Crimes of Passion

Or, you won't. This exploration of gender and sexuality has a similar problem to some people, it's not sure which way it wants to go. It's got genre confusion. Is it a drama? Is it a satire? Certainly, images of a man as hp or "human *", slowly rising as his friend hums "Thus Spoke Zoroaster" and then spitting milk out of his mouth as his wife sits in horror surrounded by harsh scenes of family strife seems to scream satire, but the performances are all over the map. Annie Potts is deadly serious and Anthony Perkins is psycho. Kathleen Turner is the bright spot. She sells such odd scenes as her prostitute dressed in a nun's habit jumping on her bed while singing "Onward Christian Soldier!" Strangely, even with these three off the wall things mentioned, it's the straightness of the movie as a whole that makes it too dramatic. But the ending is priceless, John Laughlin does another one of his weepy monologues about how he needed his woman to tell him that everything would be alright, it's OK to be scared, then, he looks at the camera with a smile and says that they f**ked like animals. Classic. P.S. One of my favorite scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. Bruce Davidson analyzes this girl in a bar, makes an animal noise, and asks her if she likes the Bee Gees all while laughing. It's hilarious and it hits on an interesting point. Isn't it all just a game? If you say the right thing, you get a prize.

I just loved this movie! I liked the music, language, the acting and the overall sleazy, grubby and dirty ambiance it created. Watching this film is like being caught masturbating - you just feel guilty about having a good time. A true guilty pleasure! China Blue is the type of woman ALL men want to experience but would never take home to mother. Kathleen Turner is first class and I think this is her BEST acting - ever. (Possible spoilers) Talking of mother, Anthony Perkins is outstanding as the perverted spiritual savior, with the interesting and somewhat unusual * and collection of sexual paraphernalia. This may be your only chance to see an ‘auto suck' in a mainstream movie. Loved the * dancing and ‘wet' tissues. Ken Russell, one of my favorites, brings another first rate piece of entertainment to the masses. Well done Ken! Most critics panned this movie. Well, they had to be PC! It's like Martha Steward panning McDonalds. So, it's not sirloin steak but someone is buying the 5 billion sold so far. Watch the unrated DVD if you can. Widescreen, nice and sharp.

Let me start with this - I remember when I was about 12 years old, this movie came out...and it was a big scandal that there were several versions of it that were "made" in the end. I can remember watching the review of it on Siskel & Ebert...although for the life of me I cannot remember what they said about it in the review. So, here were are 21 years later, and I'm perusing through movies to rent on Netflix when I come across CRIMES OF PASSION...and it's the UNRATED version! WOW! Instantly, the memory of the "naughty movie" from my childhood came flooding back to me and I knew I had to rent it. So, I have no idea if this movie was intended to be hilarious or not. It certainly seems to have a certain purposefully funny air about it. The soundtrack, even by 1980's standards, is terrible and hilarious. It sounds like someone on the crew said "Hey, my cousin Derek has a Casio, man - I can save you a bunch in the music budget!" The movie's plot is incredibly bizarre and is never fully explained. Kathleen Turner plays a fashion designer by day, hooker by night, who gives various explanations for her behavior to different men throughout the movie. She also seems to have a variety of accents that she uses while in her hooker get-up, depending upon the client she's with. Apparently she also has access to the costume department from a large female-impersonator show...she seems to have different outfits and accessories for nearly every sexual encounter she has. Anthony Perkins is at his crazy-best, playing a deranged "priest" who alternately spends his time snorting...drugs?...something, anyway, and watching the nudie shows, fantasizing about killing the nudie dancers, and preaching on the street. Apparently he's got it into his head that he needs to 'save' Turner from herself. Now we've also got the second storyline to contend with, which is much more serious and depressing. We've got a couple with a "let's stay together for the kids" type marriage (Annie Potts and John Laughlin). Laughlin is trying to put the spark back in the marriage, but Potts, running about the house wearing something that resembles a hospital gown, does not appear interested anymore. So, Laughlin ends up taking a 'night surveillance' job for a fashion designer (who Turner works for) tailing Turner because her boss (who has TERRIBLE FASHION SENSE, even for the 80's, for a FASHION DESIGN KING) suspects she's selling patterns to his competition. Laughlin discovers that she's actually hooking during the evenings and does not reveal this to her boss. Instead, he pays for sex with her - in a hilarious scene that ends with him running to the bathroom and exclaiming wildly over her Ivory soap, and then for whatever reason, he pursues a relationship with her. This movie reminds me of any number of 'romance' stories I wrote in junior high - the characters know each other for far too little time to have the kinds of relationships that they end up having. The movie can't decide what it wants to be - comedy, drama, soft-core * (I say 'soft core' because although there is a high kinkiness quotient, the scenes are pretty tame by today's standards), or romantic thriller. I was totally confounded and confused. I'd like to write an open letter to Joel Hodgeson and Mike Nelson of Mystery Science Theather 3000 fame and ask them to bring the show out of retirement and do a Crimes of Passion showing MST3K style. I think I would laugh so hard I'd pop a vessel. Crimes of Passion was definitely NOT what I expected - but it is worth a watch if you enjoy bizarre movies. For the most part, it makes very little sense and the storyline goes ALL OVER the place. It was like John Waters and David Lynch gave birth to a love child in movie form. Campy, strange, hilarious, and at times, almost Shakesperean in dialog, Crimes of Passion goes all over the map and then some. Overall, I'm very glad I watched it; there definitely is NOT another movie like it out there.

It is no secret that since the beginning of civilization sex and religion have always been able to maintain a unique "love hate" relationship with each other. The story of Adam and Eve is also viewed in the same context. Wherever there is religion, sex is likely to be found and vice versa. No religion has been able to free itself from the influence of sex. This has always been a trend and it would continue to be so in near future too. "Crimes of Passion" might turn out to be mild for many viewers according to today's standards but it was viewed as an absolutely shocking controversial film upon its initial release in 1984. Words would fail to describe actress Kathleen Turner's impeccable performances as 'China Blue'- an expensive hooker who is also leading a double life. Apart from some kinky sex scenes, China blue's character allows viewers to get a glimpse of tough lives faced by hookers. The religious side is presented by actor Anthony Perkins as a crazy priest whose only obsession seems to rescue china blue from damnation at all costs. He is able to succeed to a very large extent but a sudden event completely changes the course of action. Director Ken Russell has been honest with his depiction of people with dual identities. They have been presented as they are in real life without any embellishment. 'Crimes of Passion' has a lot of hilarious lines which denounce hypocrisy, falsehood and dishonesty. They are absolutely essential for viewers' comprehension in order to give them better ideas about a marriage which is on the verge of collapse due to lack of sex and how mean are societies to create and promote fallen women like "China Blue" for their selfish interests ?

Some incredible performances here don't hide the fact that a convoluted and unbelievable story prevents this from being a good film. Certainly, it is intense and riveting, a creepy noir like view of a world most people don't want to explore but can't help because of the constant presence of sordid stories like this in the news. Kathleen Turner returns to the type of intense sexuality that she had played in her first film, "Body Heat", portraying a character with two lives. She spends her days working in a fashion house, accused unknowing to her of selling company patterns,, and working at night as a * specialty hooker name China Blue. Two men have an impact on her life and how it progresses (or possibly ends), and they are as different as different can be. There is phony street preacher Anthony Perkins in a role that even out creeps Norman Bates, and the unhappily married John Laughlin, seemingly stuck in is marriage to Annie Potts. Completely different than her "Designing Women" character of Mary Jo Shively, Potts' character constantly belittles her husband in a subtle way over every little thing, and when he is hired to follow Turner, Laughlin Falls prey to her intensity. But there's more to China Blue than her fake blond wig and her outward toughness. Perkins observes everything that Turner does, ultimately becoming a psycho stalker. Laughlin faces the truth about his marriage, but can he save Turner from herself? The way this film is directed is obviously perverse but it is often funny with sexual innuendo through clever lines and hysterically ridiculous characters. Louise Sorel, one of my favorite soap divas, has a hysterical scene as the wife of a millionaire who hires Turner for a threesome and talks business while oggling Turner. This was right before she began playing Augusta Lockridge, an equally outrageous socialite on "Santa Barbara", and she is deliciously nasty. A touching sequence involving a wife searching for a prostitute for her dying husband is perhaps the most important scene in the film because this is where Turner begins to reveal what is underneath the surface. It is her performance, along with Perkins outrageous melodramatic theatrics, that is commanding and worthy of seeing at least once. It's the type of film that I could only get through once, and many film watchers will be quickly turned off. I could easily see this more through John Waters' eyes than Ken Russell's, because the seriousness in which he presents this requires a lot more tongue in cheek.

"Crimes of Passion", an incredibly bizarre, sexually charged drama, provides interesting material with which inimitable filmmaker Ken Russell can work. It's as stylish as anything he's done, and maintains a gritty, fairly sleazy atmosphere and a deliberate pace. Kathleen Turner is striking in the role of "China Blue", a lady with a double life: by day she's a fashion designer (real name Joanna Crane), by night she's a hooker. She fascinates two men, one of them an ordinary guy named Bobby Grady (John Laughlin), the other a fanatical, so-called "preacher" named Peter Shayne (Anthony Perkins) who claims to be out to "save" her. Bobby was hired by Joannas' boss to tail her, and she presents the young man with a fresh view of the world; his relationship with his uptight wife Amy (Annie Potts) has soured after years of marriage, and he's happy to meet somebody who doesn't have any hangups about being intimate. The movie is never quite as outrageous as some viewers may expect, but that doesn't mean that there isn't some explicit imagery here and there. Its few sex scenes are done in a surprisingly tasteful manner, but its dialogue is quite kinky, witty, and delicious; it's amazing to hear ever reliable Perkins, extremely well cast in one of his typical nutty roles, utter lots of obscenities. He's just fantastic as always, and the lovely Turner delivers a multi dimensional performance worthy of some respect. Laughlin and Potts are both fine, and the cast also features people such as Bruce Davison, Stephen Lee, Norman Burton, Peggy Feury, and Gerald S. O'Loughlin, but it's the two leads that truly command your attention. Working from a screenplay by producer Barry Sandler, Russell injects the film with plenty of humour; just the idea of Perkins carrying erotic paraphernalia around with him is a hoot. (There's a *, in particular, that will prove to be a very important prop later on.) It may require a bit of patience on the part of some viewers due to its unhurried nature, and of course some may find the subject matter a turn off. Those who don't will be amused by the sordid story and all of the trappings of the milieu. In the end, this isn't something that can be easily forgotten. Seven out of 10.

Kathleen Turner is admirable playing a prim fashion designer by day and a kinky hooker named China Blue by night. This determinedly-weird sex-odyssey from outré filmmaker Ken Russell does indeed have the force behind its salacious convictions--it is almost embarrassingly sordid and one genuinely feels for the performers on-screen--yet as a psycho-drama it comes out half-baked. The subplots, one involving family man John Laughlin with sexless wife Annie Potts and the other, sillier one concerning Anthony Perkins as a sidewalk preacher, only take time away from Turner's intriguing impersonation. Last minute editing revisions forced upon Russell leave the final act feeling choppy, however there's some amusing satire here (big city business and stifling suburbia) that gnaws at you in both good and bad ways. The screenwriter, Barry Sandler, has many targets and a lot of interesting things to stay, but the deadened look and feel of the movie makes it seem like a repugnant gag. Yesterday's kink is today's old news. **1/2 from ****

This is the film which demonstrated what a great actress Turner is and why she should still be a bigger star today than perhaps she is. She has such a wonderful voice and figure in this film - it's as if the part was written especially for her; perhaps it was! It also shows you how good Perkins was in a role where he could let himself go as over the top as Russell would like him to. He (Perkins) must have loved it. The musical score is supposedly written by Rick Wakeman, but is, of course, derived from Dvorak's New World Symphony. Wakeman does a great job and the music adds to the gloss of the film. The saxophone playing in the lovemaking scene is sensual in the extreme. Anthony Perkins has several monologues that serve as a narrative for the audience. Not for the wowserish, nor is it pornographic (using clever imagery to allude to what is occurring), it is full of very witty, memorable one-liners. This is easily Kathleen's best film work and really no other American actress has ever shown such intimacy and duality in the sexuality of her character, it is compelling, enthralling and heart breaking. Plus you feel a connection to her because of her vulnerability that she develops as the movie unfolds. Finally her comedic timing is hilarious, yes there are plenty of laugh out scenes in this film too. Perkins is simply brilliant in this role, it seems to be a far cousin of the disturbed mind of Norman Bates, but having grown up in major crimes of the soul and the good manners. Once more, let' s remind the ineffable statement of Nicholas Machiaveli: "The half of the sin is the scandal." Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

Ken Russell, Britain's 'enfant terrible' of cinema, directs this gaudy and extremely sordid tale of sex, perversion and madness in his signature outrageous style, with graphic sex, violence and, of course, religious imagery. Kathleen Turner takes the lead, as fashion designer Joanna Crane by day, and $50 hooker China Blue by night. Two men become obsessed with the woman: discontented married father of two Bobby Grady (John Laughlin), who is hired to find out if Joanna is involved in industrial espionage, and nutty street preacher Peter Shayne (Anthony Perkins), who tries to 'save' fallen women through the use of a razor-sharp metal *. Turner has long been one of my favourite actresses, ever since I saw her in Romancing the Stone back when I was a teenager. Naturally, I sought out her more adult fare -- Body Heat (1981) and this film -- when they became available on home video, but while I loved Lawrence Kasdan's sultry neo-noir, Russell's more audacious movie left me far less satisfied, despite my love of provocative cinema and a golden opportunity to ogle its sexy star getting seriously nasty. And unimpressed I remain, over 30 years later. Russell, never one to shy away from controversy, revels in the excess of the film's lurid elements, delivering several raunchy scenes guaranteed to give the censors aneurysms (Kathleen and the truncheon!), but he also weaves a very dull plot thread about Bobby's failing marriage into the craziness, causing the film to drag (this time around I watched the 113 minute director's cut, which features more filth, but also several very boring scenes between Bobby and his wife Amy, played by Annie Potts). Turner is great in her dual role, giving her character depth and complexity the film doesn't deserve, and she looks amazing, but Laughlin makes for a bland protagonist, Potts' character is thoroughly unlikable, and Perkins... well he takes Norman Bates to eleven, his sweaty, twitchy, *-fondling psycho a masterclass in overacting, which is fun for a while, but eventually gets tiresome. Visually, the film is impressive, with great use of light and shadow, neon colours drenching many of the scenes, and there are quite a few gems of witty dialogue ('Are you free?' 'No, but I'm one hell of a bargain.'), but with all that excruciating marital strife, Russell's tendency to stray into head-scratching avant-garde territory, and the often awkward acting make this one far less entertaining than its sleazy premise implies. 4 out of 10 for the film, bumped up to 5 for Kathleen.

Turner: "Oh, a man of words... He makes up in diction what he lacks in dick." Or: "I never forget a face... Especially when I've sat on it." (also Turner) These are the kinds of lines we get to hear in this movie. It's yet more sexual lunacy from the most sex-obsessed director of the last three decades (not counting Russ Meyer). Russell presents a bizarre combination between wacky sexual-situation comedy, family drama, and psycho-thriller. The movie goes in all sorts of directions, and seems to be about a lot of things - with sex (what else?) being the unifying theme in all the issues. There is both intentional and unintentional humour, though with Russell you can't always tell which is which, but most of the film is a sort of eccentric drama. The characters of Turner and Perkins are absurd and over-the-top, respectively; Turner is a career woman who works as a prostitute during the night, while Perkins is a deranged wanna-be minister with mania written all over his face. At the beginning, Perkins so overdoes his part (as is typical of this incompetent over-actor) that you can't help but laugh. Turner, though playing a far-fetched character, is quite convincing, and very charismatic, as usual. Turner's character is the writer's idea of what a woman, who has been emotionally hurt by a failed relationshit, might do to deal with her disappointment in male-kind (i.e. mankind): she turns to fulfilling (male) fantasies as a prostitute. That'll happen... The idea that Turner - who has sex all the time with various men - would suddenly get emotionally aroused with a customer (Laughlin) just because he feels for her or whatever, is preposterous, though not annoying. In fact, nothing seems to be annoying in the film, in spite of it being Russell's. Well, almost; Russell took one or two themes from Dvorak's "New World Symphony" and milked them for all they're worth. These melodies are played over and over and over, in varying styles. Strange, because this music doesn't in any way suit this film. Some dialog sounds unnatural, some is silly/comical and loaded with sexual word-play, and some is right out of a TV soap-opera. Perhaps the funniest moment was when Turner, while rummaging through Perkins's bag, finds a powerful-looking metal * and asks him whether it's a cruise-missile.