The plot is plausible but banal, i.e., beautiful and neglected wife of wealthy and powerful man has a fling with a psychotic hunk, then tries to cover it up as the psycho stalks and blackmails her. But, what develops from there is stupefyingly illogical. Despite the resources that are available to the usual couple who has money and influence, our privileged hero and heroine appear to have only one domestic, their attorney and local police (who say they can do nothing) at their disposal while they grapple with suspense and terror. They have no private security staff (only a fancy security system that they mishandle), household or grounds staff, chauffeurs, etc. Not even, apparently, the funds to hire private round-the-clock nurses to care for the hero when he suffers life-threatening injuries, leaving man and wife alone and vulnerable in their mansion. Our heroine is portrayed as having the brains of a doorknob and our hero, a tycoon, behaves in the most unlikely and irrational manner. The production is an insult to viewers who wasted their time with this drivel and a crime for having wasted the talents of veteran actors Oliva Hussey and Don Murray (what were they thinking?). And, shame on Lifetime TV for insulting the intelligence of its audience for this insipid offering.
Reviews
3 Reviews
The Departed
(2006)
An average mob movie that can't hold a candle to Goodfellas, The Godfather, Scarface and other true masterpieces.
4 March 2007
I was greatly disappointed in The Departed, which I feel was overrated and does not stand up to other Martin Scorsese masterpieces such as those mentioned in the summary as well as other classics such as Raging Bull, The Color of Money, Taxi Driver and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Compared to those movie giants, The Departed meanders annoyingly, and the only reason I can see for awarding Mr. Scorsese an Oscar for direction is to acknowledge his ability to direct such actors of stature through a film with essentially no script; but, even so, someone of Martin Scorsese's talent should have been able to do a better job, or have the judgment to pass on the script, which was adapted by William Monahan from the 2002 Hong Kong crime thriller Infernal Affairs, written by by Felix Chong and Siu Fai Mak, and in the opinion of some was superior to Mr. Monahan's screenplay. While the plot had possibilities, they were not realized. Each of the performances delivered were in themselves excellent, but the the plot and progression of events just were not presented in a way that pulls the viewer in the way other Scorsese films have done. So, it is an "ok" film, but not, in my opinion close to being Oscar-worthy. Mr. Scorsese is a brilliant director and deserves an Academy Award for the aforementioned films, but in this viewer's opinion, not for this one.
What Lies Beneath
(2000)
What Lies Beneath is atmospheric, which is the successful formula for all ghost stories.
10 May 2006
What Lies Beneath is full of atmospheric moments, which is the winning formula for all successful ghost stores, such as "The Uninvited," "Rebecca" and "The Innocents," based on the novel, "The Turn of the Screw." The breathtaking scenic backdrop, the beautiful house, the attractive couple, the normalcy of the daughter going off to college, and the family dog, all lend themselves to lulling the audience into a false sense of warmth and comfort. The jarring "red herrings" are part of the formula and balance the normalcy. This type of ebb and flow keeps the audience just enough off balance to cause discomfort and build the suspense. And, creating a selection of situations that may explain the creepy happenings is all part of the puzzle - and fun. I thought "What Lies Beneath" accomplished all of this. I do agree that too much advertising tends to take the edge off even the best plotted film. I don't think, "The Uninvited" would have been as effective had I seen repeated ads prior to viewing it, and that is part of what is wrong with modern films.
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