Movie: Jagged Edge (1985)

I remember seeingthis thriller in India probably in 1996, a year after it was released in the US.
A rich woman is brutally murdered in her beach house. The prime suspect is her charismatic husband.(Jeff Bridges.)
An attorney(Glen Close)takes on his case on condition that she would quit, the moment she thinks he is guilty. She must cope with issues of her own. As an assistant to the DA(Peter Coyote) she was once responsible for the supression of evidence . This act had caused the penalization of an innocent man. She has vowed never to do this again.
As she works with the grieving widower, she ends up commiting the cardinal sin of having an affair with him. She must now take on the same DA she worked for.
This is another terrific courtroom drama that ultimately leads to a series of surprizes and finally to a shocking end. It has you guessing until the last minute. It has great performances from Close and Bridges.
If memory serves me right, the widower role was offered to Kevin Costner who turned it down.
Bad move. My verdict: Watch this one.

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Movie: Dangerous Liasons (1988)

Evil and decadent 18th Century France never looked this good. Marquise De Merteuil (Glenn Close) and the Vicomte De Valmont (John Malkovich) are ex-lovers, cynics and co-conspirators in taking advantage of innocent souls. All because they can. They perfect the game of love 'em and leave 'em. This is a tale of sensual pleasures, deception, betrayal and finally retribution.

Victomte fisrt breaks down the denfences of a newly engaged girl(ravishing young Uma Thurman) portraying himself as a 'teacher' of carnal pleasures. I loved the part when he tells her how scandalous her mother was by making a secret rendezvous with a certain third party. How did he know?, she asks. 'I was the third party.' he replies.

Then he charms and dumps another innocent lady(Michelle Pfiffer) as the result of a 'dare' from Marquise De Merteuil. This time, however Cupid has struck him and he realizes that he's lost his heart to her. There seems to be only one way to win back her affections this time...

Malcovitch's performance in this flick is deserving of an Academy award. Despite lacking conventional good looks, he pulls of the role of medival philosopher with sheer personality. Close also puts in an outstanding role. I loved it for its theme and for...
Do not miss this one, O wicked ones...
My favorite lines in the movie, Malkovich to Uma: 'Now lets learn some French terms'. (You must see the movie for this.)
And while trying to woo Pfiffer: 'Friendship(with you) would have satisfied the man I use to be.'

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