Second Skin (2000)

A man opens a small-town bookstore in order to escape his connections to a mobster, but is reluctantly drawn back to his dark past by a mysterious woman.

Director:

Darrell Roodt

Writer:

John Lau

Stars:

Natasha Henstridge, Angus Macfadyen, Liam Waite

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Natasha Henstridge	...	Crystal Ball
Angus Macfadyen	...	Sam Kane
Liam Waite	...	Tommy G
Norman Anstey	...	Hawthorne
Peter Fonda	...	Merv Gutman
Andre Jacobs	...	Harvey (as André Jacobs)
Pierre Malherbe	...	Nick the Noodle
Terry Norton	...	Doctor
Paddy Canavan	...	Hardware Clerk
Anita Berk	...	Nurse
Leonard Moss	...	Henchman
Benjamin Ajogri	...	Henchman
Ian Page	...	Henchman
Lionel Swanson	...	College Boy
Chris Duncan	...	College Boy

Storyline

A tough guy named Tommy Gunn, with "kaos" tattooed on his neck, a beautiful blond named Crystal Ball who's struck by a car and can't remember her past, a sadistic scalpel-wielding mobster in Cleveland, a balding schmuck gambling in Las Vegas, a reclusive bookstore owner in a small coastal town who discourages customers, and the hit-and-run driver of the SUV that hits Crystal: what connects them? Sam, the bookstore owner, comes to Crystal's aid after the accident; an affair begins. When she's menaced by Tommy, Sam tries buying him off. As Crystal begins to remember her past, the question arises about Sam's: why is he in hiding?

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Plot Keywords:

haunted by the past | neo noir | gangster | psychological drama | fatal attraction | 

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Taglines:

A beautiful woman. A deadly scheme. A perfect murder.

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Genres:

Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, sexuality and language

Details

Country:

Canada South Africa UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Matadora de Aluguel

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alliance Atlantis Communications, Fiction Film & Television Limited, Film Afrika Worldwide

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Excellent photography, weak screenplay

This dark mystery/thriller begins well enough, but it gets increasingly implausible until by the end it loses most of its credibility. Crystal Ball (Natasha Henstridge) walks into a second hand bookstore owned by Sam Kane (Angus MacFadyen) ostensibly to apply for a job. Upon leaving, she is hit by a car. Sam takes her to the hospital and cares for her while she recovers. The impact causes her to lose her memory, so she doesn't know who she is or where she lives. The two fall in love and then Crystal suddenly remembers that she was sent by Merv Gutman (Peter Fonda) to kill Sam because Merv thinks Sam stole money from him. The film goes through a number of gyrations including confrontations between Crystal and her boyfriend Tommy G (Liam Waite), Crystal and Merv, Sam and Tommy G, Sam and Merv, Crystal and Sam, etc., etc.

The plot has a few interesting twists, but the dialogue is banal and many of the scenes drag. However, for a film made on a $3.5 Million budget, director Darrell Roodt delivers some excellent photography and shows himself to be talented at creating powerful imagery.

If there are two things that stand out from this film, they are the talents of Roodt and Henstridge. Roodt gives the images style and richness with interesting perspective shots and a number of beautiful location shots. I'd like to see him get a more prominent project where he can put his talents to work. Natasha Henstridge carries the film with an excellent performance that should portend a shot at meatier roles in the future. Her striking appearance and superior acting ability is made even more obvious playing against journeyman Angus MacFadyen, whose performance here helps validate his relegation to supporting roles throughout his career. MacFayden is stiff and forced, contributing little to the believability of his character. As mediocre as MacFayden is, Liam Waite is worse. Peter Fonda gives a nefarious performance in a minor role.

This film isn't bad for a B movie and shows twinkles on the horizon for Roodt and Henstridge. I rated it a 6/10. With a stronger screenplay, it could have been very entertaining.