornadoes alone save this movie.
I have had interest in the concept of severe weather for my entire life and had high expectations for the movie "Twister" and the result cuts boths ways for me.

The movie is of a married meteoroligist couple who are in the midst of getting a divorce, and have not gotten along for a very long time and they make a new invention that they believe will help them see what it looks like, inside a full blown tornado. They have ambition to deploy this new technology to disperse 'lighter than air' radio transmitters into a twister and record the signals to see what it may look like inside a tornado.

The special effects when the tornadoes strike are absolutely awesome not to mention the chase scenes especially towards the ending when the couple speed away from a tornado drive right through a house that was thrown onto the countryside road by a tornado (Impossible in real life) and the other of when a drive-in movie screen showing a snippet of the movie "The Shining" being ripped apart by a F5 tornado in the middle of the night.

"Twister" though suffers from several things and I can sometimes see where some of the detractors are coming from when regarding this movie. While the action scenes and special effects are amazing, the movie's plot lacks a good flow and the film drags on and on in several places and one scene which is just like a boring day at home would've been better left out altogether. Plus the characters are very unconvincing and lack personality.

Even for me who doesn't mind ocassional deviation from the laws of physics in movies, some of the tornadoe scenes are completely unrealistic. For example as I said earlier in a review, there is no way a twister could fling a whole house across a countryside road or even roll the whole intact house across the countryside because most houses are built on foundations and strong tornadoes in real life would shed houses into tiny pieces or otherwise reduce them to ruin. An F5 tornado would leave nothing of a house behind and can even rip the pavement off a road if the conditions warrant. \

This movie is nonetheless worth watching just for the tornadoes alone but this movie could have been a lot better than it turned out to be. While having it's share of flaws Roland Emmerich's "The Day After Tomorrow" is far superior on many levels and corrects a lot of the flaws of "Twister" in my opinion. ... Read more

Reviews (121)

DARK ENTRIES
Lets get it over with. Hellraiser 4 - Bloodlines was bl**dy awful no pun intended. A film that was butchered and clearly cut to ribbons. And now we have Hellraiser 5 - Inferno - abandon hope all ye who enter. But what? A decent film you say? Yes Pinhead is not overused in this one and face it if it wasn't for perhaps the third film you wouldn't think this a bad thing. Perhaps the gore count isn't on overload although far more plentiful than Bloodlines but then gore in abundance does not always a good horror film make. Craig Sheffer is a marvel as the lead character and proves that Nightbreed wasn't the only Barker related project he could pull off. (And ladies doesn't he remind you of the Buffy spin off Angel?). So to sum up we have a movie that is a little bit Angel Heart, a little bit Hellraiser and either way a not bad movie. Clearly the thinking mans choice for best Barker faithful flick after the first two and the ending although having echoes (I'm not the first to say it) of A Christmas Carol does nevertheless maintain a morale intergrity. Give it a go.

Not worth my time
If you are a true fan of hellraiser you will notice that this is not a hellraiser movie, is just some dumb director tried to use the hellraiser formula but it didnt work, is just a waste of time. If you want the good stuff go see hellraiser 1,2,3 & maybe 4. so dont waste your time on a stupid detective/soap opera story

not really hellraiser
it's not really hellraiser, it's more of a detective crime story.
hellraiser is to explain the pleasure of hell, and this film has nothing to do with that at all.
i don't know why pinhead is on the front cover when he only has like a 40 second part in it alltogether.
the film is allright as a crime thriller, but it's poor as hellraiser.

Very good sequel
The Hellraiser franchise holds a special place in my heart. I will never forget the first time I saw the opening chapter in the series of films inspired by Clive Barker's nightmarish visions. Watching the original "Hellraiser" now is a mixed bag-some of those special effects look a bit hokey, but others still come across as chillingly effective. Who can forget the glistening visage of Uncle Frank? The lascivious Julia? Or the first appearance of the ominous and verbose Pinhead? The second installment improved on the first, as the film whisked the viewer away to the abode of Pinhead and the Cenobites. A gruesome, perverse picture, "Hellbound: Hellraiser 2" raised the expectations about future entries to a fever pitch. Up next came "Hellraiser 3," a personal favorite of mine even though legions of fans have subsequently disowned it. The series moved into the latter stages of its career from this point forward, taking bold steps in an attempt to expand far beyond anything that viewers had come to expect. "Hellraiser: Bloodline" moved the action into the future while simultaneously looking at the past in an effort to tell the history of the Lament Configuration, the box that unleashes Pinhead and his infernal minions. Then came "Hellraiser: Inferno," a film that is now one of my favorite entries in the franchise.

"Inferno" is a cracking good tale about a cop, Detective Joseph Thorne (Craig Sheffer), and his descent into madness. While investigating a horrendous crime scene at the house of a man Thorne knew in high school, the cop discovers the Lament Configuration and wonders what it is. He also finds a finger left behind by someone called the Engineer. Then we learn more about Joseph. Although married to a beautiful woman who bore him a delightful child, Thorne spends most of his time away from the house shaking down criminals, using narcotics, and taking free favors from women of the night. His partner Tony Nenonen (Nicholas Turturro) has no idea what his partner is up to, which suits Thorne just fine. In fact, no one knows what this corrupt cop is doing except the people he leans on for personal gain when he should bring them up on charges. When Thorne heads to a local hotel with a woman who is not his wife, he inadvertently opens the box. What follows is at times confusing and gory, but it is easy to forget one simple thing in the unfolding madness: Thorne did open the Lament Configuration. Again, remember that Thorne DID open the Lament Configuration. Keeping this fact in the forefront of your memory will help you follow the story.

When Thorne later discovers the woman he went to the hotel with expired horribly in the shower, with another finger in attendance at the crime scene, he panics. He calls in his partner, partially lies about what happened, and then plants evidence that throws suspicion on Nenonen. He does this despicable deed in part to keep himself out of jail but also to allow him to get to the bottom of the Engineer's crimes. Things start to get weird, really, really weird, as Thorne begins seeing Cenobites, confabs with a department psychiatrist who seems to know a few things about the Lament Configuration, shakes down a tattoo and body piercing artist, discovers he knows things about murders before they happen, and finds a few more fingers. Is it real or is it Memorex? Whatever it is, none of these incidents endear Joseph Thorne with the department or his partner, but the determined detective pushes on despite the increasingly suspicious looks he gets from his fellow investigators. Pinhead turns up for a few minutes at the conclusion to explain what happened, and what a conclusion it is! I took to the end of this film like a duck to water. Thorne's dawning realization of just what he's done to himself is worth the price of the film alone. Think of the concept of a personal hell and you'll get an idea of what this movie is about.

Once again, fans of the first two films lament the decline of the series. Once again, I say that viewers need to give up on the idea that the franchise will ever return to its original roots. Barker was long gone by the time "Inferno" hit video store shelves, but that doesn't mean we can't find something to like here. Sure, the movie confuses until you hear Pinhead wax on the morality of man as he shows Thorne just what his destiny has become. But the new Cenobites were appropriately grotesque, the special effects looked good, and even the acting is an improvement over many movies in the series. Can any viewer convince himself or herself for a second that most of the performances in the first two films were anything other than complete drivel? Heck no! I've seen better acting in a kindergarten play than I did in the first few films. Here, Sheffer does an acceptable turn as the corrupt Joseph, as does Turturro in the role of concerned partner Nenonen. Doug Bradley is as fantastic as ever as Pinhead even though the script dramatically reduced his role to a walk on part.

Not enough Pinhead is the film's biggest downfall. As for the DVD version, it's better than you could hope from a straight to video release. A "Secrets of Hellraiser revealed" shows us how the techies make the box open and move. There's also a short interview with Doug Bradley about his Pinhead character. The next film, "Hellraiser: Hellseeker," has even better extras. Apparently, two more sequels in this series will come out within the next year and a half; here's to hoping they're as entertaining as this film.

A true gem, if you can get over the lack of Pinhead.
I really love this movie! True, it has little/nothing to do with the Hellraiser universe. It probably should have been a stand-alone title; but if that was the case, I doubt it would have caught my attention on the shelf of the local Blockbuster Video.

Hellraiser: Inferno has some wonderful acting (in my opinion), an interesting story, good gore effects, some truly disturbing images, a good message (without being too preachy), characters that the audience cares about, and that's all I can think of right now. Oh yeah, the cinematography during the last 15 minutes (when Joseph is in his personal hell, or what have you) is gorgeous and inventive.

And two things that make the movie GREAT:

1) Dialogue that sounds natural. The polar opposite of this would be found in The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and the Matrix movies.

2) Characters that are real. Each character in Inferno possesses good and bad qualities, in other words, a personality. Joseph Thorne did some bad deeds in his life, but you could still see his humanity. If it was another movie, he would wear black all the time, beat his wife, ignore his children, etc.

I would have no problem giving this movie a rating of 9/10 or even 10/10. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ole Bornedal's thriller about a young law student who takes a job as a night watchman in a creepy morgue is long on style but comes up a little short on quality of storytelling. Bornedal sets things up in high style as Martin Bells (Ewan McGregor doing an American accent) makes his rounds in the middle of the night, with only corpses and his own paranoia for company. When bodies start coming in, the prostitute victims of a grisly serial killer, the imposing detective on the case (a hulking Nick Nolte) begins to suspect that Bells is the killer, as all clues start pointing to him. Coscripted by Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight) and adapted from Bornedal's 1994 Danish thriller, Nightwatch forsakes out-and-out thrills for a more moody approach with flickering lights, menacing shadows, and echoing footsteps down long hallways. If only there were a little more energy before the highly effective denouement, which does get scares, even after the killer is revealed. Still, McGregor is supported by a stronger than average cast: in addition to Nolte, Josh Brolin does an amusing turn as McGregor's out-of-control best friend, Patricia Arquette fares well in the standard girlfriend role, and the always creepy Brad Dourif makes the most of a sinister and funny bit part as the on-call doctor. You won't jump out of your seat, but by the end of Nightwatch you will find yourself remarkably tense. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Reviews (39)

not for everyone
Right from the start I will say Nightwatch is not for everyone. Written by Ole Bornedal and Steven Soderbergh of Sex Lies and Videotape this is a dark movie. However if you like dark movies about serial killers then you may just want to rent this one.
Martin Bells, Ewan McGregor, takes a job as a Night Watchman at a morgue. He figures he needs to have time to study for his final semester in law school and what better place could he be and still make money? Unfortunately someone is out there killing prostitutes in a most gruesome manner and Inspector Thomas Cray, Nick Nolte, is starting to suspect Martin. Especially when strange things begin to happen at the morgue.
The movie is definitely a tense thriller. Some of the scenes in it are a bit obvious but others had me guessing. McGegor, soon to be seen as the young Ben Kenobi, does a good job of trying to figure out who is setting him up and Nolte gives his usual fine performance. The supporting cast of Josh Brolin, Brad Dourif (the voice of Chucky) and Patricia Arquette all do a good job moving the film along.
This movie is tense at times, dark, and bloody. If the previous three things don't bother you in a movie then I strongly suggest checking out Nightwatch.

Excellently creepy
I admit to being a thriller-movie wimp. I had my eyes closed for half of The Sixth Sense, and my cousin had already spoiled the ending! But this is one movie you cannot tear your eyes from...even at its gruesome best. Ewan MacGregor stars as a college student taking a job as a night watchman for the local morgue (I'll grant that he tries very hard to make his accent less pronounced, but it's still noticeable at times). Essential gory plotline: a serial killer is on the loose. Ewan (as Martin) becomes the main suspect, and the only murder witnesses are the dead ones. Essential plot thickener: his girlfriend (Patricia Arquette) has become the killer's next target, and it doesn't help that his friend (Josh Brolin) keeps "challenging" Martin into doing things that seem to serve a purpose of making him look guilty. Essential twist: The twist is, of course, the killer's identity, and I can't very well give that away, can I?

I will, however, say that I didn't seriously suspect the murderer until he basically said it himself. And I felt absolutely horrible as my #1 suspect ended up saving them all. Creepy, well-done, and just intense enough. And always, ALWAYS remember to leave the door open...

one of McGregor's best
a really thrilling and terrific look at Martin Bells(McGregor) who replaces an old fart nightwatch man and then things start to, well, happen. the nightwatch man takes him threw the steps of what to do and in case of emergency. a killer is on the loose still, one who has his or her way with the dead bodies after they are dead(ehhhh is the expression I want to get). the killer starts playing with Martin's mind, Martin suspects the people around him like his friend James(Josh Brolin). his girlfriend (Patricia Arquette) suspects Martin. Detective Cray(Nick Nolte in an unusual and sick role) suspects Martin as well, but could it be that Cray is the killer? who knows? with stomach churning scenes like when Martin follows the trail of blood and finds the dead woman sitting up against the door, or where Josh Brolin is handcuffed to a pipe and he cuts off his thumb to get loose. great paranoia atmosphere as well. other actors like John C. Reilly, Brad Dourif and Lauren Graham also star. full of shocks and a good story by the director and Steven Soderbergh(Out Of Sight, Oceans Eleven2001, Full Frontal, Traffic, Solaris2002). enjoy your time. not for the sqeaumish.

If you like suspense, not gore...
If you like movies that give you the creeps (like I do) this movie is for you! Very rarely do you really see anything "scary", but the camera angles, music, lighting, etc. are incredibly effective! You really get scared, for absolutely no reason! As I am sure anyone would working in a morgue at night. :-) And it doesn't hurt a bit that Ewan McGregor is a great actor, and not bad to look at!

Very suspenseful and great twists. I saw this movie on a whim, while on a Ewan McGregor kick, and fell in love with it. I can't believe it wasn't very successful - it thought it was very well done. It will really creep you out!

Best thriller movie I've ever seen!!!!
NIGHTWATCH-2 thumbs up!
The greatest suspense movie I've ever seen!! Wow it was incredible! Nightwatch opens with a young law student named Martin (Ewan) who seems to have a pretty good life going for him. He has a girlfriend, and a bizzaro friend who I thought should prolly see a therapist. Anyhoo, Martin takes a job at a mourge to earn some extra cash. It's the typical spooky place, lights flickering, cement floors, dead bodies (totally freaky). Yet, there has been a serial killer murdering prositutes, and one of them ends up in the morgue. Then, each piece slowly falls, and Martin becomes the final piece of the killer's puzzle. This is the kind of movie that had me sitting up screaming "Look out behind you!!!" or "Hurry!!!" at the screen. It kept me on the edge of my seat. If you're looking for a nice, relaxing movie, I wouldn't suggest this. The only complaint I have were some elements in the end of the movie, which didn't seem to fit with real life. But again, I stress that it's a MOVIE. Also, this movie seems to be able to fit in humor at the same time, which is always good ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Good movie, bad dvd transfer!
This is a great movie that is based on a rather strange short story by the master himself, Stephen King. The original short story was very short and had a "strange" ending. This movie, i my opinion is better than the story by far. The original short story I think is only 20 or 30 something pages and lacks alot of characterization. This movie fills in the giant hole that is in the short story. And believe it or not, this made-for-tv movie has great acting. The boys who play the hoods are pretty convincing--especially Richard Lawson. The story is about a teacher named Jim Norman who moves to a new town in whicch his brother was killed by a group of hoods in about thirty years earlier. He keeps having dreams about them that are haunting him. One day on of his students ends up missing and one of the dead hoods from the 50's is seating in his seat--for every person they kill another one comes back. Student after student keeps being killed and another after another hood returns to class for revenge. Th only way that they can be stopped is if they have a final confrontation with Jim back in the tunnel that claimed the lives of his brother and the hoods. The results are awesome. On another note the DVD isnt very good. The transfer doesnt seem to do the justice. The picture messes up every once and a while and sometimes i noticed that the words seem to not match their mouth! The sound is awesome though. Thank you for your time.

A masterpiece!!!!
Wow!!! What a great movie. This is my favorite movie of all time. Sometimes they come back is so well thought out. The story is heartbreaking and startling on some scenes. Although, you can't help but to laugh at those killers at times. The laughs!!!! You'll never forget the hoods's laughs.
Jim Norman goes back to his hometown years after he and his family fled when he was just a kid. The horrible death of his older brother drove he and his parents to live elsewhere. Although, since this was the only teaching job open, Jim has returned once again. The horrible day when his brother was harassed by 4 gangsters that soon led to three of the hoods's deaths is played over and over again in Jim's mind, for Jim's brother lost his life too. Jim is constantly haunted in his dreams but soon he is haunted literally. The 3 departed gangsters return one by one to finish "unsettled business".
This is a must see film. Every actor was so good at their part. It seems like you're there and all through the movie, you're on edge for Jim and his family as he deals with the figures on his past.

A Great Movie For Horror Lovers
This Movie Is Great! Both Of Them. I Like Both Of Them. I Thing The People Who Like "Sometimes They Come Back" And "Sometimes They Come Back Again" Should Try "Sometimes They Come Back For More"

A perfect 10!
This movie was extrememly fun and exciting. Although it's considered horror, to me it was just pure action and entertainment from start to finish! I love the way 3 cool greasers from the '60s come back in the '90s and are exactly the same as when they died in '63. How cool those greasers were and the way all the other kids marveled at their charisma in the classroom was cool! It was also cool how that kid Jimmy became a man and then stood up to them. Those greasers and their hotrod were so cool. This movie is an A plus! Rock on Stphen King!

I love this thriller
Sometimes They Come Back, a thriller tim matheson plays Jimmy Norman plays a teacher from Chicago , returns to his old town after 20 years ,where his brother Wayne was murdered by a gang of hooligans in a spooky train tunnel the hooligans get killed by the train in the car and they want revenge, now 27 years later Richard Lawson, North , and Vincent all come back one by one to his classroom after the murders of innocent Hs students. and then attack his house and go after his son with the ghostly black hotrod and want to replay the whole thing over again i liked this movie i bought it .really cool movie , highly recommended and really good. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Eat... drink... and be buried...
I loved this movie! It was original, surprising, funny, shocking...BRILLIANT - and the ending...its rare that a movie has such a neat ending! The story centers around 5 Liberal left winged grad students who enjoy getting together and having a meal, while discussing current events & political opinions w/ guests. But it turns into a dangerous game when they accidentally kill a racist dinner guest. (Played by Bill Paxton - what a switch from the roles he usually plays!!) After that, they began to invite over people, and if they don't agree w/ their beliefs, they poison them. Its sounds a little kooky but the way screenwriter Dan Rosen puts the story together is amazing.

I don't recommend this movie for younger viewers; just because I don't think they would understand it - you have to be familiar w/ Liberals vs. Conservatives, right wing vs. left wing, etc. to understand the movie. I loved each and every one of the characters esp. Courtney B. Vance and Cameron Diaz! (this was one of Miss Diaz's first movies) It has some awesome cameos too! (Jason Alexander from "Seinfeld" plays one of the victims) On top of all that the soundtrack is GREAT too (a lot KC & The Sunshine Band, and dance music) I recommend you pick this movie up...it's a wickedly amusing dark comedy that will have you laughing all night!

Want to see everyone "get their due?"
An entertaining weekend movie, though it has moments that make you feel like you are putting yourself through it!

Five liberal grad students' favorite activity is dinner with a stranger-they enjoy the copmany of a guest they disagree with, over one of Cori's homecooked meals. We begin the movie with the night that dinner went wrong. After a guest too conservative for the conservatives (it was later revealed that he was more evil that they imagined)is killed, they decide to save the world by eliminating hosts of ultra-conservative, prejudiced and/or ignorant people.

Naturally, everything unravels...after one ignorant guest finds their liberal opinions convincing, they get nervous and quickly convince him not to change his mind, hence another body in the back yard. The meals get simpler (the fancy meals shrivel up into unembellished white bread sandwiches), the garden becomes a jungle (each grave is covered with tomato plants, a cover-up), and the blood (and tomatoes!) is everywhere!

Yes, I am biased to recommend this. I love all the point-of-view shots and humor that makes fun of everyone from every view point. Yes it's funny-if not QUITE sick!

Liberal Vengence
This is an excellent movie that never really recieved much publicity when it came out. What this movie basically tries to depict what it would be like if a group of liberals decided to go to extreme measures to rid the world of outspoken right-wingers who's death (to coin a phrase) would make the world a better place in their eyes. It does not sound like something worth observing but a few years ago I just happened to catch it playing on a cable movie channel and I just couldn't stop watching it!

The movie starts with you introduction to the primary characters consisting of a group of liberal graduate students at Iowa State University. This group is played by Ron Eldard, Annabeth Gish, Jonathan Penner, a still relatively unknown Cameron Diaz, and the great character actor Courtney B. Vance. The story starts out on a stormy night while all but one of the students is watching T.V. and discussing the nonsense gloating of well known conservative Norman Arbuthnot (Ron Perlman). Then there is a knock on the door and upon answering it they find out that their other roommate's car had broken down and he had been brought home by a truckdriver named Zack (Bill Paxton). They decide to be polite and invite Zack in for dinner. Through the course of events they find out that Zack is an extreme right-winger and desert storm veteran (and argument waiting to happen). To make a long story short they get into a scuff wherein Zack breaks Pete's (Ron Eldard) arm and Marc (Jonathan Penner) in the heat of the moment stabs Zack in the back with a kitchen knife.

In the aftermath of this incident, they (as calmly as they could) decide that it is best to not mention this to anyone as the courts would probably side with Zack. So they bury Zack in the backyard and dump his pickup in the river. Well in the days after the incident, after much deep conversation about what happened (which we liberals tend to do), they start to think about whether what happened was actually a bad thing or not. (What if someone with enought motivation were to get rid of some of these dangerous right wing a** ho*es and in the process make the world a "better place")

So they basically form a plan to invite a different person for dinner and discussion every weekend that has extreme conservative views and try to change their minds about things through debate. And if the person cannot be persuaded, they kill them by giving them wine poisoned with arsenic. Thereby getting rid of a potentially dangerous person (A potential Hitler they call it) and making the world a better place.

So this is how the story gets started and how the suspense is wound up through the course of their plan. The people that they invite over are played by many well-known actors including Charles Durning, Mark Harmon, Jason Alexander(Seinfeld), and finally Ron Perlman's character himself. The story is suspensefull and gripping and also includes a lot of insitefull symbolizm. A definite must see for anyone liberal or conservative. It holds a special significance for me because I am an Iowa State grad student myself (note: I am not really sure that it was actually filmed in Ames, Iowa I really don't recognize any of the scenery shown in the movie). Let it be known that the extremedy of the political and social viewpoints presented by the characters in this film are not my viewpoints or beliefs. It is just a wonderful movie for all adults. See it, absorb it, love it!

Dark Humor at its best / original script
This is black comedy at its best. Stacy Title wrote an incredibly original script. The acting is amazing with a very young Cameron Diaz which Im not a huge fan of but this may be her best performance. Courtney Vance is great as usual & 1 of my favorite female actresses Annabeth Gish. Also Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) gives an hilarious performance as an extreme conservative right winger. The story 5 left wing liberal grad students in Iowa share a house together & every Sunday they have supper together discussing left wing politics /socialism & ways they can change the world. In short they come across a drifter truck driver (Bill Paxton) who comes to their door. They invite him in for the ritual supper & he turns out to be a fascist,mysoginistic hitler loving ex marine. In an argument with one of the hosts he breaks their arm. They stab him in the back killing him then they hide the body in their garden. Deciding this is the only way to make a difference they come up with an idea to start inviting known conservative right wingers for last suppers allowing them to plead their choice of political & social views. Like judge & jury if not up to agreement with the hosts a little poison goes in the right wingers wine. A very dark original indie film & script. One of my favorite dark satirical comedies.

A good movie I never remember hearing about

I rented this movie and was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. The story was demented and there were a few laughs, mostly as the groups victims argued their opposing positions, not knowing they were literaly debating for their lives. "A toast..." *thud* The cast was excellent - Courtney B. Vance and Nora Dunn both get big thumbs up, while Ron Eldard's whining got on my nerves towards the (surprise) end. All in all, a pretty good movie. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Michael Crichton's bestselling novel was both a high-tech thriller and source of controversy with its hot-button plot about a man's charge of sexual harassment against a female colleague and former lover. The movie, directed by Barry Levinson, turned these issues into a prurient thriller gussied up in glossy production values, virtual reality computer graphics, and steamy sex between Michael Douglas and Demi Moore. Having cornered the market on roles for men whose brains are located south of their waistline, Douglas is well cast as the computer-industry guy who loses a plush promotion to the opportunistic Moore, and he's perfected the expression of paranoid panic. If you don't think about it too much, this is one of those films that can draw you into its manipulative web and really grab your attention. Disclosure is more entertaining than thought provoking (because the filmmakers basically danced around the story's potential controversy), but there's enough star power and visual glitz to make this an enjoyable ride. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Not the anti-PC book that Crichton wrote.....luckily
Michael Douglas and Demi Moore fight the battle of the sexes in the film version of Michael Crichton's novel "Disclosure". A rising star at one of those Seattle firms that churns out consumer high-tech, Tom Sanders (Douglas) finds his career at stake instead. Losing his promotion to Meredith Johnson (Moore), who knows less about high-tech than sleeping her way to an exec position, Sanders tries to make the best of things. This is complicated by three things - Sanders's division is having problems delivering a line of new CD-ROM players, his company is in the formative stages of a crucial merger and Johnson has set her sights on him....for something. Sanders and Johnson had had an affair some time before, and Johnson's predatory habits give a not-so-subtle hint as to what that must have been like. When Sanders - now a family man - resists, Johnson turns the tables on him, accusing him of sexual harassment.

Director Barry Levinson wisely underplays the controversial aspects of the book. (Despite Crichton's sincere belief that he was taking on a PC establishment that refuses to see women in terms other than victims of aggressive white males, the corporate intrigue aspect of the story undermines this - Sanders's victimization stemmed largely from forces that wanted Johnson to oust Sanders. This is a common occurrence in Crichton's polemical novels where the author rails at forces like PC or media manipulation when some undrlying cloak and dagger is the real culprit.) Those who shun Sanders after Johnson's accusations become known are reacting less to PC angst than a fear for their careers. Instead, Levinson plays up The "man against the conspiracy" angle - with Douglas playing detective, sneaking into computer files, pulling out answering machine messages and tracking down any leads. Much of the suspense is artificial, but it works.

Calculating Demi Moore gets caught in her own net
Star thriller about sexual harassment may lack credibility at various points and have convenient plot contrivances but "Disclosure" is an interesting film with good performances. Michael Douglas again plays the part of a harassed and overmatched fellow who is targeted by a predatory female and here he's attacked sexually by former lover Meredith Johnson [Demi Moore] who was just brought into the firm as his immediate supervisor. Moore's role is basically straightforward, a sexy but amoral black widow who glares malevolently at Tom Sanders throughout the film, determined to spin her silk threads around her fly before moving on to more important matters, such as running DigiCom her way. Sanders has an uphill battle on his hands even though he is the wronged party. Roma Maffia has a nice turn as a tough, no-nonsense attorney, and Caroline Goodall and Jacqueline Kim are good in supporting roles.

Good Movie
I caught this movie on TV a couple of years ago, and got wrapped up in it. I haven't read the book (I prefer non-fiction reading), so I can't compare this movie to the book. I thought this was an intelligent, but entertaining movie. It has a good ending - the bad guy (or girl) gets what is coming to them. There were only a few times I found scenes ridiculously implausible - like when Douglas's character is listening to Meredith and another worker scheme while she walks on a stairmaster, and they never notice him. Give me a break. I bet the good folks in Austin were irked when Michael Douglas's character turned up his nose at the possibility of being transferred to Austin.

Dennis Miller has a small role, but plays it effectively. Demi Moore is so beautiful, and plays a tough woman very convincingly. Michael Douglas's character was done so dirty in this movie, I was rooting for him all the way to the end. And thank goodness for "A Friend."

I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes movies with more depth than just car crashes and explosions.

Great and rich movie, raised many intelligent questions...
Ever wondered why it is usually males that end up being accused of (overt) sexual harassment? Is it only because women are generally viewed as (consumable and/or disposable) sexual objects, whereas men seldom are? Here Crichton makes a good point: One of the main reasons is because it is generally males that have the (conventional, social and hierarchical) power of doing so. No authority and no power implies no sexual harassment, no sexual mobbing? Well, maybe, at least formally, and the consequences would certainly be of a lesser sort...

So one of the questions this movie raises, is that if there were more women that had hierarchical power, there would be just as much sexual harassment to be expected from them, generically, as there is now from men, although it would probably take on a more subtle and pernicious form. Well, this is indeed a very complex theme, that is further muddled by social conventions...

What this movie also goes on to show, is that one of the best, if not most efficient and direct, although meanest, way to socially and professionally destroy a person, is through the allegations of sexual misbehaviour and/or misconduct, with the use of reverse sexual harassment remaining one of the all-time favorites. This is now just as old as Adam and Eve are, and whereas there is doubtless just as many (silent) feminine sufferes as there is masculine ones, suffering men are usually put much more in the spotlight. Also, the consequences for men (including presidents), are usually of a much more devastating sort than they are for women.

The truth is that men often feel relatively guilty abour their sexuality (witness the tandrum of habitual dirty jokes and puns intended for either self-reassurance or self-justification), like it were something extraneous to their person and to their dignity, whereas women usually find themselves in a much better place to incorporate sexuality as just another of the many aspects of their personality and of their lives, and, believe me, you don't have to watch (a popular talk show) to realize that.

Nevertheless, if you ever have, as a male, felt sexually aggressed, harrassed or mobbed by a female, or by another male as to sexual connotations, in a working environment, you might well find this movie to be a relatively lucid and enjoyable one. Entertaining and suspencefull, it certainly is.

A Much-Ado Movie Constructed Around Nothing Important
The allegedly questionable behavior exhibited by character Meredith Johnson in this film was a whole lot of hype about nothing of much importance. It certainly did not rise to the level of Johnson's dismissal from the company -- in fact, she was working as hard as she could, doing the business of the company. Plus, everybody does this sort of thing, it is common behavior in the corporate world. Plus, the charges of harassment leveled by Tom Sanders were lies. Also, the suggestion that Meredith had done something which merited dismissal from her job was a lot of hate talk, the corporate politics of personal destruction. And finally, by the time the harassment charges really arose in the movie, most of the characters had pretty much put it in the past, they had turned the page and moved on with business -- it was old news.

The best advice anyone could have given Tom, at the point he decided to go public and complain, was a wise bit of rape crisis counselling provided on one occasion by another of society's mistreated male victims: "You'd better get some ice on that." ... Read more

Reviews (148)

2.5...It's been done before...an extra 1/2 for the DVD
First of all I will say that if you read this review and have not seen the movie, you may want to skip it all the way to the last sentence or two. Well, anyway, I enjoyed this film, yet I feel I've been down this road before. The only real difference is that the characters are all a bunch of stoners, for the most part. It involves one particular stoner who wakes up one morning and finds his parents are not around, though he seems too stoned to care. Though there is a serial killer on the loose, all he cares about is scoring some more weed...which, to most stoners, is pretty right on the target. He comes to find out later that HE is actually the killer! Big surprise! I won't say anymore about the plot though. If you've seen Evil Dead or Re-Animator, you're really in for nothing new to the genre. The gore scenes are pretty interesting, but nothing to really single it out as a gore classic either. Mediocre at best, Idle Hands only really stands out in the defiant attitude of the time it was released just nearly a week after the Columbine Massacre. The DVD has got some interesting features, including a good deleted scene, but it's a little murky.

Hilarious horror flick.
"Idle Hands" has got to be one of the best horror/comedies ever. I absolutely love this film, it is filled with so much horror and comedy that you can't really put it into just one genre. "Idle Hands" is basically about pot-head Anton (Devon Sawa)whose right hand gets possessed by the devil and takes him on a wild (and hilarious) killing spree. The plot is simple, but the actors are what bring the film to life. Seth Green, Devon Sawa, and Elden Henson make the perfect trio of burn-outs and are absolutely hysterical. Jack Noseworthy is also good as the Motley-Crue-loving-motor-jock. The film is excellent, but what really brings this DVD to life are the features. We get a commentary by Rodman Flender, Seth Green, and Elden Henson, which is very informative and fun to listen to. You learn a lot of facts from the commentary; like how Seth and Elden won the role of Mick and Pnub, how Devon Sawa used a real butcher-knife for the hand-chopping sequence, Rodman poitning out numerous goofs and cameos by The Offspring, Ricky Martin, and a member of Blink-182, and many other little facts. The deleted scene is actually an alternate ending, which is totally different than the theatrical ending, and there is an introduction with Rodman Flender explaining why they cut it. Even though this ending is good, I still prefer the theatrical ending. Then we get some interesting storyboard-comparisons of two scenes, which are fun to watch if you really like the film. The production notes and talent files are okay, nothing special, and the making of featurette is good, you'll also learn some interesting facts and see how they did some of the effects. Then we finish with the trailers for "Idle Hands" and "Can't hardly wait". The trailer is good, it features a few glimpses of some cut scenes, see if you can catch em'.

"Idle Hands" is a superbly crafted film that unfortunately bombed at the box-office (though I don't see why it bombed) and in a few years will probably become a cult-classic. "Idle Hands" is a solid buy, the special features are great and so is the price.

Underrated Black Comedy Horror Film.
Anton Tobias (Devon Sawa) is One of the Laziest Teenagers around, which Anton loves Television, Junk-Food, Couch Potato Burn-Out. Anton finds himself in deep trouble, when he can't control his murderous impulses of his recently possessed hand. Once His Hand murdered His Parents (Fred Willard & Connie Fox) and His Friends (Seth Green & Elden Henson), He tries to get control of his rampaging devil appendage and now, it's ruininf his life. Now with the help of his friends returning back to life, they will to help Anton's Possessed Hand before not ruining his chances with his attractive neighbor (Jessica Alba) before an Hunter (Vivica A. Fox). Which the Hunter knows a thing or two about the Hand Possession to Kill anyone Who is Possessed.

Directed by Rodman Flender (Leprechaun 2) made a hilarious, sick, twisted black comedy that is a shoulda-been Cult Classic nipped in the bud by its unfortunate proximily to the Columbine Tragedy. Now the film is a forgetten genuine film. Amusing Performances in the film, especially the talented lead role of Sewa. DVD has an sharp Pan & Scan (1.33:1) transfer and an clear-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD has an great audio commentary track by the director and actors:Green & Henson. DVD has also the Original Ending with an Introduction by the Director with an Commentary Track by the Director, which you could watch the Original Ending without the Commentary and more decent extras. If you love Widescreen (Like I Do), try to get the Previous 1999 Transfer (Which also had the Widescreen/Pan & Scan transfers). Idle Hands is a tribute to another horror films like:Oliver Stone's The Hands, An American Werewolf in London, Re-Animator and Evil Dead 2:Dead by Dawn. If you are a Horror Fan, don't overlook this film. Good Music Score by Greame Revell (Bride of Chucky, The Crow, Freddy Vs. Jason). Grade:A-.

best horror slash comedy movie ever
This Movie is the greatest movie ever. The movie has good music funny and great acting jessica alba is really hot and is great the hand is preetty good too a must buy when you see it once you'll want to see it again a dar n good movie

you've gotta be kidding me
Let me be direct: 90% of the movie sucks. The acting and effects are decent. But the story, the direction, and well, pretty much everything else, are bad.

A few minutes into the movie, I thought it was a horror movie. Even then I was disappointed because it's not nearly horrifying enough. Then a third of the movie gone by, the plot became more and more ridiculous, and only then did I realize that the filmmakers wanted to make it a black comedy. But just that the movie has the style of a black comedy doesn't mean that the filmmakers would feel obliged to offer you any laughs, witty dialouges or dark humor. The movie has none of those.

The only reason I didn't give it a 1 star is some really really terrible movies deserve the lowest grade more than this one does. Not by a lot, though, I have to say. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Not the anti-PC book that Crichton wrote.....luckily
Michael Douglas and Demi Moore fight the battle of the sexes in the film version of Michael Crichton's novel "Disclosure". A rising star at one of those Seattle firms that churns out consumer high-tech, Tom Sanders (Douglas) finds his career at stake instead. Losing his promotion to Meredith Johnson (Moore), who knows less about high-tech than sleeping her way to an exec position, Sanders tries to make the best of things. This is complicated by three things - Sanders's division is having problems delivering a line of new CD-ROM players, his company is in the formative stages of a crucial merger and Johnson has set her sights on him....for something. Sanders and Johnson had had an affair some time before, and Johnson's predatory habits give a not-so-subtle hint as to what that must have been like. When Sanders - now a family man - resists, Johnson turns the tables on him, accusing him of sexual harassment.

Director Barry Levinson wisely underplays the controversial aspects of the book. (Despite Crichton's sincere belief that he was taking on a PC establishment that refuses to see women in terms other than victims of aggressive white males, the corporate intrigue aspect of the story undermines this - Sanders's victimization stemmed largely from forces that wanted Johnson to oust Sanders. This is a common occurrence in Crichton's polemical novels where the author rails at forces like PC or media manipulation when some undrlying cloak and dagger is the real culprit.) Those who shun Sanders after Johnson's accusations become known are reacting less to PC angst than a fear for their careers. Instead, Levinson plays up The "man against the conspiracy" angle - with Douglas playing detective, sneaking into computer files, pulling out answering machine messages and tracking down any leads. Much of the suspense is artificial, but it works.

Calculating Demi Moore gets caught in her own net
Star thriller about sexual harassment may lack credibility at various points and have convenient plot contrivances but "Disclosure" is an interesting film with good performances. Michael Douglas again plays the part of a harassed and overmatched fellow who is targeted by a predatory female and here he's attacked sexually by former lover Meredith Johnson [Demi Moore] who was just brought into the firm as his immediate supervisor. Moore's role is basically straightforward, a sexy but amoral black widow who glares malevolently at Tom Sanders throughout the film, determined to spin her silk threads around her fly before moving on to more important matters, such as running DigiCom her way. Sanders has an uphill battle on his hands even though he is the wronged party. Roma Maffia has a nice turn as a tough, no-nonsense attorney, and Caroline Goodall and Jacqueline Kim are good in supporting roles.

Good Movie
I caught this movie on TV a couple of years ago, and got wrapped up in it. I haven't read the book (I prefer non-fiction reading), so I can't compare this movie to the book. I thought this was an intelligent, but entertaining movie. It has a good ending - the bad guy (or girl) gets what is coming to them. There were only a few times I found scenes ridiculously implausible - like when Douglas's character is listening to Meredith and another worker scheme while she walks on a stairmaster, and they never notice him. Give me a break. I bet the good folks in Austin were irked when Michael Douglas's character turned up his nose at the possibility of being transferred to Austin.

Dennis Miller has a small role, but plays it effectively. Demi Moore is so beautiful, and plays a tough woman very convincingly. Michael Douglas's character was done so dirty in this movie, I was rooting for him all the way to the end. And thank goodness for "A Friend."

I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes movies with more depth than just car crashes and explosions.

Great and rich movie, raised many intelligent questions...
Ever wondered why it is usually males that end up being accused of (overt) sexual harassment? Is it only because women are generally viewed as (consumable and/or disposable) sexual objects, whereas men seldom are? Here Crichton makes a good point: One of the main reasons is because it is generally males that have the (conventional, social and hierarchical) power of doing so. No authority and no power implies no sexual harassment, no sexual mobbing? Well, maybe, at least formally, and the consequences would certainly be of a lesser sort...

So one of the questions this movie raises, is that if there were more women that had hierarchical power, there would be just as much sexual harassment to be expected from them, generically, as there is now from men, although it would probably take on a more subtle and pernicious form. Well, this is indeed a very complex theme, that is further muddled by social conventions...

What this movie also goes on to show, is that one of the best, if not most efficient and direct, although meanest, way to socially and professionally destroy a person, is through the allegations of sexual misbehaviour and/or misconduct, with the use of reverse sexual harassment remaining one of the all-time favorites. This is now just as old as Adam and Eve are, and whereas there is doubtless just as many (silent) feminine sufferes as there is masculine ones, suffering men are usually put much more in the spotlight. Also, the consequences for men (including presidents), are usually of a much more devastating sort than they are for women.

The truth is that men often feel relatively guilty abour their sexuality (witness the tandrum of habitual dirty jokes and puns intended for either self-reassurance or self-justification), like it were something extraneous to their person and to their dignity, whereas women usually find themselves in a much better place to incorporate sexuality as just another of the many aspects of their personality and of their lives, and, believe me, you don't have to watch (a popular talk show) to realize that.

Nevertheless, if you ever have, as a male, felt sexually aggressed, harrassed or mobbed by a female, or by another male as to sexual connotations, in a working environment, you might well find this movie to be a relatively lucid and enjoyable one. Entertaining and suspencefull, it certainly is.

A Much-Ado Movie Constructed Around Nothing Important
The allegedly questionable behavior exhibited by character Meredith Johnson in this film was a whole lot of hype about nothing of much importance. It certainly did not rise to the level of Johnson's dismissal from the company -- in fact, she was working as hard as she could, doing the business of the company. Plus, everybody does this sort of thing, it is common behavior in the corporate world. Plus, the charges of harassment leveled by Tom Sanders were lies. Also, the suggestion that Meredith had done something which merited dismissal from her job was a lot of hate talk, the corporate politics of personal destruction. And finally, by the time the harassment charges really arose in the movie, most of the characters had pretty much put it in the past, they had turned the page and moved on with business -- it was old news.

The best advice anyone could have given Tom, at the point he decided to go public and complain, was a wise bit of rape crisis counselling provided on one occasion by another of society's mistreated male victims: "You'd better get some ice on that." ... Read more

Amazon.com

The story of Jesse and Frank James, the real-life robbers whose exploits earned them a Robin Hood reputation, has been portrayed indozens of films more faithful to the myth than the history. Only in the revisionist 1970s did the romantic shadings come off in a few genre-bustingexamples (notably The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid and The Long Riders). Oddly enough, this 1996 feature takes more than a few factual liberties torestore the romantic portrait of the bank-robbing brothers. Four years afterthe Civil War, in a South crawling with carpetbaggers and occupied by Union troops, the hot-headed Jesse (Rob Lowe) and his clear-headed olderbrother Frank (Bill Paxton) take to the trail in a campaign of bank jobs, train robberies, and stagecoach holdups while evading the dogged efforts ofAllan Pinkerton (William Atherton) and his detective agency. Writer-director Robert Boris presents the boys as heroes of the defeated South,gentleman robbers avenging the pillage of their people by the ruthless railroadand bank concerns pouring in from the North and pursued by a maniacallydriven Pinkerton on a personal quest for revenge. In the wake of ClintEastwood's Unforgiven, Frank and Jesse comes off as old-fashionedand a little naive, but the measured pace and casting of country singer Randy Travis (who narratesand plays Cole Younger with a voice like molasses) gives the film, inmoments, the intimacy of a ballad. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Great performances, great movie!
Well, I caught a glimpse of this film the other night on the Westerns channels, but just a glimpse. The next day, I saw in a store being sold as a bargain DVD at $5.99. "Well," I thought, "it's probably pretty cheesy and inaccurate, but it's only six bucks." So I bought it and, boy, was I surprised! As with most historical movies, it does take heavy liberties with many of the particulars, but the events and the basic storyline are accurate for the most part. Jesse James remains a highly controversial figure in history; America's Robin Hood to some, a vicious cold-blooded killer to others. This film seems to encompass a little of both, but usually sticks to the "hero of the south" legend, which works out because he was supported by the southerners. As I said, the basic storyline is accurate. But the real shining part is the acting, especially from Bill Paxton. You're bound to love every scene he's in. So, the historical quibbles aside, it's just an awesome movie and western, and I highly recommend it! (another western featuring Bill Paxton that I highly recommend is "Tombstone", which is an accurate depiction of the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday in 1880's Arizona Territory)

Some Good Actors Play Some Very Bad Men
The script for this movie is shamelessly anti-historical garbage. Anyone who has studied the history of the James gang knows they were no choirboys in shining armor; one of the few redeeming features is that Frank, as played (well) by Bill Paxton, harbors and expresses many reservations about the morality of the James brothers' former association with Cantrell's Raiders, as well as their current career as America's first peacetime bank robbers. It is also worth noting that the Pinkerton detective agency was in fact nearly as vicious and unprincipled in dealing with the Jameses as portrayed here. Other than that, the movie takes so many liberties with history, it adds up to outright fiction of the worst kind. It couldn't be much more apparent if they'd dressed the James/Younger gang up in white hoods and had them carry Confederate flags. This flick has decent production values: good acting, fair cinematography-- too bad it's still a screenplay that should never have been filmed. Check out "The Long Riders" instead; it also romanticized these semi-despicable criminals a bit much, but with rather better adherence to historical truth.

Do yourself (and others) a favor... avoid this film !
As of this date, Hollywood has yet to produce a film about Frank and Jesse James that is both historically accurate and entertaining.

Sadly, this latest offering from Vidmark/Trimark pictures is neither historically accurate nor entertaining in any sense of the word(s). Considering the topic, one would expect an action-packed film. Such is not the case. The story-line is slow and meandering, and it suffers from problems with continuity. Granted, it would be hard to depict in a few hours the many exploits of these two brothers. But one would expect that a film having a run time of approximately two hours would find more stirring events to present to the audience.

Furthermore, the "acting" is abysmal. Love them or hate them, the James brothers stirred the passions of both Southroners and Jay-Hawkers alike. Rob Lowe (as Jesse) and Bill Paxton (as Frank) stir neither passions nor interest in the characters. More perplexingly, Paxton portrays Frank James as a moralizing whiner. In any event, a problem certainly exists when actors cannot "breathe life" into characters as famous/infamous as the James brothers ! It is inexcusable to permanently enshrine on the 'silver screen' such lack-luster performances. And the overall production is poor, having mundane cinematography, no contrast, and an uninspired soundtrack. Honestly, the production level is the equivalent to a "made for TV" movie.

Most unforgivable are the many historical inaccuracies. The film opens with young Jesse taking the Oath of Allegiance to the North. In actuality, when Jesse rode into town after the War to seek amnesty, he was 'welcomed' by a shotgun blast which knocked him from his horse and nearly killed him. No doubt, this traumatic event played a factor in his "post-War activities." And from its opening sequence, the film progresses through more omissions, distortions, and flights of pure fantasy. Those who admire the factual re-telling of historical events and those having an interest in the James brothers should best avoid this film.

For a more entertaining Civil War era movie, see "Ride With the Devil." It is a fictitional work, but it is a good movie and has a nice musical score as well.

Fact Versus Legend.
There have been over a dozen movies based upon the life of Frank and Jesse James. Some have been historically accurate, but extremely boring and others have totally ignored history, but are extremely good movies to watch. FRANK AND JESSE falls somewhere in the middle.

The movie is really enjoyable to watch. It ignores much of the James' early years and instead focuses on their days as a gang after the Civil War. There are a few historical facts that are presented correctly in the film, but there are a lot more that are totally ignored or changed. Instead, the film is based more upon the legend of the James and Younger gang.

There is no doubt that Jesse James and company were bankrobbers who had a ruthless streak to them. Nevertheless, a person cannot deny the fact either that to many people in Missouri and other rural areas in the country, the James and Younger gang were heroes, Robin Hoods of the American West. Pinkerton asserted as much time and time again in his attempts to catch and round up the gang. Having been raised in a rural area not too far from the state of Missouri, I understand why people believed and still believe that in some ways the gang were heroes. In fact, I am inclined to agree. Therefore, this "romanticizing" of the Jesse James' legend isn't anything new. It's just the other side of the same coin and usually makes for a better story.

A true Story very well made
This is a great movie to watch full of drama, action, comedy. It is also a great movie for those studying the lives of brothes Frank and Jesse. I just have to say this "WOW! What a nice butt Bill has!!!!!!" ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Odd and depressing
I bought this movie strictly because of Gary Daniels. I find him to be an exceptionally good-looking and appealing guy, so just watching him is good entertainment for me.

This is definitely an odd movie for Gary. Gary is known for his martials arts skills, and therefore is typically in a movie where those skills are showcased. Here, he plays a character that doesn't even know how to fight. This is not a martial arts movie, but rather, a sci-fi movie. Even if you forget about the fact that it's not a typical Daniels movie, and gauge it just as a sci-fi movie, it's still a bit odd. The plot, and the movie's direction, are somewhat offbeat and jarring. (For example, I'm into sci-fi, but can't recall ever seeing in another movie something like the "dark shadow" in Spoiler. It's just weird. And the sudden disappearance of 20 years out of the main character's life is most jarring). It is also very depressing subject matter. This is definitely not a "feel-good" movie and has a very, very dark look and feel all the way through. Star Wars, it ain't. Watch this movie if you're into dark sci-fi. It was too dark for me.

More than any other movie of his to date, Gary gets an opportunity to act and stretch beyond his usual, constraining role of a revenge-seeking martial arts fighter. And he does well. Clearly, he took the part to prove he could do more, and he can.

Despite the relentless pummeling he gets, Gary looks remarkable in several scenes. (How can a guy this beautiful be unappealing to the eye?). There is one scene of him pumping iron shirtless, to showcase his outstanding physique. There's no love interest at all, which is a total waste of this man's looks, but then, given the subject matter, it makes sense to exclude it.

But mostly, you'll want to watch this movie only if you like very dark sci-fi.

Spoiler shall have you spoiled!
Rodger Mason (Gary Daniels) is convicted for a crime he did not commit, and sentenced to one year in prison. Determined to return to his daughter's side, he escapes and is recaptured and frozen for 26 years and again each time he is brought out of the freezer and escapes.

It's clear to see that this movie was made on a budget,. but for those of us who like budget films, this one