Killing Me Softly (2002)

Erotic thrillers are nothing new. Everybody knows that. After Basic Instinct there was little territory left to explore in what regards the genre.. But can you call Killing Me Softly a cliché? Not Really. At least in my opinion. So what can explain the bad reviews and box office results? First it was a platform movie and not a wide release, second none of the leads are big stars, and third this genre normally doesn't have many financial results. So is it top notch? Well some things are, and others aren't at all. The cinematography and art direction is flawless and the soundtrack is very close to sublime. The screenplay is hardly what you can call acceptable, it is a lousy draft that should have been re-written, and while Chen Kaige's(the director) camera has some very interesting movements, it's the way he directs his actors that ruins everything. Heather Graham's performances is without a doubt one of the worst performances i remember watching in cinema, alright she looks stunning on screen and looks good naked, but is that enough? Not really. And also I believe the costume designer had some laughs at her expense, as she looks a corny doll sometimes. So what makes it good for me? Well I guess that everyone who likes this movie is not because of it's genuine qualities. I think that this is that sort of movie that it is so bad that it is actually very good. It's a future camp classic, the way it shows the British atmosphere and all..

The reason why Killing Me Softly isn't a better movie was because it is too rushed. The running time is way too short, Heather Graham is miscast )although she has chemistry with Joseph Fiennes), some of the dialogues are unbelievable and some scenes should have been longer and better scripted. But altogether as I told before this is a very very good guilty pleasure, that's why I give it a high score..

Fmovies: "Killing Me Softly" has one of those scripts that just don't give the audience a break - not only does it set up an improbable situation, but the big "twist" at the end is also mind-numbingly predictable (unless perhaps you haven't seen a thriller before in your life). The chemistry between the two leads is also lacking; Fiennes brings some physical magnetism to his role but as far as his acting is concerned, he's an inexpressive bloke, while Heather Graham is ALL TOO expressive - she overemphasizes every emotion her character is supposed to feeling by making faces at the camera. Besides, she's not even that attractive; even her co-star in this particular film, Natascha McElhone, blows her out of the water in that department. In spite of all that, Chen Kaige's direction is good, and he creates some suspenseful moments. So I give the film a generous "** out of 4" rating.

Firstly, a look on the bright side: You might like this movie if you are in the mood for some trash thriller with outstanding awful performances of otherwise capable actors in a nice setting with a pretty and well-dressed Heather Graham. It could also deliver some funny embarrassing moments if watching this movie on a first date. Thus it scores 2 points.

Watching this movie in a theater at a sneak preview and thus knowing nothing about it, the ridiculous mixture of plot, dialogues and attitude of the main characters lead us to the misinterpretation that we were seeing a satire. Only after about 20 minutes we realized that it was just a stunningly bad thriller. We still had some fun and good laughs. I wonder what it takes to make an actor like Joseph Fiennes to play so poorly. Maybe he, too, thought this was meant to be a satire.

Killing Me Softly fmovies. One of the worst movies I've seen in a very long time. Heather Graham can't act. If the part called for a bimbo, then maybe she fit the bill. She's almost as bad an actor as Raquel Welch was early in her career.

It goes to show what a bad script and direction can do to an actor like Joseph Fiennes who was so good in "Shakespeare in Love" and "Elizabeth". It would be hard to imagine that the good actors in this film didn't know it was a turkey when they were making it.

This film almost is in the category of so bad it's good. I did chuckle from time to time at some of the ludicrous dialog and scenes. But, if you're looking for that type of movie, a much better choice is "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls".

I fail to understand why all the critics are coming down on this film with such vicious fury. Granted, this is not a Hitchcockian masterpiece, but please, give the movie a break. The same critics give decent marks for movies which are really way below this one, and sometimes even to pure trash, as long as they have a good Hollywood pedigree. Well, this one may not have the proper pedigree, but I nevertheless found it to be a very decent thriller, one that kept me interested and on edge most of the time, had a plausible story, and one whose ending was not totally predictable (which is more than you can say for most thrillers nowadays).

All in all, a good evenings entertainment for adults, well worth watching.

This movie was sexy, yet a little disturbing.

Heather Graham portrays an American who recently moved to London. She has a nice, safe relationship with her boyfriend, an Englishman who is very reliable. You can tell that they are both comfortable with each other, but because of that their romance has died off and has made things quite boring. One day, she encounters Adam, a mysterious man on the street. The looks they give each other are lustful and very intense. What chemistry! The looks itself were sexy and erotic! And can I just say...Joseph Fiennes is one helluva sexy man! Oh my goodness! He can play the hopeless romantic in Shakespeare in Love and the dangerous rugged type in this film.

Well anyway...they get involved in a very obssessive, sexual relationship. They get right down to business...the scenes are like whoa! Sexy Sexy Sexy! Eventually, all the lust turns into love. However, they know very little about each other which drives Graham's character, Alice, mad. Unexpected secrets are revealed...and believe me! they BIG secrets...which starts to crumble their affair.

I liked this movie a lot! It's not Oscar worthy...but its worth your time. This movie has a lot to offer...romance, sex, lust, drama, thrill, and most of all...entertainment!