The bud of love bloomed when boy met girl. A whirlwind romance and quickie nuptials are displayed in a series of flashbacks after a mysterious woman [read: crazy] leaves her hubby during the honeymoon. He goes bonkers and spends his days tracing his disappeared darling. This leads him into a web of S&M film makers, lunatic drug dealers, and a very large surprise concerning his wonderful wife. Run of the mill thriller which seems to bog down more than cause one to quiver with emotional excitement.
9 Reviews
If you enjoy seeing Colin Firth in a lead role, you will enjoy this flick...
allurepet15 January 2000
If you are a tried-and-true fan of Colin Firth, you will enjoy this movie as he is in every frame...who wouldn't want to watch Colin Firth fall in love...Made in 1991, it shows how much Colin has grown in his acting skills since this movie...Lisa Zane is believable in her role, and Billy Zane is there...not much more to say about him...the script lacks depth and credibility...i rate this movie a C.
a very useless movie
milla4ever28 December 1999
I accidentally stumbled upon this 'movie' while zapping over my 60 dutch channels. Well, because it was very late and there wasn't anything else on, I continued to watch this low-budget picture. I like to torture myself from time to time. Colin Firth is a dumb newlywed whose bride runs away on their honeymoon. So, guess what, he starts to look for her. But his wife is a loony. Lisa Zane doesn't play her character with any mystery. You only get irritated by her. Oh yes, her brother Billy plays Firth's best friend and what an acting achievement that was. I urge you to go to dentist rather than to see this movie. Lisa Zane can't save it with her looks alone.
Awful script ruins a clever idea
metevault10 January 2004
As I sat in front of the TV watching this movie, I thought, "Oh, what Alfred Hitchcock, or even Brian DePalma, could have done with this!" Chances are, you will too. It does start out intrigueing. A British park ranger living in Los Angeles (Collin Firth) marries a pretty, demure brunette woman (Lisa Zane) whom he met in a park only a short time ago. Then, one day she dissappears. The police are unable to find any documentation that she ever existed, and Firth conducts his own search. So far, so good. Just as he's about to give up, he turns to his womanizing best friend (Billy Zane), and they stumble onto her former life in L.A.'s sordid underground of drugs, nightclubs, and ametuer filmmaking, and then to her history of mental instability. At that point, Firth's life is in danger, and the film falls apart. None of the characters from Lisa Zane's past are remotely interesting. The film moves slowly, and there's very little action. There is a subplot regarding missing drug money, but it's just a throwaway. No chases, no cliffhanging sequences, and no suspense. Just some dull beatings and a lot of chat by boring characters. One thing worth noting, Lisa Zane and Billy Zane are brother and sister, but they never appear in a scene together. By the end of the movie, you're torn between wondering what might have been and trying to stay awake.
Great premise is poorly executed
highwaytourist28 January 2007
It's interesting at first. A naive park ranger (Colin Firth) marries a pretty, mysterious woman (Lisa Zane) he's only known for a short time. They seem to be happy, then she disappears without warning. He searches for her and, after a few dead ends, stumbles upon some of her abused childhood and sleazy recent past, which may include criminal activity. And then, it seems the filmmakers didn't know what to do with the story. The beginning, while not as suspenseful as it sounds, is at least watchable. Then it ceases to be interesting or even make much sense. And the ending is so lame, so dull, and so devoid of any excitement or intelligence, you'll think the screenwriters didn't know what to do with it and got bored trying. What a sorry waste of a good idea!
A must see for Firth fans..
kimw6 January 2002
Granted I'm a Colin Firth fan but I really enjoyed this movie. It has an interesting plot with unsuspecting twists and turns that keep the viewer focused until the end. Even the reviewer that said it was bad watched it all the way through.
One word ....... awful !
merklekranz18 March 2012
Don't even think of being tempted to watch this because of the intriguing premise of a disappeared bride. This is no "Breakdown" or "The Vanishing". What it is, is a total waste of time. Beyond the initial idea, the script seemed made up as it went along. The characters are unlikable, the premise preposterous, and the entire movie is pointless. This is like trying to make sense out of a jigsaw puzzle with quite a few missing pieces. Unfortunately I stayed with it, hoping to find at least one redeeming quality that would justify my patience. None could be found, and you have been warned not to make the same mistake. - MERK
Not everything added up
jordondave-280854 April 2023
(1991) Femme Fatale
MYSTERY THRILLER
A park ranger Joseph Prince (Colin Firth) wakes up and finds that his newly married wife, Cynthia (Lisa Zane) has left just left him leaving him with nothing more than small note. To relieve his sorrows he then seeks comfort by moving and then staying with his long time friend, Elijah (Billy Zane) and we find out that they are both painters and artists for a long time, and that Joseph's wife went up and left him after 3 days of marriage. It is during then he finds more things about his wife he knew nothing about like he thought he was married to a Cynthia Baker but her actual name is Mara Sade.
A park ranger Joseph Prince (Colin Firth) wakes up and finds that his newly married wife, Cynthia (Lisa Zane) has left just left him leaving him with nothing more than small note. To relieve his sorrows he then seeks comfort by moving and then staying with his long time friend, Elijah (Billy Zane) and we find out that they are both painters and artists for a long time, and that Joseph's wife went up and left him after 3 days of marriage. It is during then he finds more things about his wife he knew nothing about like he thought he was married to a Cynthia Baker but her actual name is Mara Sade.
Colin fans only....
Cali-lily9 September 2005
This movie is intriguing only because Colin Firth is in it. It is one of his earlier films so he still has a baby fat face, but he also has that charming accent...so, not a total waste of time. He is the only reason I stuck it out.
Movie has thin plot that probably could have been a good, had the characters not been so superficial. Colin has all his usual passion, but seems out of place with the surrounding "ghosts" pretending to be actors. Really was let down by extent of the emptiness of the acting. The plot was too easy...first there are really bad men, then the bad men don't want to be bothered with the physicality's of killing someone. So they leave...what's with that? They are hit men without bullets, basically.
And I am so used to seeing Billy Zane as a really bad man that he seemed secondary if not less. Kinda spacey, and not really in the part of the film that he would have been best at, the supposed brutal sub-ending. I say sub-ending because the ending-ending was even more disappointing....turned into some warped fairy tale.
All in all, waste of time and space. Sorry Colin.
Movie has thin plot that probably could have been a good, had the characters not been so superficial. Colin has all his usual passion, but seems out of place with the surrounding "ghosts" pretending to be actors. Really was let down by extent of the emptiness of the acting. The plot was too easy...first there are really bad men, then the bad men don't want to be bothered with the physicality's of killing someone. So they leave...what's with that? They are hit men without bullets, basically.
And I am so used to seeing Billy Zane as a really bad man that he seemed secondary if not less. Kinda spacey, and not really in the part of the film that he would have been best at, the supposed brutal sub-ending. I say sub-ending because the ending-ending was even more disappointing....turned into some warped fairy tale.
All in all, waste of time and space. Sorry Colin.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
