Carnal obsession is a subject that if treated as a serious subject matter can generate some truly inspired films.
This, unfortunately, is not one of them. A premise that in essence is intriguing -- a couple decide to spice up their lives and contact another couple who introduce them to the lives of swingers and get more than they bargained for -- collapses into an incomprehensible mess that's supposedly a "thriller," maybe because Stephen Baldwin portrays a character who's a psycho for no other reason than the script makes him as such and in one scene kills someone while uttering smug lines a la Jack Nicholson (Why? Well, in a "thriller" there's always a murder, right?).
Blame it on the screenwriter for having seen too many "Cinemax After Dark" films and trying to make some sense out of beautiful bodies having sex for no other reason than to expose flesh and toned bodies. This is exactly how this movie feels like, with the added notion that swingers are predatory and will disrupt your life in implausible ways. There's not an ounce of believability to this story, character motivations, or actions. Situations are allowed to escalate to a level that is virtually impossible any way you look at it. The dialog that Baldwin has to utter is outrageously bad: "Come on guys..." "Hey guys..." seems to be all he is allowed to say (which brings to mind the language of characters in cheap men's magazines) while preening his teeth, squinting his eyes, and looking almost pretty. No one else registers, so why even bother.
It's just sad that the term "erotic thriller" has to be reduced to utter silliness and the requisite violence. For a real erotic movie, go see PERSONA or DAMAGE. This one? Pass.
This, unfortunately, is not one of them. A premise that in essence is intriguing -- a couple decide to spice up their lives and contact another couple who introduce them to the lives of swingers and get more than they bargained for -- collapses into an incomprehensible mess that's supposedly a "thriller," maybe because Stephen Baldwin portrays a character who's a psycho for no other reason than the script makes him as such and in one scene kills someone while uttering smug lines a la Jack Nicholson (Why? Well, in a "thriller" there's always a murder, right?).
Blame it on the screenwriter for having seen too many "Cinemax After Dark" films and trying to make some sense out of beautiful bodies having sex for no other reason than to expose flesh and toned bodies. This is exactly how this movie feels like, with the added notion that swingers are predatory and will disrupt your life in implausible ways. There's not an ounce of believability to this story, character motivations, or actions. Situations are allowed to escalate to a level that is virtually impossible any way you look at it. The dialog that Baldwin has to utter is outrageously bad: "Come on guys..." "Hey guys..." seems to be all he is allowed to say (which brings to mind the language of characters in cheap men's magazines) while preening his teeth, squinting his eyes, and looking almost pretty. No one else registers, so why even bother.
It's just sad that the term "erotic thriller" has to be reduced to utter silliness and the requisite violence. For a real erotic movie, go see PERSONA or DAMAGE. This one? Pass.