Movies
A film with some very memorable scenes. Even now these still stand proud. The problem is more with the moments in between, which aren't quite as interesting or riveting anymore. When I first watched Jacob's Ladder all these years ago, it was a little easier to forgive. I guess I'm a bit harder to please now.
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Robbins gives a nice performance, the horror elements are pretty nifty, and the build-up of the tension is proper. But the real highlights are quite few and far apart, and the filler in between slows the film down. I think a tighter edit might solve some of the problems, but if you like tense movies, this is definitely worth a try.
One of those films I watched a long, long time ago, well before I started seeing film as a serious hobby (I think my parents rented this one on VHS, back when that was still a thing). I didn't remember much, apart from the central moral dilemma, which is what made this film stand out back in the day.
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Harrelson and Moore are decent but they don't exactly sparkle, Redford is quite bleak. The premise is fun, but characters behave somewhat randomly and the film gets too cheesy at times when it should've been more daring. The film hasn't retained much of its original edge, what remains is a pretty basic Hollywood romance and unfulfilled potential.
A very basic thriller. Don't expect any big plot twists, cool surprises or even nifty genre angles. Fatal Attraction is a film that sets up a familiar premise and then takes about 90 minutes to work through it. I guess it might've caused some ripples in the 80s, but watching it now, it's hard to see what that original appeal was.
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Lyne's direction isn't terrible, but that's pretty much all there is. The performances are basic, the plot is a snooze, there's no real tension to speak of and 120 minutes is at least 30 minutes too long. Fatal Attraction may not be that old, but it's already a relic. It certainly doesn't deserve its reputation.