Review of Dangerous Beauty (1998) by Amethyst V — 02 Jun 2011

I'd like to forewarn you at the very outset that my rating is biased. Besides, there might be an indirect SPOILER, though I've tried my best not to convey it or give anything away. But I'm not sure whether I've succeeded in it or not.

Now here's a movie which has nothing new to offer. A mediocre for most of the part. Almost just another historical love story. If it weren't for the occasional interesting sequences in the middle of this love story, I don't know if I'd have made it till the end. Well, not at least in one sitting.

So, you may be wondering why the heck four stars for such a movie? Well, I'd like to admit that my rating is based genuinely on the effect the ending of the movie had on me. I was expecting just the usual ending that one is supposed to expect from this kind of movies (okay, I didn't know the factual story on which this movie was based), but I was blown away by what it was. I can't remember having watched this kind of ending for a movie of this type. For a movie that proceeds in a mediocre way, this surely was a great achievement. And I'm glad that I made it till the very end. The confession speech could have been penned more fiery, though. While it was poetic, it wasn't fiery enough. (Strange coincidence that the last movie I watched was great all the way, but for its conventional ending. And here, it's the ending that made this movie so great for me!!!).

The performances weren't quite up to the mark here, except for Oliver Platt (playing the role of Maffio Venier). Both the protagonists, Catherine McCormack & Rufus Sewell, were quite unimpressive. Naomi Watts seemed to be sleepwalking in her short role. Oliver Platt was incredibly great & made a mark in each frame he appeared.

Despite of having liked the ending so much, I won't recommend it to anyone on the strength of its ending alone. Because let's face it, after all, it was nothing in the veins of 'The Sixth Sense' or 'The Others' that most of the people would appreciate. While I found the ending quite genuine, it might as well be just another ending for others.