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List Price: $4.94 | | Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Salesrank: 27673
Released: March 25, 2003 |
| Our Price: $8.95 |
| Used Price: $1.53 |
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MPAA Rating: Unrated
Media: VHS Tape |
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Editorial Review:
Red-hot Heather Graham (Boogie Nights) and Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) sizzle like never before in this steamy sexual odyssey about the addictive and deadly powers of illicit passion. Too much of a good thing can be deadly. When Alice (Graham), an American living inLondon, meets Adam (Fiennes), a handsome adventurer, she's lured out of her safe, mundane life to pursue an affair that brings her to the heights of excitement and ecstasy. But when Adam's mysteriousand violent past begins to surface, Alice investigates and learns that Adam's pastand her future may both point to murder!
Description of Killing Me Softly (Unrated Edition):
It's easy to identify the biggest attraction of Killing Me Softly: two fetching actors (Heather Graham, Joseph Fiennes) and lots of nudity--especially in the unrated version. It's harder to choose the bigger liability: the dialogue howlers (as Fiennes binds Graham in ropes, she says, "Sometimes I feel like I don't know you") or the incredibly obvious solution to the big mystery. The story is an unofficial update of Hitchcock's Suspicion: a new wife wonders whether her unbelievably charismatic husband might be a murderer. The Chinese filmmaker Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine) turns out to be exactly the wrong director for this overheated slice of l'amour fou in London, but with the hopeless pairing of Graham and Fiennes as the passionate lovers, he didn't have much of a chance. A nicely romantic Patrick Doyle score is the only reason not to hit the Mute button and enjoy the visuals. --Robert Horton
Killing Me Softly (Unrated Edition) Reviews:
Heather Graham almost makes this worthwhile -- but doesn't 
2008-10-26 - Heather Graham was, as always, incredibly sexy in this film.
But alas, I agree with other reviewers who noted the plot here is rather thin. And the demands on the actors' talents are not very high.
And for me, the denouement left me unclear about just who had done just what, as explanation of the mysteries that develop in the course of the story. This in particular left me unsatisfied. (And the only possible explanations are not especially satisfying, even if I knew which is the right one, since they lack any trace of complexity.)
It's a nice song, though.
Average erotic thriller with a shallow heroine
2008-09-13 - Heather Graham plays Alice, a young woman from Indiana who has moved to London. She seems to have it all--a great job as a web designer and an English boyfriend who is nice, normal person. One morning she locks eyes with a mysterious stranger named Adam Tallis (Joseph Fiennes) and falls instantly in lust. She tracks him down and they have hot sex a couple of times, and Alice quickly ditches her sweet boyfriend who wanted to marry her. The English boyfriend seems like someone who really cares about her and would probably make a great husband, but shallow Alice abruptly dumps him for another man who obviously has a few screws loose. She also impulsively marries this dark, intense man only to find out that all his girlfriends end up dead or missing. Is Adam a murderer?
I had a hard time feeling much sympathy for Alice, since she seems selfish and has no sense whatsoever. She likes Adam because he's dangerous and lives on the edge, but it's obvious that their relationship is based on lust, not love, and will burn itself out.
There is a "twist" at the end, but I've seen similar stuff in other thrillers, and it just lands with a thud. It's just goofy.
The only reason to see this is if you want to see Graham and Fiennes naked. But even the sex scenes feel staged and passionless.
top rating for this extraordinary romance-thriller 
2008-07-26 - intense throughout - satisfying two audiences: looking for love/sex story, criminal/thriller fans. stunning performance by both Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes. highly recommended
Killing Me Softly, DVD 
2007-12-07 - This movie ranks at the top of one of the worst movies I have ever seen. The plot sounded interesting, but the lead actress was blank. She lacked character...it was embarrassing to watch her. Her lines were stupid...actually comical! The lead actor was quite believable; unfortuately,that was not enough to carry this movie!
Do not waste your money by purchasing this movie!
Internationally accalimed Chinese director bombs in first Hollywood attempt!
2007-11-10 - What's happens, when multi-awarded Chinese director Chen Kai Ge, alters his name to Chen Kaige, sheds his native land and sensibility that made him world renowned for his FAREWELL, MY CONCUBINE, and comes to Hollywood to make an English thriller starring American Heather Graham and English Joseph Fiennes and Natascha MeElhone in an R to unrated sexpoitative mystery entitled KILLING ME SOFTLY????.......a disaster, that's what!!!!!
This is one horrendous, misguided film that has some of the worst dialogue and bad performances from otherwise rather good and reasonably successful actors.That Joseph Fiennes and Natashsa McElhone worked in this is a travesty. That Heather Graham starred in it comes as a given!
Alice (Graham) is an American living in London already into a safe six-month comfortable relationship with a pretty nice guy.On her way to work,while pressing the crosswalk light, she touches hands with Adam (Fiennes) and all sense leaves the head and all blood rushes to the crotch....AND THAT IS WHERE THIS FILM STAYS!That McElhone ,as Adam's sister is a smarmy and seductive throw -in to this mess only serves to make things more laughable.That rough,kinky sex is thrown in just makes this all the more ridiculous, especially when Grahm is tied down,ready to ravaged by Fiennes, and she numbly states,"Adam,I have to pee".(Are you getting the gist of this?)
Why 2 stars? Patrick Doyle composed a wonderful soundtrack,just as he always does!Take the soundtrack away and ONE STAR or lower!
There are two conclusions that I leave with:
1.Chen Kaige,returned to his homeland and took back his given name and made Chinese films.
2.Joseph Fiennes and Natasha McElhone both went on to play better roles more becoming of their true abilities They needed a paycheck like anyone else!
Oh....there's one more thing: Heather Graham is awful at no matter what she does.Bearing her all in this film didn't work, so what's next for her? hmmmm?
