Review of Whispers in the Dark (1992) by Timothy S — 17 Jan 2012

I think "Whispers in the Dark" would like to think of itself as a sexy counterpart to "Basic Instinct", but the two films actually have very little in common. In fact, if anything, this film plays more like a late night Cinemax After Dark feature with a decent cast and better production values.

The "erotic" dialoge comes off as funny rather than sexy, and the story is seriously muddled. It's hard to take any of this seriously, and the plot is filled with cliches and great stretches of credibility. The plot twist at the end is surprising, but mostly because it's so farfetched and implausible that is virtually impossible to see coming. I would have liked to have been at the screenwriters meeting when the straws were drawn to determine who the killer would be. It feels that random.

The film is also horribly miscast, whether it be Jill Clayburgh fatally underused in her small part or a ridiculous performance by Alan Alda that inspires more laughs than the crappy writing. But the worst offender of all is star Annabella Sciorra in the lead role. She's not a bad actress, as she proved in last year's terrific "Jungle Fever", but she's all wrong for this part. She's not tough enough to pull this off, and it's also kind of silly that the film has her psychiatrist character running to HER psychiatrist after every session. A Linda Fiorentino might have pulled this off, but the character is still underwritten and unfocused.

It makes a valiant effort, but "Whispers in the Dark" doesn't quite succeed as a new camp classic. As it stands now, it's just ridiculous.