English director Stephen Frears directed this eighteenth century French tale of sexual deception and intrigue, and although most of the leading cast members are American the film has a distinctly European feel to it. The story centres around the machinations of two decadent French aristocrats (Glenn Close and John Malkovich) for whom the principal pleasure in life is to be found in the cynical manipulation of the sentiments of others. Malkovich, entirely believable as a powerful and ruthless seducer of women is first given the task of seducing a young woman (Uma Thurman) whose husband-to-be has deserted Close to marry Thurman, but finds the task insufficient and soon turns his attentions to the perfectly virtuous Madame Touvier (Michelle Pfeiffer). The liaison is to prove dangerous to both of them. Close, Pfeiffer and Thurman are all perfectly cast, as is Malkovich who plays the role of his life. Not possessed of matinee-idol looks, he nevertheless shows how it is possible to attract and stimulate women on quite different levels, and that mental and imaginative stimulation is the most powerful and dangerous of all. The film possesses extraordinary energy and sophistication and, while it shows that the devil has the best tunes, functions not only as a fascinating study into sexual motivation but as a profoundly moral warning against the complete disregard for the profoundest feelings of others. The final denouement is as unexpected as it is dramatic. One of the best films of the decade.
Review of Dangerous Liaisons
