During the opening and closing scenes of this listlessly scripted work, Jim Lomax (C.Thomas Howell) walks along an ocean flanking beach with his dog, quoting as he goes (via voice-over) lines he attributes to D.H. Lawrence, a patent attempt to add a bit of class to this affair that has very little working for it. Lomax, an advertising firm idea man, meets alluring Caroline (Joan Severance) in a video store, follows her to a local market and there she apparently is so enthralled by his scruffy charms that they are soon amusing themselves upon the floor of her bedroom in the first of several garish, albeit occasionally creative, erotic sequences. Unfortunately for Jim, Caroline fails to inform him that she is married, and when her wealthy and influential land developing husband Roger Everett (Malcolm McDowell) discovers the illicit relationship as a result of Caroline's carelessness, he is bent upon enacting revenge and there would seem to be only a slim chance that Lomax may avoid Roger's retribution. Everett hires the ad agency for which Jim works to handle a public relations campaign to create an image of him as an environmentally friendly condominium complex developer, but behind his act is a motive that Roger possesses to ruin Lomax, and the latter must take strong steps to save his career and, possibly, his very life. The storyline quickly becomes disunified as the two men are in conflict not only regarding Caroline but over issues of personal safety and position, as well, while the blithe Mrs. Everett continues on with her openly double life, her steam for Jim at odds with financial security and the maternal graces that she obtains from her marriage, although she seldom demonstrates any degree of sensible behaviour that might lead a viewer to reckon upon the direction of her ultimate choice. Despite attempts through dialogue to mend holes within the logic deficient plot, the film cannot halt its descent into flabby melodrama, and a viewer must fruitlessly seek for rational causes to explain actions of some characters, while others simply disappear, their purposes for this story obviously at an end. Makeshift as is its screenplay, while being devoid of sustained suspense or mood, this movie is not a chore to watch, primarily because of McDowell's typically intense performance in an emblematic role, i.e., a dangerously unbalanced yet highly intelligent individual.
2 Reviews
Adequate entertainment - while you work, ideally.
peterjamesyates28 February 2002
Quite a reasonable movie to surf the imdb to, and Ms Severance is easy enough on the eye. There is a genuinely tense scene shortly before the end of the film.
Malcolm McDowell is a very dependable actor but he could have been better directed in that particular scene.
Malcolm McDowell is a very dependable actor but he could have been better directed in that particular scene.
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