Body Heat (1981)

 

In the midst of a searing Florida heat wave, a woman persuades her lover, a small-town lawyer, to murder her rich husband.

From memory: Steamy neo-noir thriller is heavily indebted and is probably meant as homage to Double Indemnity, so the plot itself is quite conventional, but it does convince with some highly energized erotic scenes and a spectacular debut by Kathleen Turner as the femme fatale.

Halliwell**: "Oversexed and superfluous, not to mention uncredited, revamp of Double Indemnity. Some evidence of flair does not relieve that 'I have been here before' feeling."

Maltin***: "Over-derivative of 1940s melodramas at first, then goes off on its own path and scores." 

 

Fade to Black (1980)

 

A shy, lonely film buff embarks on a killing spree against those who browbeat and betray him, all the while stalking his idol, a Marilyn Monroe lookalike.

From memory: An usual thriller with an interesting premise is at times creepy, suspenseful and disturbing; meant as a homage it includes many cinematic references.

Halliwell (no star): "Violent, off-beat thriller that makes black jokes at the expense of movies."

Maltin*1/2: "Interesting idea ruined by excessive violence, poor performance by Christopher. Marilyn Monroe lookalike Kerridge...is like a rose in a cesspool."

 

 

 

Immortals (2011)

 

Theseus is a mortal man chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the ruthless King Hyperion, who is on a rampage across Greece to obtain a weapon that can destroy humanity. 

Sensationally exciting visuals meet lackluster storytelling in this star-cast mythological action romp; are there any Gods who would approve?

Maltin*1/2: "Clunky, boring film...There's nothing Olympian about the screenplay or the artificial setting in which all the action takes place. Tarsem, noted for his visual innovations in other films, succumbs to the excesses of CGI here, to minimal effect." 

The Courier (2012)

A specialist carrier is hired to deliver a mysterious case to the underworld's most dangerous hitman.

Average thriller has lots of action, but with an uninteresting, costrued plot and a disappointing ending.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)

Killshot (2008)

A couple, despite being in a witness protection program, are being chased and confronted by the criminals they outed.

Thoroughly clichéd thriller tries hard to be more than it is, exemplified by Mickey Rourke playing a laughably incompetent hitman as a super-cool wiseguy.

Maltin**: "Routine crime thriller...Quintessential B-movie material is drained of action and suspense via pretentious treatment..., although interesting cast keeps it watchable."

Passion Play (2010)

An angel under the thumb of a ruthless gangster is saved by a trumpet player down on his luck.

A silly phantasmagoria with a Noir touch has Rourke and Murray in good form, but you'll need to be in the mood for a slow-paced, brooding fairy tale; the 'twist ending', however, was obvious from the beginning on.

Maltin*1/2: "Jumbled noir-ish fantasy...Murray is game, playing a hood named Happy, but even he can't add much to this barely watchable, instantly forgettable mess. A less than auspicious directorial debut..."