Purely Joyful Movie!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

I guess most of you missed the sex scene in the movie since no one has mentioned it. You know, the one on the patio. As Ellen straddles Lawrence, look real close and you'll see that she doesn't have any panties on. That's right. No panties on the lady. Then notice the surprised look on the face of Lawrence as they begin to have sex. A look of surprise and then a smile as he looks at her.Now, you decide whether the sex was real or they were acting. When I first saw this scene, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. No doubt in my mind as to what happened. Don't believe me? Rent the tape and grab your remote and hit the pause button as she settles down on top of him.

This yawner of a thriller stars Frank Langella and Ellen Barkin as the operators of a company that specializes in letting former secret agents commit corporate crimes. Laurence "Larry" Fishburne portrays Nelson Crowe, the former CIA agent who's the company's most recent recruit. A series of bizarre and not all that exciting situations follow as Langella and Barkin band together to find out just what their latest recruit's story really is. It all adds up to one of the slowest thrillers ever.

Underrated, gripping thriller was a big box-office failure but it deserves a second chance on home video. Tightly plotted (there's always something happening, but the complications never get too confusing) and smoothly directed, it's a movie that knows how to keep you absorbed, even though its nihilistic ending is slightly cliched. Give it a try. (***)

If you want your films to have sympathetic characters, you probably shouldn't go near this one. This is a very tough and cynical thriller, one that has no good guys, only a whole lotta bad guys and a couple of not quite as bad guys. But that's what I enjoyed about this film. It was great to see the plot unfold in unexpected ways, and to see these characters mess with one another, motivated only by greed, lust, and fear. Another aspect is the film's sleek and cold style. From the wardrobes to the apartments these characters occupy, the film is pretty stylin'. And the acting is very good. Laurence Fishburne is excellent as the amoral Crowe, Frank Langella is elegantly nasty as Grimes, and Michael Beach has a deceptively quiet role as one of Fishburne's "co-workers". A very dark film that resolves itself quite nicely in the end, and well worth seeing. But if you need a good guy to root for, this isn't the film to check out.