Someone to Watch Over Me

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Steve D You have seen it all before. Now with adultery and spending a 3rd of the movie for preamble. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/03/23 Full Review Audience Member As far as erotic thrillers go, this one had a lot to live up to after last weeks Sea Of Love (1989) and In The Cut (2003) the previous week. I wasn't aware until the opening credits rolled that this was a Ridley Scott venture, a bit of a surprise considering his general output. Mike, a married police officer is tasked with protecting Claire, a wealthy witness in a murder case, a murder that we see carried out in an early sequence. It's no whodunit; we know it's Joey (Andreas Katsulas, he of one armed fame in The Fugitive [1993]) so the intrigue of the ‘who' is lost early on. Which means the film has to draw us in using characters and other means, and it mainly does. Mike inevitably is drawn into an affair with Claire (it's in the synopsis) but I just don't know why, Mike's wife Ellie and their son offer nothing to suggest he doesn't have a happy home life. Of course, this sort of thing appears to happen all the time and it's some sort of bizarre societal acceptance that this sort of thing ‘just happens' but for someone who finds that hard to understand, I didn't buy the lack of reasoning behind it. Claire and Mike's relationship seems genuine, but it's the how they got there part that raised too many questions for me to buy into it. Other than that Scott's foray into this genre works reasonably well, there are some tense scenes (if a tad too drawn out in some places) and the final confrontation is fine. The post confrontation was a slight problem for me, but to explain why gives away the ending. Worth your time, but you'd be better off with a few cans and Fatal Attraction (1992) or even better, Sea Of Love (1989). Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member This 1987 film from Ridley Scott is something of a departure from his previous films. Somebody to Watch Over Me is akin to a potboiler crime thriller. Which unlike his films previously reviewed, does not go for vast ambition and imagination but settles on a cop thriller that takes substance entirely out of the equation. Oh sure, his trademark of spotlighting and saxophone cues return here, but merely provides the film with a glossy sheen over something entirely predictable. Tom Berenger stars as Detective Mike Keegan who is assigned to protect a socialite named Claire, played by Mimi Rogers. After she witnesses the murder of an old friend, by a former partner of his, over a trust deal gone awry. Mike has a loving wife, (played by Lorraine Bracco), and son, but during his assignment, he can't help being drawn to her and she to him. They dangerously become too involved. Claire is confronted by the madman and is scared of revealing him to the police at the station. Keegan's misguided actions set him free, and their affair is found out by both Keegan's colleagues and his family; leaving him in turmoil. However, that's the least of his problems, the murderer goes after his family in revenge, and so he must buckle down to save his family and Claire from more danger. To say this film is formulaic and predictable is undoubtedly true. From describing the plot right at the beginning, you could easily fit the pieces together as to where the film is going. Mainly what the characters are going to do next and what tone the film is trying to achieve. The film's downfalls are more script related. It doesn't provide a good enough reason why the two should get together. His family loves him, and he and Claire are from different backgrounds, but it needs to create conflict, so getting along it is. Berenger I think, doesn't create a very interesting or memorable character within the guise of a flawed cop in the way that someone like Michael Douglas would have done. However, there are some positives. Mimi Rogers is a hugely underrated actor and does her best with injecting a sympathetic character. Along with Lorraine Bracco, who is just a fantastic actor and really shines here. The film is, as you would expect, stylishly shot. Giving us cues and lighting that evoke a moody atmosphere and is enough to carry you through a relatively familiar plot. Overall I would like to have seen something more from Ridley Scott that makes the film stand out from this sort of genre. But, I guess he has decided on something more routine. A stylishly shot film that does have plot holes but brisks along at a decent pace with some exciting performances as well. Pretty solid. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie was well shot, nicely scripted and acted. The character dynamics worked well and the film was entertaining throughout. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Engaging and watchable thriller. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member above standard 80s noir... unmistakable ridley scott stamp.. that's a good thing Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Someone to Watch Over Me

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