Christopher Crowe was a director who really intrigued me, where I loved Saigon, with all that original great dialogue, if only with all that self consciousness that hampered it. Amazingly here, this psychological thriller, is constructed all the same way with those red herrings, and the guy suiciding, case closed, killer dead, two thirds of the way through. Only again, annoyingly it bites us in the ass, where our jumper wasn't the killer. Quite annoyingly here, I'm saying for those who have seen Saigon. Like that one, I really find this one entertaining as f..k too. WITD which missed a cinema run, is only heightened by it's really good and surprising performances, though Hawkeye's Alda was obviously miscast, flat, where Paglia is fun as a dubious and nosey detective, with a lot of issues. Sciorra (Internal Affairs) is really good as a New York psychiatrist, plagued by this recurring dream previewed throughout the balsy sexy opening, played against a beautiful mellow romantic score, where two nude figures, who remain faceless, are fornicating. She entrusts old family friend/psychiatrist, Leo (the plain banal Alda) who has more on his mind than psychiatry, while also getting off on a beautiful female patient's story, where later, this poor girl becomes the murder victim. By this time, Sciorra has become a prime murder suspect, as having, taken up an affair with the victim's ex, an avid pilot (Jamie Sheridan) a real likable performance. Not only that, the late victim, had stolen some of her files which makes for some juicy reading. Another big suspect is one of her patients (Leguizamo) as a troubled artist, with a known history for sexually abusing and battering woman, where we see first hand, some frank photos. This is the sleaze element of the film, but it doesn't mar that at all, as it's down in style. I don't know why, but I really find this film an entertaining watch, as a viewing it several times. As for violence inferred, apart from the sexual, there's hardly any blood letting, some shown in lesser or no detail, like in long shots. A guilty fun moment is the end, and leading up to that where the sick f..k killer, who I never picked in my first viewing, reveals himself. I always thought it was stupid though to leave those incriminating out in the open and not locked up. There's a lot of interesting and different touches as to characters, occupations, and their troubles. Deborah Kara Unger is hot too, in her sexy confronting disrobe, while great character actor Anthony 'Doctor Chilton' appears in a limited number of scenes, as Sciorra's old self centered, if pathetic, boyfriend. WITD is a 'with' it 90's sexual psychological thriller drama, with style. It has an interesting script, and obviously deserves much more credit than it's given, as well as being a respected thriller/drama.
Review of Whispers in the Dark
