The Comfort of Strangers

Even on the sunniest and warmest of days in Venice the old buildings rising up out of the murky waters and the narrow alleyways that go nowhere, the place can give rise to a feeling of unease, of foreboding. Here, with a stark script by Harold Pinter from the sinister story of Ian McEwan we are presented with a rather desperate couple, brilliantly played by Richardson and Everett and their salvation is Christopher Walken. Add Helen Mirren to the mix and you have a perfectly cast and perfectly set uncanny tale that whilst you know is going nowhere good you share the fascination of the innocent couple as they stumble to disaster. Wonderful evocation of Venice and a most unsettling tale, excellent direction from Schrader and effective music from Badalamenti make this essential viewing for the broadminded.