Jade (1995)

I think this may have been successful in its day, simply because of the sex. There is the appearance of some sex acts on the screen presented in a couple voyeuristic contexts, but I think the target was a much deeper appeal: a whole world driven by insatiable, conventionally deviant female sex drive. The writer had previously cashed in with this idea and Hollywood chose to try again but with a real director.

This formula isn't just about sex, its about turning the noir mechanics on its head. Noir depends on an outside fate that arbitrarily throws strangers together in situations that are designed for and controlled by the values of watching, outside the world of the action.

Here, everyone knows each other beforehand. There are essentially no strangers. The driving force is supernatural as in noir, but it is rooted in and owned by the people we see. Its simple sexual desire, lust.

The story is ordinary, the sex unconvincingly simulated. Even the automotive stunts are limp. There's some craft in how it is put together visually though, enough to keep me engaged.

But there is one remarkable feature. The score is hypnotizing. It is bicameral, both halves based on prototypical themes. The male theme: lustful, uncontrollable and apt to be violent is from (almost directly) Stravinski's Rite of Spring. Its wildly erotic, threatening, dangerous. The female side (until the end that is) is a Celtic anthem, soft, passive, receptive, drifting.

I do not ever recall something so directly cast, so borrowed and yet so effective. I saw this close to a film (Duel at Diablo) where the score was literally canned bits from old movies and the dialog all dubbed). This part is fun, and much more tantalizingly erotic than what you will see.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

Fmovies: This is a Basic Instict rehash plain and simple, actually it's a pre draft of basic instict. The directing is a mess, I can't believe this guy shot the french connection. But now he's old and where he tries to be different here, he is instead just plainly bad...Tight close ups for no reasons, boring set scenes, saturated photography...the cast is decent but with such a trite script...the dialog is worse than trivial.

Its only saving grace is an unintended one, and maybe with that meditation in mind this can actually become a good film: Because the grotesqueness, blandness and stupidity in the realisation and script of this film reflects the world of powerless unsexual morons acting all powerful and sexual. Obviously this is unintended as this tries to be edgy, erotic and smart. It tries to be a murder mystery, a who done it on coke a la BI, but it ends up being a who gives a ..., I 've never been so emotionally detached at the end of any mystery.

But in this way it poetically conveys within it's form the artificiality of power and sex, the dead end that is pleasure without sentiments and sensibility.

A bland, derivative, tasteless film about power, sex and wealth, that fails so miserably that its failure becomes a medium of expression and gives the film an unintended second narrative level. It's also starkly realist, because what can be more real than a failed Hollywood flop on sex, money and power. You don't see people doing realistic actions, but you see people acting, directing badly, writing scripts badly. The epitome of decadence.

It could even be quite a good sobering experience, even weirdly lyrical if one watches it with that in mind.

San Francisco ADA David Corelli (David Caruso) is attending a ball with friend Matt Gavin (Chazz Palminteri) and his wife, David's former love, Trina (Linda Fiorentino). David is called away to the brutal murder of a wealthy businessman. He finds a silver case engraved with the Chinese character Jade. The police uncovers photos of Governor Edwards (Richard Crenna) with an unknown woman later identified as prostitute Patrice Jacinto (Angie Everhart). Bob Hargrove (Michael Biehn) is a disagreeable police detective. As the investigation continues, the Gavins are pulled into the sexual political intrigue.

Joe Eszterhas' psycho-sexual script may not be fitting material for director William Friedkin. The rewriting is evident of that and not necessarily fixed anything. This concentrates more on the lurid in this stylized erotic thriller. Bless his heart, Friedkin tried. There are some car action on the steep streets but he has done better work before. Driving thru the parade may be an interesting idea. The execution is more frustrating than thriller.

The movie got caught up with the Caruso factor during its initial release. He is a perfectly serviceable actor if he doesn't get romantic. His sex appeal is limited and any attempt at sexuality is awkward at best. His character is rarely a lawyer and runs around investigating like a cop. He plays a better cop than a lawyer. Corelli should have been a police detective. Fiorentino has her great smoldering dark sexuality and that helps in this role. The story is a little messy and drags sometimes. It needs a little simplification to allow better flow and heightened tension. None of it is that compelling but it's not completely bad.

Jade fmovies. Make no mistake: (1) this IS a sordid crime story and (2) is is FAR better than the national critics - and the ones here - would have you believe. I have found it fascinating the three times I've watched it and look forward to seeing it again. It surprises me each time, being better than I remembered. It's nicely photographed, too. Why I can't get a widescreen DVD of this, I don't know, but all that seems to be available is full screen.

William Friedkin directed this which usually means (1) a riveting story; (2) stylish cinematography. That's the case here. I rate this movie so high mainly because it's so entertaining. And it doesn't overstay it's welcome at a short hour-and-a- half.

There are some stunning action scenes with cars hitting people, cars hitting cars and a long, wild car chase through a parade in San Francisco's Chinatown.

My only complaint is the normal Liberal in-your-face bias that Hollywood always seems to show. They just can't help giving you their pro-Democrat, anti- Catholic, anti-authority bias. Early scenes provide some cheap shots on Nixon and Reagan and later we see the film's two male starts talking irreverently in church. The governor is a sleaze in the story and the cops are corrupt. I've just come to except these modern-day film clichés and not let it interfere with my enjoyment of the film.

Speaking of actors and characters, David Caruso and Chazz Palminteri are the two male leads I referred to in the previous paragraph. They are both good. Why Caruso didn't make it in the movies must have been due to the roles he took, not his acting. Linda Fiorentino does what she does best - plays a whore. There isn't a moral person in here, at least with the lead actors. That's no surprise since "sleaze king" Joe Eszterhas wrote the script. Nonetheless, those three actors are very good with Caruso, as the cop, the best.

It's a crude story at times (there was a NC-version available of this, as well), but it's very interesting start-to-finish, has some memorable scenes, nice San Francisco scenery and a nice soundtrack from Celtic singer Loreena McKennitt.

"Jade" hasn't got enough in the way of memorable scenes or entertaining dialogue to be a thriller. My impression is of a "that'll do, let's get it in the can" attitude towards the script, the direction and the lack luster air of some of the cast. The video cassette I have says on the packaging:"An Erotic Thriller". There is quite a lot of what could be called sex in this movie, but the last thing it has is eroticism. I bought my copy from the special offers rack at a local store, reduced 70% from retail. There is a hung jury on whether or not I wasted my money!

Two of the leading players, David Caruso "David Corelli" and Linda Fiorentino "Trina Gavin" look uncomfortable in every scene they do. When David Caruso left east coast cop TV to make movies in Hollywood I imagine this by the numbers effort wasn't the sort of thing he had in mind. Linda Fiorentino has made better appearances too. I prefer to remember her in "The Last Seduction" and "Body Count". "Body Count" also provides an opportunity to see David Caruso doing much better work.

Perhaps fortunately, Chazz Palminteri and Richard Crenna seem completely at home with their roles of "Matt Gavin" and " Lew Edwards" respectively. The MG characterization is well done. Chazz Palminteri's interpretation, with its calculated cordiality and sinister edge, makes a decent job of unexceptional material. LE is Governor of California. Richard Crenna gives him just the right amount of ruthless deviousness to be entirely believable as a career politician.

Other things about "Jade" are worth a mention - at least they interest me, anyway! The set dressing of the rich man's house has been done in impressive style by people who clearly know how to create visual atmosphere. Some of the soundtrack music is also better than routine. The closing credits are accompanied by an excellent, haunting vocal, "The Mystic Dream", performed by Loreena McKennitt. At least I think that's the lady's name, the credit is fuzzy on my tape.

Being few and far between, the good bits don't save the movie.

I think this movie has the lowest IMDB user vote rating of any movie that I like. It is really an entertaining movie and I am not sure why it is getting such poor ratings here. It is not perfect and may have a few plot holes, but it is definitely worth seeing. There must be an anti-Caruso IMDB splinter cell operating in cyberspace and conspiring to drop the IMDB user rating for all his movies about 2 to 3 points. Check it out and see what you think. Linda Fiorentino is truly hot and well cast as the steamy babe. Caruso's performance is very believable. Richard Crenna is underrated and good here too. Angie Everhart and Donna Murphy are pleasing to look at and also give good performances in smaller roles. Ignore the anti-Caruso crowd, who must be a band of closet NYPD Blue freaks that are still upset that he left that show to make films.