'PROVOKED' SUFFERS FROM AMATEUR TOUCH.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic When West London West London is the area of Greater London to the west of Central London. Although it is only ambiguously defined, it is one of the most economically active areas of London outside of the centre, containing significant amounts of office space along with Heathrow Airport and many of immigrant Kiranjit Ahluwalia poured gasoline on her husband's bed as he slept and lit it on fire in 1989, it was the culmination of a decade of physical and mental abuse. Was her action murder or manslaughter? Was she provoked? The British courts came down hard, sentencing Ahluwalia to life in prison for the murder of her husband. "Provoked" takes up Ahluwalia's case, which turned into a landmark in English criminal law English criminal law refers to the body of law in England and Wales which deals with crimes and their consequences. Criminal acts are considered offences against the whole of a community. in 1992, when "battered wife syndrome battered wife syndrome Public health A general term for a constellation of signs and symptoms that are typical of a ♀ wife/common-law partner who is physically abused by a husband/boyfriend. See Domestic violence, Spousal abuse. Cf Superbowl syndrome. " was recognized as a valid defense for murder. The movie is made by Calcutta-born Jag Mundhra, whose resume is littered with a different variety of burning beds -- direct-to-video erotic thrillers. It isn't a total surprise then that Mundhra and the film's writers have turned an important story into a soapy sermon, bringing up issues of xenophobia Xenophobia Boxer Rebellion Chinese rising aimed at ousting foreign interlopers (1900). [Chinese Hist. and sexism only to largely ignore them in favor of cornball corn·ball Slang n. One who behaves in a mawkish or unsophisticated manner. adj. Mawkish or unsophisticated; corny: a kid's cornball humor. emotionalism. Hey, why explore racism when it would cut into the screen time of Ahluwalia's threatening prison nemesis, a (what else?) bullying butch lesbian? Vets Miranda Richardson, Rebecca Pidgeon and Robbie Coltrane are on hand, providing some measure of support, though Richardson's solution to the ineptness surrounding her is to dial her performance up to 11. As Ahluwalia's tough-talking cellmate cell·mate n. A person with whom one shares a cell, especially in a prison. , Richardson stands up to the aforementioned threatening lesbian and shows the newcomer the ropes. She's the gal pal every girl needs in the pen. Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai plays Ahluwalia, acquitting herself in her bid to be taken seriously as an actress. She gives us a sense of this woman's emotional fragility, a quality even Mundhra can't obliterate o·blit·er·ate v. 1. To remove an organ or another body part completely, as by surgery, disease, or radiation. 2. To blot out, especially through filling of a natural space by fibrosis or inflammation. . Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp@dailynews.com PROVOKED - Two stars (Not rated: violence, adult subject matter) Starring: Aishwarya Rai, Miranda Richardson, Robbie Coltrane, Rebecca Pidgeon. Director: Jag Mundhra. Running time: 1 hr. 53 min. Playing: Laemmle One Colorado in Pasadena; Laemmle Fallbrook 7 in West Hills; Naz 8 in Lakewood; Edwards Stadium 26 in Long Beach; Laemmle Sunset 5 in West Hollywood; Landmark Regent Theater in Westwood. In a nutshell: Soapy sermon about the landmark case landmark case Law & medicine A civil or, far less commonly, criminal action that has had an impact on a particular area of medicine. of a battered wife. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: "Provoked" tells the story of a West London immigrant, Kiranjit Ahluwalia, who faces charges of killing her abusive husband by dousing his bed with gas and setting it on fire. |
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