Review of Swept Away (2002) by Christopher L — 06 Jan 2005

Starring: Madonna, Adriano Giannini, Jeanne Tripplehorn, David Thornton, and Bruce Greenwood.

Written and Directed by Guy Ritchie.

Rated [b]R[/b] (for language and some sexuality/nudity).

Running time approximately 1 hour 29 minutes.

Yeah, that's right. I liked it, so I must be on some sort illegal drug binge or something, right? Wrong. I liked it because I do not associate Madonna with bad filmmaking and did not let my knowledge of the film's being panned by almost every critic stop me from sitting through the film and deciding for myself. No, I have not seen the 1974 original, nor do I plan to, because I do not believe a remake should be judged based on it's original. The same goes for sequels, which I judge on their own terms, and merely say whether or not they have succeeded in either equalling or surpassing their originals (or, as is usually, being godawful, cliche-ridden schlockfests). Guy Ritchie's latest has some of the most obnoxious characters, until they get to the beautiful, deserted island. Madonna and Giannini (whose father is one of my favorite actors, Giancarlo Giannini) have good chemistry, and the ending works because it is an example of reality, not romantic fantasy. I appreciated it, even if the first 45 minutes were almost unbearably annoying. [b]**1/2 (out of ****) B-[/b].