Release Date: March 22, 1996
Starring: Sharon Stone, Isabelle Adjani, Chazz Palminteri, Kathy Bates, Spalding Gray
Directed by: Jermiah Chechik
Distributed by: Warner Brothers
MPAA Rating: R (violence/terror, sexuality, language)
Suspense is an awkward genre in terms of moviemaking, and almost contradictory in some regards: there's no formula, but there are certain ingredients required. To sit in the director's chair on one of these features requires audacity and skill, something which Jeremiah Chechik (Tall Tale) has a good stock of. He combines the tense writing in the script with moody scenarios and plenty of atmosphere to create a top-notch suspense thriller called Diabolique. His work is carried by the ample acting talent involved, and the result is a very watchable motion picture.
The story revolves around the life (and death) of a teacher named Guy (Chazz Palminteri). Guy's an obsessive, dominating husband to Mia (Isabelle Adjani), and carries on an affair with Nicole (Sharon Stone) on the side. He's clearly the bad guy from the start, played in contemptible fashion by Palminteri to great effect. The audience absolutely hates him, and so when Nicole and Mia get together to kill the bastard, it's more power to them. The affair is an open matter among the threesome, mostly possible because Mia - an ex-nun - is so meek and downtrodden. Absolutely the opposite is Nicole, a headstrong woman played with stoical tenacity by Stone. This makes Adjani's portrayal of Mia, clearly the audience's favorite, even stronger.
The two women manage to do the deed, slipping some poison in one of Guy's drinks. Unfortunately, it doesn't work quite as planned, and it takes quite awhile for Guy to die. Nevertheless, Nicole and Mia dump his body in a swimming pool, but after some time the body fails to surface and the pool is drained, revealing the body gone. Mia, quite unstable, is thrown even more off-balance by this, because she was never very sure from the start that killing her husband was such a good thing. Enter Kathy Bates as a detective who's interested in the details of Guy's last days alive, hired by Mia. This only complicates the situation at hand, and in the end adds to the suspense and tension present. This is clearly an audience-engaging project, designed to keep those viewing on the edge of their seats the entire time.
Kathy Bates' character runs a little low on screentime, and so it's not possible for her to lend a lot of substance to the picture. She does well enough when she is onscreen, and counterbalances the slow spots in Diabolique. The slowness dissipates as the movie rumbles towards its climactic finish, introducing more plot twists as it nears the end of its 107-minute running time. You won't be bored watching the movie, just a bit restless in your seat as it opens. The story is simple enough - overall - to be followed by just about anyone, and Diabolique is certainly recommendable to just about anyone. Perhaps good enough to be remembered at year's end.
all contents © 1996 Craig Roush