Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

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

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

As I sat in front of the TV watching this movie, I thought, "Oh, what Alfred Hitchcock, or even Brian DePalma, could have done with this!" Chances are, you will too. It does start out intrigueing. A British park ranger living in Los Angeles (Collin Firth) marries a pretty, demure brunette woman (Lisa Zane) whom he met in a park only a short time ago. Then, one day she dissappears. The police are unable to find any documentation that she ever existed, and Firth conducts his own search. So far, so good. Just as he's about to give up, he turns to his womanizing best friend (Billy Zane), and they stumble onto her former life in L.A.'s sordid underground of drugs, nightclubs, and ametuer filmmaking, and then to her history of mental instability. At that point, Firth's life is in danger, and the film falls apart. None of the characters from Lisa Zane's past are remotely interesting. The film moves slowly, and there's very little action. There is a subplot regarding missing drug money, but it's just a throwaway. No chases, no cliffhanging sequences, and no suspense. Just some dull beatings and a lot of chat by boring characters. One thing worth noting, Lisa Zane and Billy Zane are brother and sister, but they never appear in a scene together. By the end of the movie, you're torn between wondering what might have been and trying to stay awake.

The bud of love bloomed when boy met girl. A whirlwind romance and quickie nuptials are displayed in a series of flashbacks after a mysterious woman [read: crazy] leaves her hubby during the honeymoon. He goes bonkers and spends his days tracing his disappeared darling. This leads him into a web of S&M film makers, lunatic drug dealers, and a very large surprise concerning his wonderful wife. Run of the mill thriller which seems to bog down more than cause one to quiver with emotional excitement.

Granted I'm a Colin Firth fan but I really enjoyed this movie. It has an interesting plot with unsuspecting twists and turns that keep the viewer focused until the end. Even the reviewer that said it was bad watched it all the way through.

If you are a tried-and-true fan of Colin Firth, you will enjoy this movie as he is in every frame...who wouldn't want to watch Colin Firth fall in love...Made in 1991, it shows how much Colin has grown in his acting skills since this movie...Lisa Zane is believable in her role, and Billy Zane is there...not much more to say about him...the script lacks depth and credibility...i rate this movie a C.