SYNOPSICS
Crimes of Passion (1984) is a English movie. Ken Russell has directed this movie. Kathleen Turner,Anthony Perkins,Bruce Davison,Gordon Hunt are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1984. Crimes of Passion (1984) is considered one of the best Drama,Romance,Thriller movie in India and around the world.
The thirty year-old hard-worker Bobby Grady is married with two children to the frigid Amy Grady and their marriage is in crisis. Bobby is invited to work the night shift at a fashion design studio whose owner believes his talented and introspective designer Joanna Crane is selling his designs to competitors. Bobby accepts the job to make money and please Amy with a bathtub and follows Joanna after hours. He discovers she has a double life, working as a fifty-dollar hooker called China Blue in the red light district and practicing kinky sex with her clients to satisfy their fantasies. Bobby becomes obsessed by China Blue and when the true thief is found, he has sex with her and they have a crush on each other. Meanwhile the insane preacher Rev. Peter Shayne (Anthony Perkins) decides to save Joanna's soul and stalks her everywhere.
More
Crimes of Passion (1984) Reviews
A sleazy ball of fun!
Crimes of Passion is definitely my secret, guilty pleasure. Available uncut in this country, few films have managed to capture a sleazy, seedy feel without resorting to a sense of grottiness. This film is classy and well made, much the same as Ken Russell's later film, Whore (1991). It has the same sense of light-heartedness, and is actually well written. Much of the dialogue is clever, witty, and bitingly effective. The performances are top notch - particularly Perkins as the maniacal priest whom is captivated by the street-smart, fashion-designer-cum-hooker Turner. The sexual scenes are bold, but not sexually explicit. It is truly amazing to see Kathleen Turner in this film, as opposed to her performance as a fat, frumpy, conservative and highly religious middle-aged mother in the Virgin Suicides (1999). I cannot think of a character performance so diametrically opposite to the one in Crimes of Passion. I recommend you rent both films, and watch them back to back. It is sure to make your head spin, and perhaps even generate a sense of appreciation for the diversity of Turner's acting ability!
so weird but so good
My favorite "weird" movie of all time, and I say that because of the numerous things that just do not belong and dont make sense. Like why is Turner a hooker? Shes a fashion designer during the day, why does she degrade herself at night? Does she get a thrill off of it, its never really explained. Whats with that dopey music video featuring a family of weirdos jumping into a pool dressed in wedding attire? You'll have no idea what it means, but again thats one of the charms of the film for me, silly scenes that make no sense. Another would be Perkins stabbing a blow up doll with a vibrator, with tons o' blood gushing about. Another you squint at but then laugh at loud to. Though there are moments of confusion, there are plenty of terrific scenes, most surprisingly shot unbroken, without cuts. One has Laughlin and Potts discussing their probs in bed for about 10 minutes without breaking the shot. Very professional actors make it look impressive. Most of the plot deals with Laughlins character, a struggling home securities guy stuck in a stale marriage. He gets involved with Turner, though she has her own problems, like constant harrassment from Perkins demented street preacher. The three are very strong from start to finish, especially Kathleen, in my favorite performance of hers ever. She has a ton of great one-liners that inject humor at the right moments, without it looking out of place. If your unfamiliar with the films history, you may be unaware of the different versions available. Back in 84 it was too graphic for an R rating, so they released an R, Unrated, and X rated version. I've only seen the R and Unrated, and there are considerable changes made. The R does not contain shots of Turners face during a rather intimate moment at the beginning of the film. And they also totally threw out a hardcore scene involving a cop and Turner engaged in nasty nookie. As well as Turner and Laughlins first love scene, where several positions shown only in shadow were taken out. But in terms of the story, those scenes are not crucial, so no harm done. Either way you go, this will be one of the more stranger film experiences you'll ever have. I mean where else are you gonna see someone actually killed at the end of a movie with a vibrator?(!!) And I cant forget the terrific sexy saxaphone score by Rick Wakeman, which he reworked from previous material.
Thought provoking and highly entertaining.
It's no surprise that Ken Russell's ambitious psychosexual drama "Crimes of Passion" was not well received upon its initial release back in 1984. But to be fair, based on the heavy edits required to achieve an 'R' rating, it's hard to imagine the film having the same sort of effect as the un-rated director's cut. Explicitness is key to a film of this nature -- necessary for provoking audience reaction, but also for providing a raw layer of intensity to which the viewer can connect with. For example, the explicit dialogue in the bedroom confessional scene between Bobby & Amy Grady (equally fine performances from John Laughlin and Annie Potts) effectively captures the real disconnect present within so many relationships. On one hand there's a need and/or desire for sex as a means of fulfillment and expression of love, but on the other hand there are responsibilities associated with family life that may impede that desire, or in the case of the character of Amy Grady, a general lack of sexual desire is just part of her persona. Meanwhile this leaves her husband Bobby feeling discontented. The film asks then, just how important is sex? Is it an essential part of being happy? In stark contrast to the dynamic between Bobby & Amy Grady, is the character of China Blue/Joanna Crane -- played with absolute gusto by Kathleen Turner (giving one of the finest performances of her career). While her motives remain for the most part unclear, the character of China Blue appears to be using sex as a control mechanism. But what is it that she is trying to control? Through the use of some fairly explicit sex scenes it seems apparent that she enjoys the sex itself while also enjoying the anonymity and emotional disconnect involved with being a girl for hire. But is this feeling the result of her actual disdain for having that emotional connection, or is it a result of having been scarred by a past relationship? The power play argument is reinforced by seeing the Joanna Crane side of the character -- a highly successful undergarment designer with a cool car and a great apartment; someone who seems to have it all, yet wants to take her power one step further. This theory is drawn into question (of course!) when her path crosses with Bobby Grady; someone who seems to be able to offer her the entire package she secretly longs for. To complicate things further, there's the character of Rev. Peter Shayne (an Oscar worthy performance from Anthony Perkins); a man so distraught and shamed by his own inner demons that he seeks his own redemption through the course of offering to redeem China Blue. Throw in an enjoyably hypnotic yet cheesy & dated synthesizer score, and the usual striking visual imagery and religious allegory that Ken Russell is well known for, and the result is a thought provoking and highly entertaining film. Best recommended to those who don't mind being left with a lot of unanswered questions at the end, or who aren't easily offended an 8/10, this film is destined to become a major classic and deserves repeated viewings.
A lurid fantasy porno movie - and a masterpiece
Ken Russell's masterpiece has cult movie written all over it. A lurid, extreme sex-and-violence fantasy porno-movie, it is also a brilliant satire on the American way of sex, (the 'home life' scenes could have come out of "Desperate Housewives"). In the bravest and best performance of her career, Kathleen Turner plays the mystery woman who is Joanna, prim fashion designer by day and China Blue, the fantasy hooker to end all fantasy hookers, by night. In an alternative universe her performance would have won her the Oscar for Best Actress. Her nemesis is Anthony Perkin's psychopathic preacher with the razor-sharp dildo ("Save me from the foul-mouthed kooze with the motor-driven ass"). His is the kind of performance that goes beyond mere acting into some kind of crazy stratosphere all it's own; (the ending is lifted directly from "Psycho"). The film has it's downside. Rick Wakeman's score is over-emphatic and Tom Cruise lookalike John Laughlin may have Cruise's good looks but none of his talent. It's a terrible piece of acting but in a movie this OTT it actually works. Barry Sandler's script is brilliant.
Lots of Fun!
Thank God for Ken Russell. No other director could have made this one. This is not one of his best films, but it is certainly a fun one to watch. Kathleen Turner really goes the limit as an actress in her role as China Blue. She looks great and gives more to the film than it really deserves. While there are some serious jabs made at relationships and sexuality --- this movie is really just raunchy fun. Anthony Perkins almost steals the show in a send-up of his "Psycho" performance. Great use of color and set design considering the small budget. Rick Wakeman's score is suitably cheezy and very dated. An adult film worth watching.