My Grading System

A+ = Masterpiece (I hold back on this one.) / A = Great. / A- = Really Good. / B+ = Good. / B = Decent (Serviceable). / B- = Flawed but okay (For those times there's something redeeming about the work). / C+ = Not very good (Skip it). C = Bad. / C- = Awful. / F = Complete Disaster (I hold back on this one too).

Note on Spoilers: I will try to avoid ruining a story by going into too much detail. But if I wish to include some revealing points to my analysis I will try to remember to add a separate spoiler paragraph.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Dance with a Stranger (1985)

This noir-like drama directed by Mike Newell tells the true story of a love affair between a cocktail bar manager named Ruth (Miranda Richardson) and a younger race car yuppy named David (Ruppert Everett).  Both are dangerously obsessed with each other to the point it it becomes unhealthy  Her intense desire for this younger man even distracts her from taking care of her son or accepting any affections from a quiet man (Ian Holm) who really loves her and does everything for her.  Miranda and Ruppert deliver probably their best performances of their careers.  Newell's effortless direction never overwhelms the story.   This is a tightly crafted and enthralling film that gets into the minds of two lovers who should never have met.  Grade: A-

Spoiler:  I'm a little annoyed that this film is described as the true story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hung for her crime in the UK.  One, this gives away the ending and two it makes it hard to care for her knowing she's going to die.   Thankfully I didn't know this while watching and I'm glad.  
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)