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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
With a foreigner's revitalizing influence, German director Volker Schlondorff turns this standard potboiler (based on the novel Just Another Sucker by British pulp writer James Hadley Chase) into a beguiling exercise in genre classicism. Woody Harrelson stars as a former journalist, just released from serving two years on a trumped-up charge, who is drawn into a troublesome mock-extortion scheme by the scheming wife (Elisabeth Shue) of a dying Florida millionaire. The movie's got style to spare and plenty of humid Florida atmosphere, but it's built on a series of improbable developments and is too low-key to generate riveting momentum. But Schlondorff occupies this tawdry territory with a keen sense of necessary mood and pace, maintaining adequate internal logic and awareness of the story's vintage roots. Subplots involving Shue's stepdaughter (Chloë Sevigny) and Harrelson's girlfriend (Gina Gershon) provide enjoyable distractions from the story's implausibilities. The movie's better suited to the fertile pulp mills of cable TV. But with an absurdly twisting plot to hold your interest, it's fun to watch how Schlondorff builds a bridge between traditional film noir and a more contemporary approach to sultry intrigue. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - "A Shue In"!
Harrelson's acting is stiff and slow...he needs a tougher director that would push him like the one he did for the life of Larry Flint. This film had the feel of an "Off Braodway-Little Theater Group" effort. The ladies made it pleasing to the eyes! CHEERS! A nice "popcorn" movie.
Rating:  - EXCELLENT SERVICE
A PROMPT SERVICE UNLIKE BEING CHARGED BY CUSOMS FOR SENDING OUT 2 FILMS TOGETHER CAUSING EXTRA PAYMENT OF £11=00 WHICH YOU DID SENDING TOGETHER [ON MOONLIGHT BAY] AND [BY THE LIGHT OF THE SILVERY MOON]
Rating: - A Very Underrated 'Neo Noir'
I think this is one of those modern-day film noirs (neo noir) that went under the radar. It is excellent, and few people know about it.
It had an interesting and unpredictable story with some very neat twists. I'm not really sure I liked the very ending, but I sure enjoyed the rest of it. The film sports a couple of sexy female leads, played by Elisabeth Shue and Chloe Sevigny and I loved the wonderful colors in this movie. Not only was the cinematography great, so was the soundtrack ... Read More
Rating: - A Tale of Modern Noir---A Roach is a roach is a roach!
I won't go into the plot for this review because it looks like everyone else has beaten me to it.
Anyway, let's begin: What this movie has is hot women. There's Elisabeth Shue and Gina Gershon. The former I like for her healthy rear and the latter I like for her sexy fish lips. Also, they both know how to manipulate men in that special way.
Second, Harrelson plays a convincing role as an I-don't-care-about-the-world ex-con. He's your typical stoic tough guy who knows what he wants and will do what ... Read More
Rating: - wonderful
perfect, reminds me of manatee county, which is home. all kinds of weird things like this happen in florida everyday.....
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