THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 18, 1995 TAG: 9502170096
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
LINDA FIORENTINO is a loose woman in a tight dress. To be more specific, she's in a miniskirt - a weapon she uses much in the same way Attila the Hun used an ax. She's a big-town girl who makes a trip to casually use the men in a small town. As a matter of fact, she uses men as if they were doormats.
``The Last Seduction'' is a showcase for her. As a result, she has won several critics associations' nods as the best actress of the year. The only reason she isn't in contention for the Oscar this year is that she isn't eligible. ``The Last Seduction'' is a strange sort of Cinderella story in that it was produced for and first shown on the cable channel HBO, which takes it out of the Oscar race.
Because director John Dahl, a man concerned with dark deeds in small towns, had scored so handily with his earlier film ``Red Rock West,'' the producers decided to go the same route. They released ``The Last Seduction'' in theaters AFTER it had been on TV.
The critics justifiably went a bit bananas about Fiorentino's performance. She has won the New York Film Critics Award - an honor that often leads to an Oscar but won't this year.
She plays Bridget Gregory, a villainess who favors miniskirts. When her husband, Bill Bullman, tries to push her around, she takes all the drug money they have made together and walks out. He is in pursuit, but she's a smart gal.
She lands in a backwater town near Buffalo, N.Y., where she picks up a local young stud (Peter Berg) and begins to use him. It's somewhat questionable why she would stop in this town, but it's a plot - her plot.
J.T. Walsh is around to suggest a smarmy, no-good old man.
Dirty money, questionable talk and bad behavior are the order of the day, and night.
Director Dahl seems intent on reviving the film noir genre. That, for my money, is a worthy ambition. ``The Last Seduction'' is not a great plot, but it'll do until we get another ``Red Rock West.''
Fiorentino aspires to be the tough woman in the roles that were formerly essayed by the likes of Babs Stanwyck or Joannie Crawford. In a year in which there is a scarcity of strong roles for women, she stands out even more.
See this one. It's a find. ILLUSTRATION: MOVIE REVIEW
``The Last Seduction''
Cast: Linda Fiorentino, Bill Bullman, J.T. Walsh, Peter Berg
Director: John Dahl
Screenplay: Steve Barancik
MPAA rating: R (sexual situations but, after all, it was once on
TV)
Mal's rating: ***1/2
Locations: Lynnhaven Mall (lower level) in Virginia Beach
by CNB