IN NOIRISH `LOVE WALKED IN,' DISCORD STRIKES NIGHTCLUB DUO.

Byline: Bob Strauss Daily News Film Critic

One of the rare modern films noir that's more concerned with character motives than with dark, murderous doings, ``Love Walked In'' suffers from having characters who, ultimately, aren't very interesting.

They are, however, intriguing for a good stretch of this modest, sometimes involving romantic thriller. With characters played well by Denis Leary, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Terence Stamp and a strong supporting cast, the movie promises more than it delivers but also has more to it than the usual lust, greed and bad plans gone badder still.

Jack Hanaway (Leary) and Vicki Rivas (Sanchez-Gijon, the Spanish actress whose radiance saved ``A Walk in the Clouds'') are longtime lovers and a pretty good nightclub act. He plays piano and tells edgy, intricate stories to a semi-attentive, Long Island cocktail crowd; she sings the torch songs with sultry bravado.

But there's no money in this, and Jack has only just begun to write fiction again after an apparently devastating bout with the bottle. The lurid novel he's composing (visualized with the likes of Danny Nucci and Moira Kelly acting it out) reflects Jack's own deteriorating mentality as the real-life scheme he gets involved in takes alarming turns.

Though, truth be told, it isn't that much of a scheme. At the behest of an old pal turned private eye, Jack encourages Vicki to seduce a rich local developer, Fred Moore (Terence Stamp). The idea is to photograph Vicki and Moore in a compromising position and threaten to show the pictures to Mrs. Moore, who really controls the family money.

Of course, Vicki has a few questions about the plot, especially why the guy she's stuck with through thick and thin is so eager to, essentially, sell her into something shady. Then again, when Jack explains that she deserves some of the riches life has failed to deliver, she has to agree. The problem is, at this point Vicki and Jack's definitions of life's riches start to diverge.

Director Juan J. Campanella, who made the little-seen but highly praised psychological study ``The Boy Who Cried Bitch,'' has a genuine knack for the small, telling moments that mark a relationship's evolution. He also knows when to let Leary grab hold of the proceedings, which the former MTV cutup does with sardonic aplomb in this essentially dramatic, emotion-whipped role.

But for all that care, ``Love Walked In'' never seems to draw us deep enough into its damaged characters' souls. The longing and loss they're all supposed to be feeling is talked about more than convincingly presented.

Still, it all makes behavioral sense, and that seems to be the main thing Campanella set out to do. That may not make for a very gripping thriller, but it does result in a surprisingly graceful one.

THE FACTS

The film: ``Love Walked In'' (R; sex, nudity, violence).

The stars: Denis Leary, Terence Stamp, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Danny Nucci, Moira Kelly.

Behind the scenes: Directed by Juan J. Campanella. Written by Campanella, Lynn Gellar and Larry Golin, based on Jose Pablo Feinmann's novel. Produced by Ricardo Freixa. Released by TriStar Pictures.

Running time: One hour, 30 minutes.

Playing: Selected theaters.

Our rating: Two and One Half Stars.