Best movie of this year hands down!

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Blistering performances.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

A sportswear designer leads a double life as a hooker named China Blue (Kathleen Turner). One of her clients, a man on the verge of divorce, decides he loves her and figures out who she is. He then begins wooing her, which she fights against since he was a client. Meanwhile a street preacher (Anthony Perkins) works the red light district trying to save souls.Allegedly, the male lead passed over Patrick Swayze and Jeff Bridges before landing on John Laughlin. Not that Laughlin does a bad job, but in retrospect this seems like an odd choice -- the movie would have had a more lasting impact with one of the other two.Although Kathleen Turner takes up most of the screen time, and really puts herself out there in these sexual situations, Perkins is the highlight of the film. He never shies away from pushing his own emotions, saying and acting in the most manic of manners. For an actor who made his name working with Hitchcock, he was never afraid to push the envelope in his career. Allegedly, the "poppers" we see him using on screen were real and he was indeed pumped up for much of the shoot.One aspect of the film that Ken Russell ought to be praised for is how strongly he suggests certain things but never shows them. For a film about American sexuality, there is surprisingly little nudity. Instead, he uses Japanese art to double for this, and presents an endless stream of suggestive -- but rarely explicit -- scenes. This is brilliant, and keeps the movie from becoming smut, despite its themes. Likewise, the violence is almost all psychological -- even a murder scene somewhat humorously uses a doll to avoid showing direct, human physical interaction. Russell and cinematographer Dick Bush do an excellent job of projecting character on to the actors through lighting. We have garish colors and neon lights for the scenes with China Blue, while the other scenes were more naturalistic light. There are clearly two worlds at play, and Kathleen Turner seamlessly goes from one to the other.On top of a beautiful 2K restoration, and the ability to watch either the cut or uncut version, the Arrow Video blu-ray comes packed with features. We have audio commentary with director Ken Russell and producer-screenwriter Barry Sandler, seven deleted/extended scenes with optional commentary by Sandler, a brand-new interview with Sandler, and a brand-new interview with composer Rick Wakeman. This is a must-own for any fan of Russell, Turner or especially Perkins.

First of all, if you are going to watch this movie, you'd better get the uncut version. "Crimes of Passion" is pure 80's entertainment, thanks to Anthony Perkins mainly, who was given some of the most hilarious (bad) lines ever. Characters are so over-the-top and absurd, dialogue is so unnatural and bad/funny, the acting is exaggerated and sometimes awful (intentionally maybe?), the music is so out of place that the whole thing is a Camp Masterpiece. Anthony Perkins seems to be spoofing his own classic "demented" persona, even the ending looks like some sort of "Psycho" parody. The preacher's maniacal performance, sniffing drugs in sleazy sex booths, reminded me of Dennis Hopper in "Blue Velvet". This is funny stuff, and it looks like a De Palma film. The sexual content is surprising for a mainstream movie with famous actors, and it only adds to the quirkiness. The point seems to be going everywhere, and the plot, crazy and unlikely as it is, is all over the place– the movie can't decide whether it's a satire, thriller, comedy, love story or marital drama, the common element being sexuality and what it represents for different individuals. For the housewife, sex is something dirty and unpleasant, a conjugal duty; for the husband, it's the best way to express love and respect; for China Blue, it's a means to avoid emotional attachment; for the preacher it's a destructive impulse, a source of guilt and self-hatred. Despite some "hard-core" scenes, the movies remains light-hearted, and it's very entertaining.

What a great slice of sleaze this is! Ken Russell certainly has a style of his own and it's on overdrive in Crimes of Passion, as the movie is as much about the bizarre way that Russell tells his story as it is about the story itself. Crimes of Passion is unlikely to appeal to all tastes, but for everyone who likes trashy and sleazy thrillers, you really can't go wrong with this one! The film is very surreal and at times, even takes on something of a fantasy feel. The way that Russell uses lighting and the rock theme tune (which often feels slightly out of place) help to keep things surreal; and the heavy amount of sex makes this more than your average Hollywood thriller! A double life is the basis for the plot; and here we focus on China Blue; shameless hooker by night and sportswear designer by day. A street preacher meets her and decides he wants to save her soul; around the same time, a man is hired to spy on her by the sportswear business she works for. He later meets her as China Blue and is shown a good time...but soon the preacher starts to get out of control.This might not be particularly intelligent stuff, but Crimes of Passion appealed to me because it's not quite like any other thriller I've seen, and director Ken Russell seems more interested in making the film as bizarre as possible than telling a story - and that is no bad thing as it ensures that Crimes of Passion is original, and that's the sort of thing that gives a film a cult following! Crimes of Passion has an interesting cast, which is lead by Kathleen Turner, who is just great in her double role. John Laughlin falls into the background a little bit as his role is the least interesting of the three central ones - but he's not bad. The third central role is taken up by Anthony Perkins, and it suits him like a glove! Perkins wasn't so maniacal since Psycho and Russell definitely picked the right man for the job with this piece of casting! While the film isn't exactly plot heavy, what story we do have flows well and there's always enough going on outside of the plot anyway - if there's one thing this film isn't, it's boring! Overall, Crimes of Passion is a great trash flick and it gets high recommendations from me!

Kathleen Turner is admirable playing a prim fashion designer by day and a kinky hooker named China Blue by night. This determinedly-weird sex-odyssey from outré filmmaker Ken Russell does indeed have the force behind its salacious convictions--it is almost embarrassingly sordid and one genuinely feels for the performers on-screen--yet as a psycho-drama it comes out half-baked. The subplots, one involving family man John Laughlin with sexless wife Annie Potts and the other, sillier one concerning Anthony Perkins as a sidewalk preacher, only take time away from Turner's intriguing impersonation. Last minute editing revisions forced upon Russell leave the final act feeling choppy, however there's some amusing satire here (big city business and stifling suburbia) that gnaws at you in both good and bad ways. The screenwriter, Barry Sandler, has many targets and a lot of interesting things to stay, but the deadened look and feel of the movie makes it seem like a repugnant gag. Yesterday's kink is today's old news. **1/2 from ****