Even though I am only giving this movie a “C+” I want to make it clear that I am a little bit fascinated by it.
The movie starts out really quite strong – with two lengthy dialogue sequences between Asia Argento and Michael Madsen that are quite terrific. And then – it’s as if someone tapped Assayas on the shoulder and said, “wrap this up.”
The movie spins out of control in every possible fashion, turning into a boring crime picture – and an inept one at that. I’ll give someone a dollar if they can honestly tell me they knew what the hell was going on in the second half of the film – and intentional disorientation – while a valid form of expression – is only earned in the best filmmaking scenarios. This isn’t one of them.
Argento is a really interesting actress – and I’m not just saying that because she is flashing a gun at her genitals in this poster and spends much of the movie in her underwear. She has genuine charisma and a very unique manner about her. I don’t know why she isn’t a bigger star in America. Maybe she doesn’t want to be.
