Review of Body Double (1984) by Alan L — 06 May 2009
It's been a while since I saw a good piece of trashy Brian DePalma nonsense, and when I found "Body Double," which I had always heard about but never watched, I was pretty interested. The movie is about as slimy and shallow as the decade it was made in, but this is actually a plus in a movie deliberately made to provoke, frustrate, and perhaps arouse the viewer.
The sometimes brilliant director layers his movie in nudity and sex, with a young and flexible Melanie Griffith dancing around naked through the whole thing (being hot, hot, hot, even when she speaks with her infamously ridiculous voice).
The plot follows the typical zig-zags of DePalma's usual Hitchcock-inspired set-ups, with the director's stylish camera work adding artistic flavor and keeping things from being just a normal erotic thriller.
It plays much like a signature piece of work from the often unfairly despised director, with elements of more Hitchcock movies I can count on one hand as well as aspects of DePalma's own work, mainly "Dressed to Kill" and "Blow Out.
" While those two movies are better and may be more coherent and less flashy than "Body Double," (thought not by much), I was still pretty energized by this wild little flick. It's hard to find movies or directors who insist to be themselves without apology.
"Body Double" is a wild and out DePalma thriller, and it's damn proud of it.
This review of Body Double (1984) was written by Alan L on 06 May 2009.
Body Double has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
