Jade (1995)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

William Friedkin

Writer (WGA):

Joe Eszterhas (written by)

Release Date:

13 October 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

Some women have secret fantasies. Some women have secret lives.

Plot:

Someone does a nasty hatchet job on a San Fransisco big noise and the Assistant D.A. takes charge of the investigation...

Plot Keywords:

Investigation | Blackmail | Paranoia | Whodunit | Sex Killer

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

David Caruso	...	David Corelli
Linda Fiorentino	...	Trina Gavin
Chazz Palminteri	...	Matt Gavin
Richard Crenna	...	Gov. Lew Edwards
Michael Biehn	...	Bob Hargrove
Donna Murphy	...	Karen Heller
Ken King	...	Petey Vesko
Holt McCallany	...	Bill Barrett
David Hunt	...	Pat Callendar
Angie Everhart	...	Patrice Jacinto
Kevin Tighe	...	Dist. Atty. Arnold Clifford
Robin Thomas	...	Mr. Green
Jay Jacobus	...	Justin Henderson
Victoria Smith	...	Sandy
Drew Snyder	...	Executive

MPAA:

Rated R for grisly afterviews of murder victims, violence, language and strong scenes of aberrant sexuality.

Runtime:

95 min | USA:107 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:R | USA:R (certificate #33482) | Singapore:PG (video rating) (cut) | Singapore:R(A) | USA:Unrated (home video version) | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Canada:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Italy:VM18 | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Chinatown, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

According to Joe Eszterhas's autobiography he hated the final film. Director William Friedkin changed Eszterhas's SCRIPT so much, he threatened to remove his name from the credits. Paramount settled with him by giving him a "blind script deal" worth two to four Million Dollars.

Goofs:

Continuity: The blood stains on the black Ford Thunderbird's headlights change repeatedly between shots during the chase.

Quotes:

Bob Hargrove: [watching a sex tape] You ever take it like that, Corelli?
David Corelli: Is that an offer, Inspector?
Bob Hargrove: You wish.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

Soundtrack:

The Mystic's Dream

Underrated, but still not one of Friedkin's best...

To say Friedkin's career has had its ups and downs is an understatement, his eighties filmography inarguably has enough bombs to sink a oil tanker. Yet eschewing their performances at the box office, many of his films yearn to be rediscovered, from "Cruising" to "Deal of the Century" to "Rampage". Let's not kid ourselves, "Jade" is not a great film, and this is the fault of one man and one man alone - Joe Esterhas. If trash had a messiah, it would be him. For a fleeting moment in the nineties, Esterhas was paid by the bucketload to write formulaic movies for guys, and the erotic thriller has him to thank for its continuing lugubrious existence. "Jade" is interesting however, it is an erotic thriller without the erotic part. While Paul Verhoeven filled "Basic Instinct" chock full of the sleaze he had become renowned for, Friedkin's films are notable for primarily dealing with male characters, and are subsequently about as erotic as as a bowl of cereal. "Jade" is not about sex; it is about sexual jealousy. The talent of Linda Fiorentino cannot be underestimated here, giving depth to a part that amounts to no more than a typical male fantasy - part good girl, part whore - that's right, it's "Crimes of Passion" without Anthony Perkins and his bag of dildos. The leads are well cast and all give adequate performances, and Friedkin throws in all his usual directorial touches (subliminal images and, you guessed it, yet another bloody car chase). "Jade" is an enjoyable film, with delightfully silly twists and over-the-top violence (come on, you know you want to see Angie Everhart get run over again), and is given some class from it's cast and director, but, in the end, proves itself to be a guilty pleasure that makes one feel more guilt than pleasure.