Crimes of Passion (1984) User Reviews

Two great actors camp up the sleaze

[rlcsljo · 6/10 · 30 December 2000]

I love films where everyone seems to be having a good time, especially the director. Kathy Turner vamps up Madonna, while Tony Perkins parodies his Psycho role while Russell tells us of a hooker whose heart is cold and made of gold at the same time--because her customers love it. Tony's preacher has obviously spent too much time amongst the slime bags of the combat zone and has allowed them to totally push him over the edge. The obvious point of this film is that the "typical" marriage is no better or worse than moral degeneracy

Forget the "R" rated version, and rent the unrated.

Lots of Fun!

[matty03 · 6/10 · 26 May 2000]

Thank God for Ken Russell. No other director could have made this one. This is not one of his best films, but it is certainly a fun one to watch. Kathleen Turner really goes the limit as an actress in her role as China Blue. She looks great and gives more to the film than it really deserves. While there are some serious jabs made at relationships and sexuality --- this movie is really just raunchy fun. Anthony Perkins almost steals the show in a send-up of his "Psycho" performance. Great use of color and set design considering the small budget. Rick Wakeman's score is suitably cheezy and very dated. An adult film worth watching.

I Know I Am Going To Take Some Heat For This, BUT * * * * out of 4.

[brandonsites1981 · 4 September 2002]

Click on my name for a list of over 500 reviews! This review is for the unrated version.

Fashion designer (Kathleen Turner) lives a double life at night posing as a $50 hooker. She is stalked and terrorized by a psycho preacher (Anthony Perkins) while a married man (John Laughlin) slowly falls in love with her. Amid all the sleaze, kink, (which is all very necessary to the plot of the film) and talk lies an intelligent, thoughtful film. You are never able to take your eyes off of Turner who is absolutely spellbinding. Perkins plays crazy like no one else can. And Laughlin and Annie Potts turn in frank, honest performances. Director Ken Russell is able to create colorful characterizations and generate memorable dialogue. The very 80's score falls perfectly into place in the film and the ending is among one of the most shocking in cinema history. A masterpiece in every respect and one of the most under rated films of all time.

Unrated; Extreme Sexual & Violent Content, Nudity, Profanity, Adult Themes and Nudity.

Provocative every step of the way.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 21 November 2012]

"Crimes of Passion", an incredibly bizarre, sexually charged drama, provides interesting material with which inimitable filmmaker Ken Russell can work. It's as stylish as anything he's done, and maintains a gritty, fairly sleazy atmosphere and a deliberate pace. Kathleen Turner is striking in the role of "China Blue", a lady with a double life: by day she's a fashion designer (real name Joanna Crane), by night she's a hooker. She fascinates two men, one of them an ordinary guy named Bobby Grady (John Laughlin), the other a fanatical, so-called "preacher" named Peter Shayne (Anthony Perkins) who claims to be out to "save" her. Bobby was hired by Joannas' boss to tail her, and she presents the young man with a fresh view of the world; his relationship with his uptight wife Amy (Annie Potts) has soured after years of marriage, and he's happy to meet somebody who doesn't have any hangups about being intimate. The movie is never quite as outrageous as some viewers may expect, but that doesn't mean that there isn't some explicit imagery here and there. Its few sex scenes are done in a surprisingly tasteful manner, but its dialogue is quite kinky, witty, and delicious; it's amazing to hear ever reliable Perkins, extremely well cast in one of his typical nutty roles, utter lots of obscenities. He's just fantastic as always, and the lovely Turner delivers a multi dimensional performance worthy of some respect. Laughlin and Potts are both fine, and the cast also features people such as Bruce Davison, Stephen Lee, Norman Burton, Peggy Feury, and Gerald S. O'Loughlin, but it's the two leads that truly command your attention. Working from a screenplay by producer Barry Sandler, Russell injects the film with plenty of humour; just the idea of Perkins carrying erotic paraphernalia around with him is a hoot. (There's a vibrator, in particular, that will prove to be a very important prop later on.) It may require a bit of patience on the part of some viewers due to its unhurried nature, and of course some may find the subject matter a turn off. Those who don't will be amused by the sordid story and all of the trappings of the milieu. In the end, this isn't something that can be easily forgotten. Seven out of 10.

Artful Depravity

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 9 July 2016]

A sportswear designer leads a double life as a hooker named China Blue (Kathleen Turner). One of her clients, a man on the verge of divorce, decides he loves her and figures out who she is. He then begins wooing her, which she fights against since he was a client. Meanwhile a street preacher (Anthony Perkins) works the red light district trying to save souls.

Allegedly, the male lead passed over Patrick Swayze and Jeff Bridges before landing on John Laughlin. Not that Laughlin does a bad job, but in retrospect this seems like an odd choice -- the movie would have had a more lasting impact with one of the other two.

Although Kathleen Turner takes up most of the screen time, and really puts herself out there in these sexual situations, Perkins is the highlight of the film. He never shies away from pushing his own emotions, saying and acting in the most manic of manners. For an actor who made his name working with Hitchcock, he was never afraid to push the envelope in his career. Allegedly, the "poppers" we see him using on screen were real and he was indeed pumped up for much of the shoot.

One aspect of the film that Ken Russell ought to be praised for is how strongly he suggests certain things but never shows them. For a film about American sexuality, there is surprisingly little nudity. Instead, he uses Japanese art to double for this, and presents an endless stream of suggestive -- but rarely explicit -- scenes. This is brilliant, and keeps the movie from becoming smut, despite its themes. Likewise, the violence is almost all psychological -- even a murder scene somewhat humorously uses a doll to avoid showing direct, human physical interaction.

Russell and cinematographer Dick Bush do an excellent job of projecting character on to the actors through lighting. We have garish colors and neon lights for the scenes with China Blue, while the other scenes were more naturalistic light. There are clearly two worlds at play, and Kathleen Turner seamlessly goes from one to the other.

On top of a beautiful 2K restoration, and the ability to watch either the cut or uncut version, the Arrow Video blu-ray comes packed with features. We have audio commentary with director Ken Russell and producer-screenwriter Barry Sandler, seven deleted/extended scenes with optional commentary by Sandler, a brand-new interview with Sandler, and a brand-new interview with composer Rick Wakeman. This is a must-own for any fan of Russell, Turner or especially Perkins.

A Film about Masks.

[rolex922 · 6/10 · 2 April 2021]

The prostitute China Blue is the mask that professional designer, Joanna Crane wears by night. Crane hides behind her alter-ego to live in a grimy and seedy fantasy world to escape her reality. Pastor Shayne is Peter Shayne's view into the world of China Blue and her co-workers. The relationship between China and the Pastor is the focus of this bizarre neon-lit fable of salvation, and deciding who is the one in need of saving is complicated. In-between this twisted relationship, in steps Bobby Grady. Grady is hired to follow Crane to see if she's selling her employers secrets to the competition - Grady finds out that Crane's double life is way more complicated than selling secrets...she's collecting them. Grady, whose stale, lifeless suburban marriage is failing, falls for his mark. This evolves into a bizarre ménage a trois with China chasing a fantasy, Shayne and Grady chasing China. What ensues is Crane becoming unmasked and realising that the life she's chosen is not so easy when you have nothing to hide behind.

If all this sounds complicated, or even messy, it's because it is. Russell's visual-audio fantasy is turned up to eleven as Turner and Perkins act out their character's fantasies. And the casting of both really does fit Russell's style, with Perkins undeniably commanding your attention during his scenes. There's a depth in his portrayal of this tortured faux-preacher that keeps your gaze locked on him throughout. However, Turner is as alluring and committed as usual and doesn't suffer from Perkins' chewing the scenery...actually, she chews as much of it as he does. But they never cancel each other out, merely powerfully co-exist. Then there's John Laughlin as Grady, and Annie Potts as his estranged wife. They both do what's needed, with both coming across as naive, when compared to the experienced deviant characters of Blue and Shayne. Grady's man-child naivety helps remove China's mask from Joanna.

The film, however, has obviously been chopped by the powers that be. Russell's narrative is splintered, a little too much at times. And although the 'masks we wear' message is effective, some of the plot points to highlight them are a little disjointed. Saying that, though, Perkins and Turner are mesmerising and they really keep the film entertaining.

An intense vision of perversity and self-hatred.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 31 July 2019]

Some incredible performances here don't hide the fact that a convoluted and unbelievable story prevents this from being a good film. Certainly, it is intense and riveting, a creepy noir like view of a world most people don't want to explore but can't help because of the constant presence of sordid stories like this in the news. Kathleen Turner returns to the type of intense sexuality that she had played in her first film, "Body Heat", portraying a character with two lives. She spends her days working in a fashion house, accused unknowing to her of selling company patterns,, and working at night as a fetish specialty hooker name China Blue.

Two men have an impact on her life and how it progresses (or possibly ends), and they are as different as different can be. There is phony street preacher Anthony Perkins in a role that even out creeps Norman Bates, and the unhappily married John Laughlin, seemingly stuck in is marriage to Annie Potts. Completely different than her "Designing Women" character of Mary Jo Shively, Potts' character constantly belittles her husband in a subtle way over every little thing, and when he is hired to follow Turner, Laughlin Falls prey to her intensity.

But there's more to China Blue than her fake blond wig and her outward toughness. Perkins observes everything that Turner does, ultimately becoming a psycho stalker. Laughlin faces the truth about his marriage, but can he save Turner from herself? The way this film is directed is obviously perverse but it is often funny with sexual innuendo through clever lines and hysterically ridiculous characters. Louise Sorel, one of my favorite soap divas, has a hysterical scene as the wife of a millionaire who hires Turner for a threesome and talks business while oggling Turner. This was right before she began playing Augusta Lockridge, an equally outrageous socialite on "Santa Barbara", and she is deliciously nasty.

A touching sequence involving a wife searching for a prostitute for her dying husband is perhaps the most important scene in the film because this is where Turner begins to reveal what is underneath the surface. It is her performance, along with Perkins outrageous melodramatic theatrics, that is commanding and worthy of seeing at least once. It's the type of film that I could only get through once, and many film watchers will be quickly turned off. I could easily see this more through John Waters' eyes than Ken Russell's, because the seriousness in which he presents this requires a lot more tongue in cheek.

A sleazy ball of fun!

[johnnycourageous · 10/10 · 9 June 2001]

Crimes of Passion is definitely my secret, guilty pleasure. Available uncut in this country, few films have managed to capture a sleazy, seedy feel without resorting to a sense of grottiness. This film is classy and well made, much the same as Ken Russell's later film, Whore (1991). It has the same sense of light-heartedness, and is actually well written.

Much of the dialogue is clever, witty, and bitingly effective. The performances are top notch - particularly Perkins as the maniacal priest whom is captivated by the street-smart, fashion-designer-cum-hooker Turner. The sexual scenes are bold, but not sexually explicit.

It is truly amazing to see Kathleen Turner in this film, as opposed to her performance as a fat, frumpy, conservative and highly religious middle-aged mother in the Virgin Suicides (1999). I cannot think of a character performance so diametrically opposite to the one in Crimes of Passion. I recommend you rent both films, and watch them back to back. It is sure to make your head spin, and perhaps even generate a sense of appreciation for the diversity of Turner's acting ability!

fun weirdness

[cherold · 7/10 · 17 January 2021]

Weird movie with Turner as a faux-hooker living out her fantasies and Perkins as a faux-preacher wanting to save/prey on her. Wild performances, witty script, and in spite of a little moralizing about being honest with yourself it's just silly fun.

More naked Kathleen than you can shake a silver vibrator at.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 18 October 2019]

Ken Russell, Britain's 'enfant terrible' of cinema, directs this gaudy and extremely sordid tale of sex, perversion and madness in his signature outrageous style, with graphic sex, violence and, of course, religious imagery. Kathleen Turner takes the lead, as fashion designer Joanna Crane by day, and $50 hooker China Blue by night. Two men become obsessed with the woman: discontented married father of two Bobby Grady (John Laughlin), who is hired to find out if Joanna is involved in industrial espionage, and nutty street preacher Peter Shayne (Anthony Perkins), who tries to 'save' fallen women through the use of a razor-sharp metal vibrator.

Turner has long been one of my favourite actresses, ever since I saw her in Romancing the Stone back when I was a teenager. Naturally, I sought out her more adult fare -- Body Heat (1981) and this film -- when they became available on home video, but while I loved Lawrence Kasdan's sultry neo-noir, Russell's more audacious movie left me far less satisfied, despite my love of provocative cinema and a golden opportunity to ogle its sexy star getting seriously nasty. And unimpressed I remain, over 30 years later.

Russell, never one to shy away from controversy, revels in the excess of the film's lurid elements, delivering several raunchy scenes guaranteed to give the censors aneurysms (Kathleen and the truncheon!), but he also weaves a very dull plot thread about Bobby's failing marriage into the craziness, causing the film to drag (this time around I watched the 113 minute director's cut, which features more filth, but also several very boring scenes between Bobby and his wife Amy, played by Annie Potts). Turner is great in her dual role, giving her character depth and complexity the film doesn't deserve, and she looks amazing, but Laughlin makes for a bland protagonist, Potts' character is thoroughly unlikable, and Perkins... well he takes Norman Bates to eleven, his sweaty, twitchy, vibrator-fondling psycho a masterclass in overacting, which is fun for a while, but eventually gets tiresome.

Visually, the film is impressive, with great use of light and shadow, neon colours drenching many of the scenes, and there are quite a few gems of witty dialogue ('Are you free?' 'No, but I'm one hell of a bargain.'), but with all that excruciating marital strife, Russell's tendency to stray into head-scratching avant-garde territory, and the often awkward acting make this one far less entertaining than its sleazy premise implies.

4 out of 10 for the film, bumped up to 5 for Kathleen.

One of Turner's Best Performances

[cassiewright-89520 · 8/10 · 26 March 2020]

It's hard to think of a mainstream actress in the 80's (or even now) signing on to play a role like China Blue, but Kathleen Turner had the guts to and it resulted in one of her finest performances to date.

Turner plays China Blue, a streetwise prostitute by night and a successful fashion designer by day. Her double life is in jeopardy of being revealed by a psychotic street preacher (Anthony Perkins at his nutty best) and a sexually unsatisfied suburban father (John Laughlin).

The film still shocks today with its sequences of sexually explicit dialogue and activities. There's still a ton of humor to keep you engaged, but its Turner's performance that keeps one riveted to the screen.

You will believe that a man can be impaled on a vibrator.

[Son_of_Mansfield · 7/10 · 17 February 2007]

Or, you won't. This exploration of gender and sexuality has a similar problem to some people, it's not sure which way it wants to go. It's got genre confusion. Is it a drama? Is it a satire? Certainly, images of a man as hp or "human penis", slowly rising as his friend hums "Thus Spoke Zoroaster" and then spitting milk out of his mouth as his wife sits in horror surrounded by harsh scenes of family strife seems to scream satire, but the performances are all over the map. Annie Potts is deadly serious and Anthony Perkins is psycho. Kathleen Turner is the bright spot. She sells such odd scenes as her prostitute dressed in a nun's habit jumping on her bed while singing "Onward Christian Soldier!" Strangely, even with these three off the wall things mentioned, it's the straightness of the movie as a whole that makes it too dramatic. But the ending is priceless, John Laughlin does another one of his weepy monologues about how he needed his woman to tell him that everything would be alright, it's OK to be scared, then, he looks at the camera with a smile and says that they f**ked like animals. Classic.

P.S. One of my favorite scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. Bruce Davidson analyzes this girl in a bar, makes an animal noise, and asks her if she likes the Bee Gees all while laughing. It's hilarious and it hits on an interesting point. Isn't it all just a game? If you say the right thing, you get a prize.

Worth watching for Kathleen Turner's performance

[blu-dude · 5/10 · 21 May 2004]

From director Ken Russell, who never met an excess he didn't like, Crimes of Passion is the story of Joanna Crane - a fashion designer by day, a kinky prostitute named China Blue by night. China finds herself being stalked by a maniacal street preacher (Anthony Perkins) who wants to save her soul; she has also caught the eye of a private investigator (John Laughlin) whose marriage is on the rocks.

Crimes of Passion has its share of problems. The dialogue is often excruciatingly bad, and the subplot involving Laughlin and his wife (Annie Potts) is barely watchable. (Don't be surprised if you find yourself getting drowsy; even Potts seems to be struggling to stay awake during her scenes.) But as long as Turner is on screen, the film shines. This is easily the best performance of her career, and it almost makes you forget that this is the same woman that starred in Peggy Sue Got Married and Romancing the Stone. Nothing against those films or her performance in them, but when you see what she does to a cop, you'll get the idea.

** 1/2 (on a scale of zero to five)

A relatively fun movie, perhaps for all the wrong reasons.

[fedor8 · 20 January 2007]

Turner: "Oh, a man of words... He makes up in diction what he lacks in dick." Or: "I never forget a face... Especially when I've sat on it." (also Turner) These are the kinds of lines we get to hear in this movie. It's yet more sexual lunacy from the most sex-obsessed director of the last three decades (not counting Russ Meyer). Russell presents a bizarre combination between wacky sexual-situation comedy, family drama, and psycho-thriller. The movie goes in all sorts of directions, and seems to be about a lot of things - with sex (what else?) being the unifying theme in all the issues. There is both intentional and unintentional humour, though with Russell you can't always tell which is which, but most of the film is a sort of eccentric drama.

The characters of Turner and Perkins are absurd and over-the-top, respectively; Turner is a career woman who works as a prostitute during the night, while Perkins is a deranged wanna-be minister with mania written all over his face. At the beginning, Perkins so overdoes his part (as is typical of this incompetent over-actor) that you can't help but laugh. Turner, though playing a far-fetched character, is quite convincing, and very charismatic, as usual. Turner's character is the writer's idea of what a woman, who has been emotionally hurt by a failed relationshit, might do to deal with her disappointment in male-kind (i.e. mankind): she turns to fulfilling (male) fantasies as a prostitute. That'll happen... The idea that Turner - who has sex all the time with various men - would suddenly get emotionally aroused with a customer (Laughlin) just because he feels for her or whatever, is preposterous, though not annoying. In fact, nothing seems to be annoying in the film, in spite of it being Russell's.

Well, almost; Russell took one or two themes from Dvorak's "New World Symphony" and milked them for all they're worth. These melodies are played over and over and over, in varying styles. Strange, because this music doesn't in any way suit this film. Some dialog sounds unnatural, some is silly/comical and loaded with sexual word-play, and some is right out of a TV soap-opera.

Perhaps the funniest moment was when Turner, while rummaging through Perkins's bag, finds a powerful-looking metal dildo and asks him whether it's a cruise-missile.

They don't make 'em like this anymore.

[Pinback-4 · 7/10 · 17 August 1999]

This kinky and trashy Ken Russell exercise is actually a forerunner to "Blue Velvet". They are similar in more ways than you might expect. They are both about nice middle class guys who enter worlds filled with sex, drugs, hookers, crazy people, and neon lights. "Blue Velvet" is a much better film, but this movie is a lot funnier. Anthony Perkins plays a drugged out street preacher whose personal mission is to save prostitutes, especially China Blue, played with gusto by Kathleen Turner. It's extremely rare that two respected actors like these would want to do a rather sleazy film like this (although Turner tried to get out of it after "Romancing the Stone" was released). The story has to do with a surveillance expert (John Laughlin) who is hired to spy on Turner but instead becomes involved with her. He is also having problems with his marriage. This movie is anything but boring.

Wild! Pure Ken Russell

[maggotbrain70 · 7/10 · 9 August 2007]

First, just make sure you see the UNRATED version of this film. The theatrical version isn't the same movie, there's just way too much cut out of it (and I'm not referring to sex scenes).

If you're a fan of Ken Russell, Kathleen Turner, or Anthony Perkins this is a must see. Turner, Perkins and Anne Potts all give remarkable performances. The film is plenty weird... if you're familiar with Russell's work you'll know what I mean, but well worth the viewing. I'll be thinking about it for a long, long time. I won't bore you with plot details, you can look at the summaries section for that, but I thought the movie was fun, shocking, frightening, sexy, intelligent, stupid, trippy, deep, sleazy, happy, and sad all at the same time. In other words, highly recommended!

Body of Passion

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 11 November 2021]

Can a relationship survive if there is no passion? Can love be there between two individuals if they don't yearn each others bodies? Is it a sin looking for that ... kick/love? The movie has quite the interesting premise and a lot to say about relationships ... but also how deep the void can be within an individual - sometimes you're not even realizing what is missing ... until you find it.

Kathleen Turner and Anthony Perkins are quite amazing in their respective roles, even if some may feel they sort of riff on previous (better known) roles they have played. There is quite a lot provoking sex that is being depicted, though never does it gets explicit (even when an adult movie is being shown on a TV screen).

The story is quite simple, it is more about the human interaction that happens ... and what the 3 main individuals feel. So in that sense the wife of our main character is a bit sidelined, but you can't really focus on everyone (though there is a deleted scene on the Arrow release, that may be interesting in that aspect among other things).

A movie that has one scene in specific that mixes sex and violence - something that got the movie into trouble. Trouble meaning that the scene had to be cut out. A pivotal scene as the director himself felt - but nowadays you can watch it. Question is if it is too much for you ... A movie that goes down and is as dirty as it could be, but also has some rays of sunshine - of hope for real love. Can it happen?

WHAT A HOOT!!

[Ray-81 · 4/10 · 21 January 1999]

If you're in the mood to laugh at a truly bad movie (bad in the way only Ken Russell at his worst can be), you must try this one. It succeeds in making you feel like you just landed in a .25 porn-booth, and you can just about smell the urine on the floor. Kathleen Turner struts around in a blond wig, getting her kicks from "pretending" to be a two-bit hooker (she really has a good solid job in the clothing industry and has been hurt so badly by men that this is the only way she can connect), and Tony Perkins plays a hysterical "priest" who is out to maybe murderer her (yet another movie that ends with Tony Perkins in drag). Annie Potts shows up and is not allowed to provide an ounce of her usual wit, which is reason enough to hate this movie. The kinky will love the sex scenes, so rent the UNrated version in the RED box so you can see Turner give a cop a taste of his billy club (I had to pause the VCR until we stopped laughing).

Three lifes and a classic!

[jp_91 · 8/10 · 24 January 2021]

"Crimes of Passion" is an erotic-thriller classic. A smart script about three lifes and their problems and dreams, every scene is erotic or suspenseful, the performances are great, the music score is wonderful and the cinematography is a totally masterpiece. Before than the romantic comedy "Pretty Woman" or many famous erotic thrillers there was "Crimes of Passion".

Fascinating, offbeat.

[gridoon · 7/10 · 23 April 2001]

This is, to be sure, not the easiest film to categorize: campy at times (with an often inappropriate - but always intentionally so - comic music score), at other times serious and emotionally complex and altogether fascinating and intriguing. Anthony Perkins is wackier than ever as a totally demented preacher, Laughlin (especially) and Turner are also very good in their roles. It's an explicitly sexual and kinky movie, definitely not for everyone, but if you're tired of the same old stuff, this is refreshingly non-mainstream fare. (***)

An interesting, but frustrating and silly experience

[tomgillespie2002 · 5/10 · 14 August 2016]

Opening with Kathleen Turner's 'China Blue' facing the camera spreadeagled while a man performs cunnilingus on her, Ken Russell's barking mad Crimes of Passion starts as provocatively as it means to go on. A nightmare for the censors (as Russell's films generally were), Crimes of Passion had to undergo heavy cuts even to pass for an R rating upon its original release, when it was met with generally unfavourable reviews. Years later, it's still a somewhat baffling oddity with some terrible dialogue, but its certainly an interesting, one-off experience.

Fashion designer Joanna Crane (Turner) is a successful, emotionally cold businesswoman by day, but by night, she is China Blue, the most sought-after and beautiful prostitute to walk the streets. We see her pleasure a variety of men in a variety of ways, and she seems to enjoy her work. Her biggest fan is fanatical street preacher Rev. Peter Shayne (Anthony Perkins), a lunatic who watches her through a hole in the wall and wants to 'save her soul', carrying with him at all times a massive, blade-sharp dildo. Middle-class electrician Bobby Grady (John Laughlin) is married to his childhood sweetheart (Annie Potts) and is bored with her frigid ways. When he is assigned to spy on Joanna by her boss who falsely believes her to be stealing, he discovers her alter-ego and falls for her.

Although it explores themes of emotional detachment and sexual discovery, it's difficult to unravel just what Crimes of Passion is truly about. One moment the film will deliver a moment of tenderness between Joanna and Bobby, and suddenly shift the tone and focus onto Perkins' sweaty, nitrate-sniffing deviant. But if anyone can add an artistic bend to such a sleazy subject matter, it is Ken Russell, who manages to find neon-lit beauty in even the grimiest of locations. Turner and Perkins are terrific, while Laughlin fails to find any dimensions within his one-note character but, in his defence, is lumped with some wobbly dialogue. Laughably over-the-top and overlong at 110 minutes, it's a frustrating and sometimes silly experience, but one that I would recommend anybody to watch at least once.

Thought provoking and highly entertaining.

[Vancity_Film_Fanatic · 8/10 · 24 January 2005]

It's no surprise that Ken Russell's ambitious psychosexual drama "Crimes of Passion" was not well received upon its initial release back in 1984. But to be fair, based on the heavy edits required to achieve an 'R' rating, it's hard to imagine the film having the same sort of effect as the un-rated director's cut. Explicitness is key to a film of this nature -- necessary for provoking audience reaction, but also for providing a raw layer of intensity to which the viewer can connect with. For example, the explicit dialogue in the bedroom confessional scene between Bobby & Amy Grady (equally fine performances from John Laughlin and Annie Potts) effectively captures the real disconnect present within so many relationships. On one hand there's a need and/or desire for sex as a means of fulfillment and expression of love, but on the other hand there are responsibilities associated with family life that may impede that desire, or in the case of the character of Amy Grady, a general lack of sexual desire is just part of her persona. Meanwhile this leaves her husband Bobby feeling discontented. The film asks then, just how important is sex? Is it an essential part of being happy? In stark contrast to the dynamic between Bobby & Amy Grady, is the character of China Blue/Joanna Crane -- played with absolute gusto by Kathleen Turner (giving one of the finest performances of her career). While her motives remain for the most part unclear, the character of China Blue appears to be using sex as a control mechanism. But what is it that she is trying to control? Through the use of some fairly explicit sex scenes it seems apparent that she enjoys the sex itself while also enjoying the anonymity and emotional disconnect involved with being a girl for hire. But is this feeling the result of her actual disdain for having that emotional connection, or is it a result of having been scarred by a past relationship? The power play argument is reinforced by seeing the Joanna Crane side of the character -- a highly successful undergarment designer with a cool car and a great apartment; someone who seems to have it all, yet wants to take her power one step further. This theory is drawn into question (of course!) when her path crosses with Bobby Grady; someone who seems to be able to offer her the entire package she secretly longs for. To complicate things further, there's the character of Rev. Peter Shayne (an Oscar worthy performance from Anthony Perkins); a man so distraught and shamed by his own inner demons that he seeks his own redemption through the course of offering to redeem China Blue. Throw in an enjoyably hypnotic yet cheesy & dated synthesizer score, and the usual striking visual imagery and religious allegory that Ken Russell is well known for, and the result is a thought provoking and highly entertaining film. Best recommended to those who don't mind being left with a lot of unanswered questions at the end, or who aren't easily offended – an 8/10, this film is destined to become a major classic and deserves repeated viewings.

Has the crummy, dim-bulb ambiance of a porny picture...

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 17 September 2006]

Kathleen Turner is admirable playing a prim fashion designer by day and a kinky hooker named China Blue by night. This determinedly-weird sex-odyssey from outré filmmaker Ken Russell does indeed have the force behind its salacious convictions--it is almost embarrassingly sordid and one genuinely feels for the performers on-screen--yet as a psycho-drama it comes out half-baked. The subplots, one involving family man John Laughlin with sexless wife Annie Potts and the other, sillier one concerning Anthony Perkins as a sidewalk preacher, only take time away from Turner's intriguing impersonation. Last minute editing revisions forced upon Russell leave the final act feeling choppy, however there's some amusing satire here (big city business and stifling suburbia) that gnaws at you in both good and bad ways. The screenwriter, Barry Sandler, has many targets and a lot of interesting things to stay, but the deadened look and feel of the movie makes it seem like a repugnant gag. Yesterday's kink is today's old news. **1/2 from ****

Disappointing

[jcanettis · 4/10 · 26 August 2004]

"Crimes of Passion" is a film that is disappointing on most counts. Where should I start from? The plot? It is despairingly simplistic and full of gaps. The direction? Reminds a cheap B-movie. The acting? John Laughlin is utterly terrible in his role as "well-intentioned-husband-of-a-frozen-wife" Bobby, Annie Pots is unconvincing as "frozen-wife" Amy, and it is only Kathleen Turner (above average), and Antony Perkins (excellent) which get passable acting marks. More specifically, Antony Perkins gives a great performance as the pervert reverend Peter Shayne, while Turner manages to portray the roles of sexy China Blue and frail Joanna Crane satisfactorily.

Unfortunately, the performances of Turner and Perkins alone are insufficient to help get the film a grade higher than 4/10. Watch it if you want to see Turner in some sensational scenes (although even on this count the film can be easily matched by its competition-"Basic Instinct" for example), otherwise avoid.