Review of Final Analysis (1992) by Craig T — 18 Jan 2011

Phil Joanou spins a Hitchcock type thriller web that stars plenty of eye candy. It is not a perfect thriller, nor does it embark on new journeys into the psychological thriller noir but it has a classy feel to it.

I wish I could have edited this picture to fill in the potholes (who carries a barbell in their purse for protection and how farfetched are the finale sequences?) It nearly cripples itself at times because it reaches too far out.

The core of the story works and we can involve ourselves in the basics but it got greedy. The story just gets too carried away at times to the point where it is a bit laughable. The plot does, however, swerve in and out of lustful suspense well enough that we remain interested.

The twists and layers unravel and keep unraveling until the final conclusions and the cast keeps us guessing all the while. That is what makes this movie work as well as it does. Eric Roberts brings his well known intensity as the no good husband and shows that he is still a stand up actor.

He immediately earns our disliking and that is just what he wanted. Basinger, Thurman, and Gere bring different shades of character that work well in complex settings so the casting department needs some praises for great variety.

A would be great story, paired with considerable flaws, Final Analysis gives us a moderate noir trip that will surely divide it's audience. (D).