Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

CinefanR 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.

crownofsprats Kathleen Turner plays a smoking sex-bomb of an NYC street hooker who goes by the name of China Blue ("the total package", as one john remarks). An unhappily married man develops a fascination with her after he eavesdrops on an encounter she has with an issue-ridden, demented preacher-type (Perkins) whose self-declared mission is to "save" China.In the wrong hands, this material could have been made into a boring thriller, with the preacher stalking his way towards a predictable finale. Or an overwrought marital drama, weighed down by absurd dialogue and the characters' utterly improbable decision-making. Or some lurid, booby C-grade sleaze-fest where the hooker plot is just an excuse to parade last month's centerfold in a half dozen sexy outfits. Luckily, we got Ken Russel, who somehow manages to not only balance all three in the same "total package", but lets them breathe with the genres' best and most outrageous excesses! Take the Preacher's "weapon of salvation" and the filthy sayings that get past his filter when he is praying, or the embarrassingly cheesy yet hilarious marriage bed conversations. Or pretty much anything that comes out of China Blue's mouth when she is "in character". And he does it all with a wink and a nod to you - the audience savvy enough to know not to take any of it seriously!It should be noted that this is a "fun" movie. If there is any takeaway here for thought, it's probably about men's fears and anxieties relating to sex, the feminine, and marriage. But try not to think too much about it, otherwise you run the risk of taking it a bit too seriously and you'll miss out on the real fun - all the "I can't believe he/she just said/did that!" bits (comprising a good half the movie), Kathleen Turner's passionate and, um, rousing performance (who could possibly deliver lines like that if they weren't having fun on the set!?), and the lurid, swanky atmosphere that is the magic of Ken Russell's creation.*** I also watched the scenes that were cut from the film - I had assumed they were cut because they were too racy or explicit, but the opposite is in fact true. The cut scenes were mostly from the domestic side of things: lots of wife-talk, an extended scene of the BBQ party, etc. They all deserved to be cut mercilessly because they either added nothing of value to the story or muddled the characters and plot to the point where the film would have been seriously flawed if were they allowed to stay in. In them, the confusion over this film's fate is visible, and I am very glad Russell did not choose to go there for the final version, instead maximizing on the glammy, schlocky sex schtick.

Johnboy1221 Simply put, I love this movie! The dialog is natural, and at times downright hilarious.All the characters are screwed up to some degree, but probably a lot like most Americans are, truth be known.Bobby is trying desperately to make everyone believe that his life is a bowl of cherries and it's not.His wife has been hiding a secret of her own, and is probably manic depressive.The preacher is fighting his own war and he's losing it minute by minute.Bobby's best friend wants everyone to think that he's happy and secure in his new single life. He's not.His ex-wife is pretending that her life is rosy, but she's unhappy with it just the same.And finally, there's Joanna. She's had a rough life ("we were married for better or for worse...I got the worse part"), and is struggling to get back on track, but her answer to her problems is to be a hooker. She can pretend to love without all the trappings of a longterm relationship, which terrifies her.The performances are simply incredible, from the smallest to the lead, and every single actor is cast to perfection. Ken Russell....well, lets just say that I find this his best film, by far. Barry Sandler should have won an Oscar for this film, or at least a nomination. His dialog is classic drama (and comedy) from start to finish.Crimes Of Passion is not for everyone. The squeamish need not apply. However, the film is the best movie I have ever seen about the real America. Every character in the film is playing games, and that's exactly what men and women all over this country do everyday. Like American Beauty, what we see may not be what's real.I loved China Blue and Bobby. They're tough, but they have a heart. They're sexy, but vulnerable.Bobby's final words in Crimes Of Passion are among the best I've ever heard spoken in a movie, and it was a perfect way to end the film.I truly don't understand why John Laughlin didn't become a huge star after this movie, but he should have. Perhaps he had a bad agent, or something, for he is a terrific actor here.

Jay Thompson A few yrs ago, I remember reading an essay by a feminist film theorist who briefly mentioned Rosalind Russell. This theorist wrote that the 'strength' of the 'strong women' that Rozzie R. played lay partly in their ability to stand by their man (even when he wasn't worth it).I thought of this essay after watching 'Crimes of Passion'.Kathleen Turner exudes the same strength and style as Russell in her portrayal of prostitute China Blue. She's the object of affection for two men: the loony priest played by Anthony Perkins, and a bland whitebread boy who's marriage is slowly fading. And she won't let either of them have a piece of her until ...I won't give away the ending - but I will say that this is ultimately Bland Whitebread Boy's fantasy. No matter how hard Ken Russell tries, he can't disguise the fact that this movie is basically a 1940s melodrama for the MTV generation. Except its retrogressive class and gender politics make those old black-and-white films look revolutionary by comparison.