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Reviews
Never Talk to Strangers (1995)
Works better as a drama than a thriller, after second viewing
I've been trying to think of a word to describe the main characters in this movie, and the best one is incongruity. A macho-looking Puerto Rican named Tony (Antonio Banderas) dressed in a leather jacket with big silver rings on most of his fingers turns out to be a wine expert and an ex-cop with a great sense of fun and takes his sex either kinky or romantic. An up-scale psychiatrist named Sarah (Rebecca DeMoray) is evaluating a murderer, Max Cheski (Harry Dean Stanton) for Multiple Personality Disorder while she goes through extreme moods shifts. She falls for Tony, who doesn't seem to be her type, yet ends up being the perfect guy to help her with her sexual repression and problems with trust.
This movie doesn't quite work as a thriller. It's poorly written and directed. Too many thriller clichés like the over-use of camera shots, quick cuts, and blaring, screeching music at "shocking" moments. There are a number of stalker suspects - is it Tony? Neighbor Cliff? Dad Henry? Cheski? Yet I never believed any of them to be credible suspects. At no point was I ever on the edge of my seat worried about her being with any of these so-called suspects.
The clues, at least, are nicely woven in. Although it makes a sartorial and editorial error when it gives us a clue about the real stalker - the film unwittingly rules out one of the suspects, yet keeps on trying to make us believe he's one of them. I had a sense of who it was by the end. Although I found things about it distasteful and not well presented. I was surprised a couple of things, so I didn't guess the entire ending beforehand.
I found DeMoray's acting go from passable to over the top at times. The only one who actually makes this movie watchable is Banderas, who manages to do some good things with the poor material he's given. When the film wants to be an erotic thriller, he's the one, not surprisingly, who gives it the eroticism it wants, not DeMoray. Not that they lack chemistry, but she's not as up to the job as he is. When the film wants light, fun romantic moments, he's the one brings them to the film. When the film wants serious dramatic tension, Banderas serves it up. Sometimes, DeMoray either seems to lag behind him or goes over the top in an effort to match him.
In spite of it's flaws as a thriller, once you know what's really going on and watch it again, it makes for a decent drama (as long as you ignore the annoying overdone "shocking moments.") Second time through lets you actually understand the whys about things. Unfortunately, most people aren't going to want to watch this thing a second time.
Play It to the Bone (1999)
A true friendship takes some heavy punches
I found this to be a refreshing buddy movie. Refreshing in that the buddies, Vince (Woody Harrelson) and Cesar (Antonio Banderas), aren't so polar in their personalities that they aren't always clashing in the usual clichéd manner. That is, one isn't a lot more fast-talking than than the other, or more wilder, or more idiosyncratic. They're just a couple of sweet dim-bulb washed-up boxers who mean well and are the best of friends.
When the under-card boxers for a big-time Vegas boxing event (Mike Tyson vs someone) both can't fight - seeing as one's dead and one's drugged-up to the max, Vince and Cesar get the call to take their places in the match that very night. They have to fight each other, yet it's their shot for each of them to redeem themselves in the boxing world.
This flick's half road movie, half sports movie, and all buddy movie, and the structure works. During the road trip from L.A. to Vegas, we get to know these guys and their former girl friend, Grace (Lolita Davidovich). During the trip, their idiosyncrasies, usually forgiven through friendship, begin to grate on each other, and their secrets, and their feelings of rivalry and jealousies, which they usually keep hidden, come to the surface. All of it builds in tension as they get closer to Vegas and the big fight.
But, when they arrive for the fight itself, we know that these guys still love each other, and we've come to like them. So who to root for during the boxing match? Seeing them prove that they're both good boxers and that either one of them could win makes for great dramatic tension, just the right stuff for a sports movie.
The boxing itself is terrifically filmed as we feel every blow and wince for each one of them. The ending is kind of predictable, satisfying and yet dissatisfying at the same time. Do they actually redeem themselves? It's hard to tell.
Lucy Lui makes an appearance, but she seems to be there just to be annoying and to have sex with Vince. It stirs up the frustrated Cesar, but, story-wise, that's about it. Fortunately, she doesn't stick around for long.
There are some genuine laugh-out-loud moments in the movie and it's got a lot of heart. Harrelson, Banderas, and Davidovich are right-on in their performances. If you're looking for a straight-forward sports movie, you'll be disappointed. But Shelton's movies have always been more about character, anyway. It's all about a deep friendship that's truly tested in every way. This is a character-driven movie that builds up to some great boxing that's well worth the trip.