In the Cut (2003)

I would like to start by saying that I found Mark Ruffalo's blatant sexual language and personality oddly sexy in this movie. Something about his quick banter accented by that New York voice really resonated with me. The facial hair and trim body definitely worked in his favor. Meg Ryan? Great body... but from a woman's perspective, I thought her hair did nothing for her face, her character, or for the audience. I just wish she could have been a little more vixen to go along with her sexual advances. But that's enough about the physical aspects of the lead roles! I liked this movie. I finished it about thirty minutes ago and have been thinking of it ever since. Sadly, I saw Ruffalo in "Now You See Me" prior to watching "In the Cut", so the little plot twists and turns didn't surprise me. I knew who the criminal was going to be within the first few scenes, but it seems a lot of other reviewers did as well. Even if the standard (sad that it has to be) thriller has a worn plot like this one, I was captivated. One reviewer said Frannie was paranoid the entire time, but I didn't feel that. She started off being quirky and book-smart, cracking sly jokes with Ruffalo and his partner. She was saying some things about the crime that I thought were bold and disengaging (as in, she seemed unaffected by the crimes). Halfway through the movie, when she began to suspect a certain someone of murder, she didn't react in a hugely paranoid manner. I actually wanted her to. For a girl thinking someone was a killer, she sure didn't stay away for long. The couple things that I did not care for were her relationship with her student and how little was known about Malloy's partner. Half the time I didn't understand if her student was writing a book, helping her with her case, infatuated with her, or some artsy weird kid rebelling against school. It read weird to me. The scene where he is in Frannie's room with her when they are about to get a little heavy... I didn't feel their attraction or understand his reactions. After reading a forum response, someone put him in a group with the violent men of this movie and said he was trying to figure out what Frannie wanted from him. That made more sense to me. As for the charm bracelet: a lot of people seem confused as to why Frannie freaked out the way she did. I think, because she knew that Malloy took her sister's key, she obviously would assume that he took her charm. What are the chances of him finding it in a dirty alleyway? There is one quick scene, which I have not gone back to find the timing for, where she is again looking at that photo of her sister and something is hanging down off of it. A chain of some sort. I thought in hindsight that it was her charm. This was not long before she found it in Malloy's pocket.. so my take on it was that he had placed it there after acquiring it, gone back in the room before or after the last female murder (trying real hard to avoid obvious spoilers), and re-pocketed it to later be found by Frannie. The only other qualm I had was that no back story or character development was given for Malloy's partner. He was a scumbag who goofed off a lot. Maybe this was intentional- to hide possible suspicion- but I felt it worked against the film. I wanted to know his early and family life. Other than that, the only characters I really liked were Malloy and the black guy who sat outside Pauline's place. Malloy was just brutally himself and I believed he could be a cop walking down my street. I appreciated the rawness, no apologies. Frannie's ex creeped me out and I want him to go get help. Or sleep. The stripper girls were no big deal. Frannie was great sometimes but I didn't always believe her sexual prowess... maybe it was just the hair. Though I DID love her fascination with words. I'm biased because I write down things that catch my attention as well. When Frannie reads that first train poem about the kiss, I thought, "Ooh, I like that, I should write it down." Safe to say... She beat me to it. Oh, did anyone else keep expecting her to have this psychic photographic memory that was going to help her solve crimes? It helped with the blow job princess and her little clues, but otherwise, it didn't play a huge role. I thought "Meow" and her other phrases were going to spell out some mysteries. I thought the running girls and her mysterious stare-offs at random objects would present themselves later. Guess not.

Jane Campion clearly can't make it. The film doesn't work at all. At first, we have the framing, witch is very tiring, with the continuous close - ups and the hand held camera only makes things worse. Blurring things or dimming the lights does not, I repeat does not creates atmosphere, it only shows luck of creativeness together with a very old fashion approach in film making. Showing us again and again every detail of the faces of the actors does not engage us more, it only makes us want to zoom out ourselves to see wtf is going on. The music is so academic that it doesn't exist. Worst of all: The dialogs. The film crawls all the way from the beginning to the bitter end and the dialogs are drugging it the other way. What can I say? Together with Holy Smoke, a film that ruined the talented Harvey Keitel and Kate Winslet, (a tragedy really), In The Cut is so pointless that makes you wonder, was she really thinking making them? I wouldn't consider watching anything else from her. I gave her a four, for it's obvious that she tried, but she clearly failed. She doesn't have it. Sorry Jane.

...is where the director must have been during the filming of this mediocre movie.We've all been there at one time or another and often don't recognize as quickly when it happens to us, but I always have to wonder when I see a film like this, where there's at least a relatively talented cast assembled, doesn't anyone watch "the dailies" anymore? If they did on this picture they must have been asleep at the time. Unless of course it was the act of watching them that put them there. Which is something that will surely be relatable to anyone who has, or does, view this film.It would seem to open well enough. SEEM being a key word. We're given a stream of mildly interesting urban images that establish the setting and touch lightly upon a subtle style in the cinematography that might, that could and that eventually does, hint at the possibility of more colorful things (events)to come. However the switch to sepia by the time the title card is placed, along with the very telling opening song, are two signs of where you can expect to be by the end of this picture.Some bland, out of focus, or obscured, sex scenes are intermittently sprinkled through the story. Though not entirely for the sole purpose of simply keeping your attention, but like the rest of the performances in this film, they too seem somewhat strained.There's not really much more to say; the standard thriller technique of "finger pointing" at everyone and anyone, of course is present. On an up note; Jennifer Jason Leigh's performance and character are both more interesting than the convoluted story we are meant to follow. Though that may be prejudicial on my part, as I've always been fond of her talent.If you're the type who likes to have a film going in the background while you're focused on something more important, but always get frustrated because you miss the significant points of the film, then this might be just what you're looking for. Personally, I wouldn't have felt any loss had this film remained "In the cut."

"In the Cut" works pretty well on the level of serial-killer-thriller; some genuinely gripping moments and a well rounded, albeit rather predictable conclusion.But the murder mystery stuff is not where this film really shines. Here is a love story which takes our longing for love and fulfilment and holds it up against a red brothel light. The performances are terrific, the characters are complex and the examination of our sexuality is bold and unflinching.A hostile, seedy world is conjured in dense dream-like atmosphere, where the hope of fairytale romance grows ever more desperate. So it is all the more profound when here amongst the dark, shabby squalor we glimpse truth, purity and beauty.