The only reason I stuck with this movie until the end was because it was supposed to be a modern take on King Lear, and I wanted to see some great acting from Richard Harris during his time as Star of the Week. Otherwise, it was far too violent and grisly for my taste. I would have gladly turned it off after the first fifteen minutes, and as it was, I did fast-forward all the torture scenes so I wouldn't have them burned on my brain.
Richard stars as a wealthy and powerful man, with a shady past and less-than-admirable cronies working under him. When he believes his life to be in danger, he looks for help among his three daughters: Lorraine Pilkington, Emma Catherwood, and Louise Lombard. Perfectly happy to suck up to him when he was at the top of the world, his older two daughters want nothing to do with him when he's down on his luck. In the very seedy environment, there are hitmen, prostitutes, blackmailers, drug dealers, and professional torturers. There's a particularly gruesome scene where a man is tortured for information, intercut with a family gathering as one of the daughters sings a song to honor her mother, Lynn Redgrave.
It's hard to believe this movie was released the same year as Richard Harris played Professor Dumbledore in the first Harry Potter movie. I would hope no child who saw him as the beloved headmaster also saw him in this gritty drama. This movie obviously wasn't my cup of tea, but if you do like these types of movies, you'll probably like it.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to graphic violence and torture, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.
Richard stars as a wealthy and powerful man, with a shady past and less-than-admirable cronies working under him. When he believes his life to be in danger, he looks for help among his three daughters: Lorraine Pilkington, Emma Catherwood, and Louise Lombard. Perfectly happy to suck up to him when he was at the top of the world, his older two daughters want nothing to do with him when he's down on his luck. In the very seedy environment, there are hitmen, prostitutes, blackmailers, drug dealers, and professional torturers. There's a particularly gruesome scene where a man is tortured for information, intercut with a family gathering as one of the daughters sings a song to honor her mother, Lynn Redgrave.
It's hard to believe this movie was released the same year as Richard Harris played Professor Dumbledore in the first Harry Potter movie. I would hope no child who saw him as the beloved headmaster also saw him in this gritty drama. This movie obviously wasn't my cup of tea, but if you do like these types of movies, you'll probably like it.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to graphic violence and torture, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.