Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 2, 1994 TAG: 9407040098
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Mike Mayo
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The best of the bunch is ``The Hawk.'' It's a British production from the BBC. The main attraction is yet another flawless performance by Helen Mirren. American crime fans probably know her best as Chief Inspector Jane Tennison on the PBS series ``Prime Suspect.'' Here she's Annie Marsh, a middle-class wife and mother whose husband, Steven (George Costigan), may be murdering young women.
Peter Ransley's script is carefully shaded with convincing and contradictory details. Annie might be reasonably suspicious, or her own troubled past could be betraying her. To further complicate matters, Steven's brother (Owen Teale) and mother (Rosemary Leach) are the original in-laws from hell.
On occasion, director David Hayman resorts to cop-show cliches, but most of the time he handles the action deftly. The last 15 minutes are full of surprises.
So, don't be put off by the accents and unfamiliar slang. They're hard to catch but not crucial to the story, so you'll understand the key points. ``The Hawk'' is definitely a cut above the norm. Recommended.
``Dangerous Heart'' has the potential to be as enjoyable, but winds up being about equal parts good and bad. It starts with an interesting premise.
Carol (Lauren Holly) is unhappily married to Lee (Jefrey Nordling), an undercover cop who is too deeply involved in his role as a drug addict. His partner Mulkey (Bill Nunn) tries to help, but Lee has become close to a powerful dealer, Angel (Tim Daly).
In short order, a big cocaine buy goes bad; Lee winds up dead; a suitcase full of Angel's money is missing. Thinking Carol might have his loot, Angel sets out to seduce her.
For a time, director Michael Scott manages a nice balancing act. The performances are good, and the situation is tense. But thin production values show through when the focus shifts to the allegedly seedy side of Oakland, Calif. And Angel's two semi-comic henchpersons (Alice Carter and Joe Pantoliano) are fun but out of place. Toward the end, they're a real distraction, but ``Dangerous Heart'' is still worth a look.
``Ice'' suffers from similar problems. It's about Charley (Phillip Troy) and Ellen (Traci Lords), husband-and-wife cat burglars, who steal $60 million in diamonds from a Mafia honcho and then find themselves caught in the middle of an internecine war between families. The plot is every bit as silly as it sounds. Whenever it threatens to get boring, something blows up or someone is shot or cars chase each other. Director Brook Yeaton keeps things moving swiftly with good stuntwork, special effects and production values. This one's a fine little time-waster.
``Romeo Is Bleeding,'' also arriving on video this week, works with similar material in an equally nonsensical way, but with a much bigger budget. The key players are a cold-blooded hitwoman (Lena Olin), a sleek Mafiaso (Roy Scheider), a crooked cop (Gary Oldman), his wife (Annabella Sciorra) and his girlfriend (Juliette Lewis).
The whacked-out plot from producer-writer Hilary Henkin piles one act of bizarre violence upon another until it becomes a bleak comedy of excess. You can't take one second of it seriously. Oldman is a practiced hand at this sort of material. The surprise here is Lena Olin. Her character, Mona Demarkov, must be seen to be believed.
Director Peter Medak gives the film a gritty, grainy look that will put off some viewers. The sheer outrageousness of the action will put off others. But mystery fans who appreciate the work of Jim Thompson - with a no-prisoners feminist slant - should give this one a try.
NEW RELEASES:
Sugar HillHH1/2
Starring Wesley Snipes, Michael Wright, Ernie Hudson, Theresa Randle. Directed by Leon Ichaso. FoxVideo. 120 min. Rated R for strong language, graphic violence.
This is an ambitious attempt to turn a gangster story into high tragedy, one where generational sins are repeated and brother is set against brother. In execution, though, the film loses focus and ends on an unsteady note. Balanced against those flaws, director Ichaso effectively captures some Harlem locations on screen, and he got another strong performance Snipes as a driven, college-educated heroin dealer.
House Party 3:HH
Starring Kid 'N Play, Bernie Mack. Directed by Eric Meza. Columbia TriStar. Rated R for strong language, sexual comedy and content, brief nudity.
All things considered, this comedy is no better or worse than most sequels to sequels. This time, Kid is about to get married and is having second thoughts. The movie is stolen by comedian Bernie Mac as the blustering Uncle Vester.
The Hawk HHH1/2
Academy. 84 min. Rated R for strong language, subject matter, violence.
Dangerous Heart HH
MCA/Universal. 94 min. Rated R for strong language, violence, subject matter.
Ice HH1/2
PM Entertainment. 90 min. Rated R for strong language, violence.
Romeo Is Bleeding HHH
Polygram. 118 min. Rated R for graphic, imaginative, I-can't-believe-what-I'm-watching violence, strong language, sexual content, brief nudity.
by CNB