`SHATTERED IMAGE' HAS A HARD TIME KEEPING IT TOGETHER.Byline: Steven Rea Knight Ridder Newspapers ``Shattered Image'' begins like a sequel to ``La Femme Nikita,'' with Anne Parillaud back in sultry hit-woman mode: The French star wears a wig, nurses a cocktail and whacks a guy - a bunch of bullets in the chest - in a bathroom stall. ``It's done,'' she whispers into the phone a few minutes later. Actually, it's nowhere near done: ``Shattered Image'' is utterly half-baked. A ludicrous B movie that succeeds only as a piece of unwitting ``noir'' parody, this paranoid potboiler pot·boil·er n. A literary or artistic work of poor quality, produced quickly for profit. [From the phrase boil the pot, to provide one's livelihood. is set in Seattle and Jamaica, but it seems to mostly take place in the dizzy dreamworld dream´world` n. 1. A pleasing country existing only in dreams or imagination; a fantasy land. Noun 1. of its protagonist. Is Parillaud's Jessie really an assassin for hire, or a traumatized woman who can't distinguish her waking moments from the vivid nightmares she experiences when she sleeps? There are so many reveries joltingly interrupted by alarm clocks, by gun shots, by William Baldwin (as Jessie's bridegroom, or is he her rapist?), that it becomes impossible to keep track of what's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. . There's no compelling reason to try, either: Parillaud's breathy breath·y adj. breath·i·er, breath·i·est Marked by or as if by audible or noisy breathing: a breathy voice. breath , stilted line-readings are not to be believed, Baldwin's dime-store charmboy is straight from one of those straight-to-video erotic thrillers, and Lisanne Falk's dual stab at femme fatal-ism is a joke. (In addition to playing two roles, Falk, who's remindful Re``mind´ful a. 1. Tending or adapted to remind; careful to remind. Adj. 1. remindful - serving to bring to mind; "cannot forbear to close on this redolent literary note"- Wilder Hobson; "a campaign redolent of of Elisabeth Shue if Elisabeth Shue was a really bad actress, also gets a co-producer credit.) Maybe it's a language problem: Parillaud clearly hasn't a clue how to deliver a convincing sentence in English, and director Raul Ruiz is a Chilean who lives and works in France. ``Shattered Image'' marks his English-language debut. But even the great cinematographer Robby Muller (Jim Jarmusch's longtime sideman side·man n. A member of a jazz band who is not the leader or a featured soloist. , the shooter of Lars Von Triers' ``Breaking the Waves'') seems to be working in his sleep: There's nothing visually interesting going on here, unless your idea of visually interesting includes lingering shots of Parillaud in her lingerie. Borrowing from Hitchcock's ``Suspicion'' and a kazillion steamy thrillers, ``Shattered Image'' is neither steamy nor thrilling, although it IS suspicious. How on Earth did this thing get made? THE FACTS The film: ``Shattered Image'' (not rated; nudity, sex, sexual violence, profanity Irreverence towards sacred things; particularly, an irreverent or blasphemous use of the name of God. Vulgar, irreverent, or coarse language. The use of certain profane or obscene language on the radio or television is a federal offense, but in other situations, profanity ). The stars: William Baldwin, Anne Parillaud and Lisanne Falk. Behind the scenes: Produced by Barbet barbet Any of about 75 species of tropical birds (family Capitonidae) named for the bristles at the base of their stout, sharp bill. They are big-headed and short-tailed, 3.5–12 in. Schroeder. Directed by Raul Ruiz. Written by Duane Poole. Distributed by Lions Gate Releasing. Running time: One hour, 44 minutes. Playing: United Artists Warner Center, Woodland Hills; Five Star Theatres, Northridge; Academy, Pasadena; United Artists, Westwood. Our rating: One and one half stars. |
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