Pretty Good

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The Seventies seemed to be a time for film makers to push the envelope by shocking viewers and challenging mainstream perceptions with stylized treatments of sex and violence. Other movies that come to mind are 1971's "Klute" and 1977's "Looking for Mr. Goodbar". I would even throw 1970's "Joe' into that mix with it's take on free love and nudity. What's kind of funny as I watched the picture today on cable, was that the exposed breasts of women in Laura Mars' photos were uncensored, but the ones on the live models were. What's the point of that? There's that other element that gets some treatment from the newspaper reporter in the story speculating on whether the gallery photo exhibit has a desensitizing effect on society, and might possibly be the cause of some deranged killer who gets inspired by the titillation of sex and violence together. There are those, primarily in the position of making these pictures, that think that's all hogwash, but why wouldn't a rational person make the same observation. Sometimes bad ideas get their start in a subliminal way.Anyway, this was a fair enough thriller. Trying to figure out the murderer in a murder mystery can often be a challenging exercise, but this film tried too hard to pin the crimes on Brad Dourif's character, so I had him dismissed right off. That John Neville (Tommy Lee Jones) turned out to be the killer in Laura's visions wasn't a complete surprise, though the picture could have better explored at which point in his life Neville went completely off the rails. The confrontational scene in which Laura realizes in horror that John is a madman was handled well, I was patiently waiting for her to pull the trigger and she didn't let me down. Good job, Laura.

The premise presents all sorts of creepy potential—viewing murders through the eyes of the serial killer committing them. In the movie, these visions can strike Laura Mars at the moment they happen regardless of what she happens to be doing. Moreover, the victims are all members of her modeling staff. It's a wonder then that she's not a nervous wreck, an understandable consequence the film too typically ignores.This psychic element makes a heckuva of a movie premise, but its effectiveness also depends on how the story around it is developed. And here I can only say the narrative results are little short of a mess. It's like the five or six screenwriters simply failed to communicate with one another, resulting in a near incoherent narrative— for example, what is the killer's motivation, what is causing Laura's psychic visions, what relevance does Raul Julia's dangling presence have to the plot, etc. None of these are answered, or unless I missed something, even hinted at. Instead the narrative stumbles along in fits and jerks without much relation to what's gone before. Then there's the totally unbelievable ending that by itself is enough to sink the film.No need to go on since other negative aspects are discussed effectively by other reviewers. Instead, let me suggest a direction in which the story could have gone. For example, establish early on some psychic connection between Laura and Neville before they ever meet. Perhaps, she sees his compelling gaze in a photograph and is strangely transfixed by it. Thus a connection is established. This opens also the possibility that the murders are fated to happen, and both characters act not as independent agents, but are in fate's malevolent grip. In such a manner, the psychic world would be expanded and not drowned in a clutter of confusion.Anyway, the premise certainly deserves better treatment than it got from a glut of writers. Too bad.

The plot = Laura Mars (Faye Dunaway) plays a fashion photographer who takes pictures of models in violence situations, but soon she starts having dreams and visions of her friends getting killed, through the eyes of the killer, as she tries to figure out whats going on, she becomes romantically involved with a detective John Neville (Tommy Lee Jones) and they both try solve these crimes before it becomes too late.This thriller from the late 70's is a very slick and stylish affair, a good old fashioned stalk and slash fair, although not entirely a slasher movie per say, but still a pretty decent suspenseful thriller. Blood doesn't always have to be in bulk. You just need an engrossing plot, a good twist, pretty models and some sleaziness to go with it.The tone changes from scene to scene, but it is beautifully shot, with clever writing and great dialogue, along with the actors that makes this movie work on so many levels. The scenes with Laura having a vision of another murder are very repetitive. The same thing happens. She's doing whatever, freezes in place, eyes go wide, mouth drops, and we see a blurred killer's-eye-view of who is dying. It's all very funny, but startling, because we know what Mars must be going through to endure such an eerie thing. The whodunnit element really works well throughout, as I was completely surprised when the true killer was revealed, The body count is quite high as well which will keep all true slasher fans happy, it's full of giallo tendencies. The stalking scenes and close-ups of the ice pick are just enough to add a psycho's tough to this underrated piece.Okay it's not perfect there are a few minor bad points, like the storyline do slow down in parts, like after a murder and the ending is also lacking thrills, but other than those points it's still a thrilling ride.The performances is what truly makes this movie work, Faye Dunaway is excellent as the lead Laura Mars, along with Tommy Lee Jones in one of his early roles as the detective and love interest, they're chemistry with each other and watching they're relationship develop further as the movie progressed was a real highlight. Brad Douriff a familiar face who would go on to play the infamous (Chucky) as a early role as the down and out limo driver, whose creepy and unsettling at the same time really works. The late Raul Julia plays the sleazy husband really well but we don't see enough of him, and the flamboyant friend Donald Phelps (Rene Auberjonois) was brilliant in his role, he switches from funny to serious really well and the models Lulu (Darlanne Fluegel) and Michele (Lisa Taylor) were stunning and a lot of fun, and this movie makes you feel for these characters especially when it comes to they're demise.So all in all a fashionable thriller with excellent performances with a fun 70's disco soundtrack and great suspenseful scenes.

I watched this film mainly to see Faye Dunaway of the 1970-s, the period of her classic performances in 'Chinatown', 'Three Days of the Condor' and 'Network'. I found what I was looking for, and more. Some say this was not her best movie, I think it was one of the best. Here she takes the lead, and it is her in the first place who creates all the depth, feeling, and atmosphere to the whole thing. The rest of the crowd are not quite the same league but that's fine as they create a perfect framing for the central character. Great camera work (still camera too). Smart directing. Quality writing by James Cameron... Well, almost so... because even Faye's genius cannot save the film from the shamefully flat ending! I'm not sure who was responsible for the wholly unnatural and banal final twist, was it the writer, or the director, or probably the finance guy? In any case this sharp, stylish, thoughtful, emotionally deep, and visually beautiful mystery drama was to a great extent spoiled by some blunt bloke who apparently believed the 'people' would certainly like a regular 'trilla' with a 'hitchcock' ending to it. I wish I never saw the final 10 minutes and the tape would be just cut off instead... The bottom line is, Faye Dunaway at her best in an excellent stylish film that is admirable all the way through... yet suddenly turns into a 'me too' thriller in the last ten minutes. 9/10, and it would be 10/10 without that silly ending.