I remember the first time I saw Demi Moore on screen. She was then playing the vindictive dumped woman on "General Hospital" opposite Tristan Rogers. It's a decade later, and she's playing a variation of the same character, much more powerful and using that power for revenge over a relationship that ended years ago when he apparently and it is. Promoted to a vice-presidential position over him, and making a pass at a private meeting that same evening, she goes out of her way to seduce him in the most violent way, and he almost falls prey to her preying, running out as she spits threats at him and he's finished. You can't even get herself to say something to the cleaning lady looking at her in disgust. Moore is a vindictive woman of no scruples (actually a preying mantis determined to remove his head), fascinating to watch, I wouldn't want her as my boss. Douglas, happily married to Caroline Goodall, is horrified when Moore makes accusations against him of sexual harassment. The games are on, and the loser faces total destruction, especially since nobody is going to believe him over her just because she's a woman. Ironically he consults a female attorney who seems to believe him but warns him against the repercussions.
Definitely a film of its time, it's another case of watching Douglas playing a sex machine with a formidable female co-star after being with Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction", Kathleen Turner in "War of the Roses" and Sharon Stone in "Basic Instinct". He's excellent, realizing that he's somehow being set up for something bigger than just sexual harassment. Donald Sutherland as the big boss has absolutely no scruples, the head rat that will take everybody down if he's on a sinking ship. Veteran actress Rosemary Forsyth as memorable as an aging executive who the glass door has bypassed over for men for years, and now seems to be a victim of ageism. Moore plays a really strong ruthless female, ready to strike in her spider woman get-up the minute she has the fly in her web, and it's fun to watch her rise to the top as well as predict what will bring on her downfall. With the subplot of a big merger being affected by this, the situation makes Douglas look like the villain to his colleagues who once considered him a friend.
The great use of Seattle locations and the surrounding area (including the ferry that takes Douglas into the city from the nearby Islands) gives it atmosphere, showing the domestic life that Douglas has outside of this wretched corporate world. When his wife find out what's going on, she react more realistically and not the way that Anne Archer did in "Fatal Attraction". When Douglas breakdown over his anger of the situation, it is a very well-written scene and he makes the most of it brilliantly. This is a film with a psychological volcanic eruption nearing Mount St. Helens that's questions human morality, not just male dominance or issues of the patriarchy. Obviously there are good and bad members of both sexes revealed here, and from a moral standpiint, it's presented fairly. It's just a very disturbing topic that is very uncomfortable to watch develop, and a lot of sexual language used that might be difficult for conservatism viewers to listen to.
Definitely a film of its time, it's another case of watching Douglas playing a sex machine with a formidable female co-star after being with Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction", Kathleen Turner in "War of the Roses" and Sharon Stone in "Basic Instinct". He's excellent, realizing that he's somehow being set up for something bigger than just sexual harassment. Donald Sutherland as the big boss has absolutely no scruples, the head rat that will take everybody down if he's on a sinking ship. Veteran actress Rosemary Forsyth as memorable as an aging executive who the glass door has bypassed over for men for years, and now seems to be a victim of ageism. Moore plays a really strong ruthless female, ready to strike in her spider woman get-up the minute she has the fly in her web, and it's fun to watch her rise to the top as well as predict what will bring on her downfall. With the subplot of a big merger being affected by this, the situation makes Douglas look like the villain to his colleagues who once considered him a friend.
The great use of Seattle locations and the surrounding area (including the ferry that takes Douglas into the city from the nearby Islands) gives it atmosphere, showing the domestic life that Douglas has outside of this wretched corporate world. When his wife find out what's going on, she react more realistically and not the way that Anne Archer did in "Fatal Attraction". When Douglas breakdown over his anger of the situation, it is a very well-written scene and he makes the most of it brilliantly. This is a film with a psychological volcanic eruption nearing Mount St. Helens that's questions human morality, not just male dominance or issues of the patriarchy. Obviously there are good and bad members of both sexes revealed here, and from a moral standpiint, it's presented fairly. It's just a very disturbing topic that is very uncomfortable to watch develop, and a lot of sexual language used that might be difficult for conservatism viewers to listen to.