Entangled

Director: Max Fischer
Screenplay: From the novel Les Veufs (Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac), Max Fischer, Michel Tureau
Producers: Max Fischer, Jacques Dorfmann

Video blurb:

"In Paris, David (Judd Nelson), a young writer, encounters an impossible love. His girlfriend Annabelle (Laurence Treil) is a woman of extraordinary beauty, a model that has risen to fame in a very short time. David's insecurity and passion will spawn questions, mistrust, jealousy, and ultimately murder.

Entangled unveils a unique triangle in which desire transcends death as two men fight for the morbid possession of a dead woman's love."

Extensive research around the internet reveals two types of people who are prepared to watch this drivel - Pierce Brosnan fans (he plays Garavan, David's nemesis) and Roy fans. Both sets mention the term 'fast forward' a lot.

Apparently Boileau-Narcejac mystery novels are highly regarded, so I guess we can blame Max Fischer for all the bits that have to be fast-forwarded through. Linda Rasmussen, a reviewer with the All Movie Guide (and therefore, presumably, in possession of a vocabulary or at least a thesaurus), is compelled to use 'confusing' no fewer than 3 times in her 140 word review. If only confusion were the worst of its failings! The central premise, that Judd (uncharismatic and unattractive even before his horrific car-crash) Nelson and real-life model Laurence (should have stuck to the day job) Treil could be in a relationship, is itself a huge stretch, and therefore nothing we can begin to care about. Then, to quote one of the commentators on IMDb, "During the course of the movie, we find out about murder, deception, lust, power plays, double crossings, greed, and betrayal. Sounds interesting, but don't be tricked. It is forced, but worse, completely unlikely and highly contrived; the plot twists are not intriguing, but banal. A murky movie does not a mystery make."

Roy plays Max, a photographer friend of David, who is very popular with the ladies. His character makes numerous appearances throughout the first 40 minutes of the film but is not seen at all for the final hour. << However, I have seen a bit of stray footage where Roy and Judd fight in a kitchen, which is not on my 96 minute video. Do let us know if your copy has this scene - viv >>. His performance, against various Parisian tourist backdrops, is very bouncy, shouty and sweary, all in badly accented English. It has to be said, Pierce's performance is a lot more subtle. On the plus side we have a bit of torso, and a foretaste of LFN surveillance as he spies on Annabelle.

This is not a film to recommend to a friend. Except committed students of early Dupuis or Brosnan. Both have been in much better films.