Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
The sensuous wife of a lunch wagon proprietor and a rootless drifter begin a sordidly steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband.
Bob Rafelson's 1981 remake of the James M. Cain noir classic is distinguished chiefly by its raw, unglamourized eroticism and the powerhouse performances of Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange, whose chemistry crackles with genuine menace and desire. Sven Nykvist's cinematography is sun-bleached and dusty, giving the Depression-era setting an earthy, tactile authenticity that sets it apart from the glossier 1946 version. Acting is the film's strongest suit — Nicholson brings barely contained volatility and Lange is luminous and calculating. However, as a remake of a well-known story with familiar noir beats, its novelty is limited; the plot follows Cain's source material closely with few surprises for audiences familiar with the material. The ending, while faithful to the fatalistic source, lands with diminishing impact given how well-trodden the territory feels by this point.