This notorious adaptation of James M. Cain isn't as bad as some make it out to be. This film has a good blend of thriller, drama, romantic and crime.
Frank Chambers (Jack Nicholson) is a drifter working at a restaurant owned by Nick Paradacos and his young, sultry, beautiful wife Cora (Jessica Lange). Frank soon finds out that not all is well for the married couple; Nick is a self-indulged, drinking husband who looks at his wife as no more than a prize won, and Cora is a (too) hard-working woman who seeks for liberation outside her gloomy life. Fixtated on the sexy Cora, Frank gets the husband out of the house for a while so he can have his way with the wife. Cora succumbs to this passion and the two become lovers and plot a scheme to murder her husband.
Being made in the 1980s gave director Bob Rafelson the opportunity to capture the raw sexuality and violence that made the novel so shocking and appealing to a Depression-era audience. Nicholson's and Lange's sex scenes are raw, explicit and violent to say the least. While posing as a romantic-drama, it does have its thrilling action sequences, as in the scene of Frank, Cora and her husband driving around one late night...
Nicholson appears to be miscast as a romantic lead as I don't think he was meant for 'weak, sappy' roles but rather villanious roles. Still, he gives it his best shot, and makes a somewhat convincing performance as the streetwise, ever horny drifter. The one major complaint is Jessica Lange. While her good looks will understandably bring any man down to his knees, her ability to play a neglected, preyed housewife is lacking. Apparantely this film gives her a chance to yell and shout like a hyena on fire. Jessica Lange should have stuck to her first profession, modeling, and leave the acting opportunites for more talented ladies.
Overall, a fairly ordinary film with its' share of gratuitous sex scenes will get one through the weekend. Perfect to watch on a Sunday evening.
Frank Chambers (Jack Nicholson) is a drifter working at a restaurant owned by Nick Paradacos and his young, sultry, beautiful wife Cora (Jessica Lange). Frank soon finds out that not all is well for the married couple; Nick is a self-indulged, drinking husband who looks at his wife as no more than a prize won, and Cora is a (too) hard-working woman who seeks for liberation outside her gloomy life. Fixtated on the sexy Cora, Frank gets the husband out of the house for a while so he can have his way with the wife. Cora succumbs to this passion and the two become lovers and plot a scheme to murder her husband.
Being made in the 1980s gave director Bob Rafelson the opportunity to capture the raw sexuality and violence that made the novel so shocking and appealing to a Depression-era audience. Nicholson's and Lange's sex scenes are raw, explicit and violent to say the least. While posing as a romantic-drama, it does have its thrilling action sequences, as in the scene of Frank, Cora and her husband driving around one late night...
Nicholson appears to be miscast as a romantic lead as I don't think he was meant for 'weak, sappy' roles but rather villanious roles. Still, he gives it his best shot, and makes a somewhat convincing performance as the streetwise, ever horny drifter. The one major complaint is Jessica Lange. While her good looks will understandably bring any man down to his knees, her ability to play a neglected, preyed housewife is lacking. Apparantely this film gives her a chance to yell and shout like a hyena on fire. Jessica Lange should have stuck to her first profession, modeling, and leave the acting opportunites for more talented ladies.
Overall, a fairly ordinary film with its' share of gratuitous sex scenes will get one through the weekend. Perfect to watch on a Sunday evening.