Anne Parillaud, William Baldwin and the "Phantoms of Death"
After being nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award twice in a row (for SLIVER (1993) with Sharon Stone and for FAIR GAME (1994) with Cindy Crawford / both films are among my favorite aberrations), William Baldwin's film career went a bit downhill. Under the direction of the Chilean director Raul Ruiz and for the mini-major LIONSGATE, Baldwin was once again cast as a sexy and at the same time mysterious lover, in a film that was in vain based on such great role models as Hitchcock (VERTIGO) and Lynch (LOST HIGHWAY ) oriented.
Jessie Markham (Anne Parillaud, Cesar for "Nikita" (1990)) has been through a horrific rape, but is now honeymooning in Jamaica with her husband Brian (William Baldwin). At the same time, however, she has dreams in which she is a contract killer in Seattle, shooting strange men. These two levels slowly blur together as the killer also gets to know a Brian. Jessie is becoming increasingly unable to distinguish between what is a dream and what is reality. Which Jessie is a dream and which is reality? Is Jessie on her honeymoon a reality or is she the unscrupulous murderer?
Unfortunately, this film is neither credible nor formally successful. The imagery is more reminiscent of television films from the time. The sex scenes also have no charm. At least Anne Parillaud is allowed to hold her breasts and William Baldwin is allowed to hold his shapely buttocks into the camera. But that's not enough for a convincing erotic thriller. With this commissioned work, Raul Ruiz (1941-2011) probably collected the last funds for the budget for his successful Marcel Proust film "Time Rediscovered" (1999). At least I hope it was!
Other roles in this failed film include Lisanne Falk, Graham Greene (Oscar nominee for DANCES WITH WOLVES) and the French actress Bulle Ogier (Canal+ also co-produced).
After being nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award twice in a row (for SLIVER (1993) with Sharon Stone and for FAIR GAME (1994) with Cindy Crawford / both films are among my favorite aberrations), William Baldwin's film career went a bit downhill. Under the direction of the Chilean director Raul Ruiz and for the mini-major LIONSGATE, Baldwin was once again cast as a sexy and at the same time mysterious lover, in a film that was in vain based on such great role models as Hitchcock (VERTIGO) and Lynch (LOST HIGHWAY ) oriented.
Jessie Markham (Anne Parillaud, Cesar for "Nikita" (1990)) has been through a horrific rape, but is now honeymooning in Jamaica with her husband Brian (William Baldwin). At the same time, however, she has dreams in which she is a contract killer in Seattle, shooting strange men. These two levels slowly blur together as the killer also gets to know a Brian. Jessie is becoming increasingly unable to distinguish between what is a dream and what is reality. Which Jessie is a dream and which is reality? Is Jessie on her honeymoon a reality or is she the unscrupulous murderer?
Unfortunately, this film is neither credible nor formally successful. The imagery is more reminiscent of television films from the time. The sex scenes also have no charm. At least Anne Parillaud is allowed to hold her breasts and William Baldwin is allowed to hold his shapely buttocks into the camera. But that's not enough for a convincing erotic thriller. With this commissioned work, Raul Ruiz (1941-2011) probably collected the last funds for the budget for his successful Marcel Proust film "Time Rediscovered" (1999). At least I hope it was!
Other roles in this failed film include Lisanne Falk, Graham Greene (Oscar nominee for DANCES WITH WOLVES) and the French actress Bulle Ogier (Canal+ also co-produced).