Cheap Malice (DVD) (Alec Baldwin, Nicole Kidman, Bill Pullman) (Harold Becker) Price

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Customer Reviews of Malice

QUIRKY THRILLER REQUIRES UNDIVIDED ATTENTION
Previous reviewers have already provided synopsis of the plot so no need for repetition here. I will say that this is one great flick with twists and turns galore. The all-star cast includes Bill Pullman, Nicole Kidman, Alec Baldwin, BeBe Newirth (who played Lilith on "Cheers"), Anne Bancroft, and a young Gwyneth Paltrow in a short lived role as a college student. All deliver stunning performances. Nicole Kidman is absolutely diabolical as Tracy, a young wife whose wholesome, caring demeanor belies a truly evil spirit. Bancroft maximizes a small but meaty role as Tracy's hard luck, alcoholic mother who provides valuable insight into her daughter's past. Alec Baldwin is chilling as Dr. Jed Hill, the thoracic surgeon with a monstrous ego. His doctor/god-syndrome soliloquy alone is worth the price of admission. Reminiscent of the Gordon Gecko (Michael Douglas) greed speech in the movie Wall Street. Bill Pullman is convincing as the charmingly acquiescent college dean who when crossed, proves to be a cunning adversary. I agree with one reviewer who urges several viewings to get the full impact of the storyline and the performances. I've watched this three times and each time I pick up some little tidbit of plot or dialogue that I missed before. A dark, mysterious thriller with quite a few surprises along the way. If you like Hitchcock films, you'll love this.

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Twisted thriller is full of surprises
The first time I saw this eight years ago, it blew me away, Now, a half dozen viewings later, I see all the plot holes. Yet I still love it because of its cast, its dark humor and its elements of film noir. This movie really is marvelously malicious.

To paraphrase the tag line on the theatrical poster, see it before someone tells you the ending. That's good advice because, like the classic 1957 thriller, Witness for the Prosecution, the true impact works only on the first viewing. So, I won't say much about the plot. Suffice it to say that no one is what they seem. [Note; There is a subplot about a serial killer that seems detached from the main story; however, it is critical to explaioing a key element in the movie.]

Nicole Kidman, Alec Balwin and Bill Pullman are all first-rate. Recently, Kidman has only confirmed what I suspected when this came out in 1993. She is a rare combination of a great star AND a great actress. Her range continues to amaze me. Here, she is...well, I won't give it away.

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Twisting and Entertaining
Proper enjoyment of this diverting little feature requires not knowing the plot twists, so I'll try to not spoil that enjoyment in praising this film.

I join Roger Ebert in not being able to think of another film that throws in a serial killer as just atmosphere - I watched this movie when it first came out a decade ago, then again on DVD yesterday, and I had completely forgotten the part about the serial killer.

Aside from the fact that George C. Scott has left us, it would be difficult to assemble a cast like this wouldn't it? Alec Baldwin, Nicole Kidman, Bill Pullman, Anne Bancroft, Gwyneth Paltrow, George C. Scott, Bebe Newirth, Peter Gallagher all contribute to this film.

I love to watch films of any genre and any country and the sensation I like to have at the end of the viewing experience is "satisfied" - in the same way that I'd like my palate and belly "satisfied" by a good meal. This screenplay twists and turns, but rather than in a Charlie Kaufman "hey-look-at-how-many-unexpected-twists-and-turns-I-can-put-in" kind of way this story moves in a way that wraps up loose ends in a "satisfied" kind of way.

Especially used, this DVD can be had for a song also. It's a satisfactory way to pass a couple of hours.