"In the Cut" works pretty well on the level of serial-killer-thriller; some genuinely gripping moments and a well rounded, albeit rather predictable conclusion.
But the murder mystery stuff is not where this film really shines. Here is a love story which takes our longing for love and fulfilment and holds it up against a red brothel light. The performances are terrific, the characters are complex and the examination of our sexuality is bold and unflinching.
A hostile, seedy world is conjured in dense dream-like atmosphere, where the hope of fairytale romance grows ever more desperate. So it is all the more profound when here amongst the dark, shabby squalor we glimpse truth, purity and beauty.
But the murder mystery stuff is not where this film really shines. Here is a love story which takes our longing for love and fulfilment and holds it up against a red brothel light. The performances are terrific, the characters are complex and the examination of our sexuality is bold and unflinching.
A hostile, seedy world is conjured in dense dream-like atmosphere, where the hope of fairytale romance grows ever more desperate. So it is all the more profound when here amongst the dark, shabby squalor we glimpse truth, purity and beauty.