Instant Favorite.

Absolutely the worst movie.

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

I remember catching this movie on TV a few times and it always was an extreme experience for me. Here, a vulnerable woman named Marjorie (Farah Fawcett) who falls victim to an attempted rape by Joe (James Russo) escapes and turns the tables on him, caging the criminal in her fireplace.Seeing Joe abuse Marjorie left and right was difficult to watch, but it was thrilling to see Marjorie give her attacker a taste of his own medicine. It is also pretty suspenseful to see what will her and her two roommates, Patricia (Alfre Woodard) and Terry (Diana Scarwid), do to the confined attacker after the incident. A majority of the film takes place in the house and you get to know a little bit of background on all three women and how the course of the film's events affect them. The plot does drag after all the action but the generating suspense does keep the movie a somewhat intriguing experience.Grade B-

Extremities is a story of a man, overwhelmed with guilt, one that has proved to be fatal, turning him killer. When first learning of this film, back at the start of '87, I thought it was just about some psycho getting his kicks, raping women. Little did I know. Our rapist, Joe has already raped a score of women and disposed of em'. Only his latest, Marjorie (Fawcett in a great dramatic performance) has managed to escape when first car jacked and driven to a deserted underpass. Marjorie explains her situation to the police, none too helpful, where the police woman tells her straight, there's a chance he could get off. Farrah's even mistaken for a hooker by a young cop, who interrupts the not so progressing well conversation. She leaves, irate, and by not signing this certain form, the cops can't take action. The rapist has got her wallet with her id, so we know what's gonna ensue. We too see Joe, has a family where he has been kept pretty faceless up to this point. When he's in his little shed, examining Farrah's id, his cute little daughter knocks on the glass, informing him, dinner's almost ready. So now with Farrah, it's a waiting game. Her two housemates, Patti and Terri, have been informed of the situation. Even when the pizza guy, comes delivering a meal, Farrah is rather surly, when he asks if the three of them live together, which is understandable. Then days later, low and behold, a man freely enters her house, asking after a Joe. And from here, the real drama and suspense begins, claustrophobic, one would say, as Russo, great here, gets quite physical and cruel, at one point almost threatening to toss a pan of burnt bacon onto her. He also examines her particulars, even making opportunity to indulge in some forced sex, cause in reality, there's no way in hell, she'd go out with this creep of low class status. Keeping with the stage play, she finally turns the tables on the attacker, after luring him on, when on top of her, falsely. She then sprays his eyes with insecticide, cracks a hot glass kettle of coffee over his head, before strangling him and barricading him in a fireplace, from which there is no escape. Not much sooner does her two friends return from work and cross this scene of madness. The two do not agree with her illogical plan of murder, which too could be seen as logical, if this madman gets off. We do weigh these real life options. Scarwid, a great character actress, brings an effervescent, quirky and sexy character as Terri, while the more mature Woodard, gives a very humane and real performance, I liked. She's the only one showing compassion to the not so healthy looking Russo. Farrah at one point, who's taken enough of her, says "Why don't you just f..k him. That'll make him feel better". Extremities is a real film of real situations and choices. Even near the end, Scarwid chooses to stay with Russo, when Farrah and co, get the cops, warming up to him some, as hearing his reasons. One particular moment with Farrah running her knife down Russo's lower region, may make you flinch. This is a great dramatic film, that I wouldn't suggest a rape victim should watch. It's all too real, as are the performances, and I'm not just talking the mains. You will feel pretty washed out at the end of this, too, as in these claustrophobic movies. The up tempo music score, at it's opening is all so unfitting though, even though I liked it a lot, so.

I netflix'd "Extremities" after poor Farrah Fawcett passed away. I figured I'd pay respect to her legacy by revisiting some of her best-known screen work ('Charlie's Angels' excluded).I don't have a problem with movies from another era- I watched 'The French Connection' over the weekend, and loved it... So I'm inclined to think that 'Extremities' is garbage in any era (Not the kind of 'Timeless' they were going for). Awful story, awful script, awful performances, awful direction equals: awful movie. There was no suspense, no cohesion to any of it, no attempt to even make any of it seem plausible or believable... You shouldn't have to suspend disbelief to watch a RAPE-DRAMA. Then again, she doesn't actually get raped. By the end of the movie, it seemed to be favoring the Raper over Farrah.If I were a victim of domestic abuse, I'd be personally insulted. Fifteen minutes into the movie, I couldn't decide which of the main characters I disliked more... Never a good foot for your film to start on.Avoid this at all costs.

Marjorie (a splendid and riveting performance by Farrah Fawcett) narrowly avoids being assaulted in her car by vicious serial rapist Joe (superbly played with frightening conviction and intensity by James Russo). However, Joe steals her wallet and finds out where Marjorie lives. He pays her a visit one fateful day. After subjecting Marjorie to plenty of degradation and psychological abuse, Marjorie manages to turn the tables on Joe and locks him in the fireplace. What is Marjorie going to do with Joe? Director Robert M. Young and screenwriter William Mastrosimone concoct a harsh, gritty and often disturbing morality tale that astutely nails the stark brutality and painful debasement of rape while also showing how any person when pushed to extremes is capable of shocking acts of violence and inhumanity. Joe perceives women strictly as objects while Marjorie only sees Joe as an "animal." However, this movie to its admirable credit refuses to make Joe out to be simply a vile one-dimensional creep; instead he's a terrifyingly real and ultimately pitiable human monster with a wife and kid (Joe's climactic confession in particular is genuinely poignant). Fawcett and Russo are both outstanding in the leads; they receive fine support from Diana Scarwid as the passive Terry, Alfre Woodard as the sensible Patricia, and Sandy Martin as sympathetic policewoman Officer Sudow. Both Curtis Clark's agile cinematography and J.A.C. Redford's shivery, skin-crawling score greatly enhance the considerable claustrophobic tension. A real powerhouse.