Final Analysis (1992) Heading into 2021, we want to keep up the good vibes with some positive reviews for a change......and here's a prime example of a movie genre we dearly love....
Fasten your seatbelts......for another 1990's sex-drenched psychological thriller. And '92 was a banner year for these movies, kicking off with Paul Verhoven's trend-setting 'Basic Instinct', in which the world went mad at the sight Sharon Stone's exposed crotch.......
As a busy movie buyer for video stores, BQ had to make purchase decisions on the avalanche of theatrical and direct-to-video 'Basic Instinct' imitations that followed in that blockbuster's wake.....(we rolled our eyes at the titles of these knock-offs....."Deadly Instinct", "Basic Obsession", "Lethal Deception", "Fatal Arousal", etc, etc., etc,.....
We don't mean to tar "Final Analysis" with that brush, though. It's more of a beautifully rendered, skillfully acted throwback to Hitchcock's "Vertigo"......similarly set in San Francisco and set to a ripely symphonic Bernard Herrmann-esque score by George Fenton.
But unlike Brian DePalma's 'Vertigo' homage, "Obsession", which closely copied Hitchcock's plot, "Final Analysis" comes up with its very own bonkers storyline......filled with twists, turns, reversals of fortune and of course, a spectacular finale.......(with far more closure for people still scratching their head about the end of 'Vertigo')
A plot description of this movie would sound ridiculous if we wrote it all out......but that's half the fun of watching a psychological thriller......the operative word here is 'psycho' rather than 'logical'
All we'll reveal is that a hunky psychiatrist (Richard Gere) get mixed up with two alluring sisters......one of whom (Uma Thurman) he's treating for OCD and a horrific childhood, and the other he ends up rolling in the sheets with (Kim Basinger at the height of her considerable Babe-hood)
Adding to the complications...... Basinger suffers from 'pathological intoxication' (one sip 'o booze sends her to Crazytown)....and she's unhappily and dangerously married to a jealous gangster with a lethal temper. (a very scary Eric Roberts)
All these elements quickly boil over to a brutal murder....and.....and that's all we should tell you in order to fully enjoy the breathless goings-on that follow.
And for those who dote on Hitchcock's overheated, climaxes, "Final Analysis" serves up a doozy.....a great way to put some fun thrills into your New Year's celebration. 4 stars (****).
No comments:
Post a Comment