Crimes of Passion (1984)

Ken Russell+ music score by Rick Wakeman=brilliant film. Throw in the talents of Kathleen Turner, Anthony Perkins, John Laughlin and Annie Potts and you have a winner.A fashion designer by day and a prostitute by night, Joanna Crane, who goes by the name of China Blue when she is turning tricks, is suspected of stealing designs is being followed by an unhappily married Bobby Grady.China Blue aka Joanna is also being stalked by a street preacher, the Reverend Peter Shayne who develops an unhealthy obsession with being able to 'save' her.As a relationship starts to bud between Bobby and Joanna, Peter Shayne becomes more and more frenzied in his attempts to convert Joanna.Crimes Of Passion is a striking movie. The music which is perfect, adds to the sexually charged atmosphere as does the setting and lighting.A thriller that does not fear to cross any boundary and is still able to include genuinely touching scenes, such as one where China Blue is hired to have sex with a man who is terminally ill.The scenes between Bobby and his wife Amy are also tinged with sadness as you can see how very unhappy they both are together.Despite the fine performances from the cast, this is definitely Anthony Perkin's movie. His portrayal of Peter Shayne is both comical and terrifying as the menacing and deranged preacher who is desperate to find salvation in saving China Blue, no matter what the cost.Kathleen Turner also puts in a great performance as the tormented woman who leads two lives. My only gripe with Crimes Of Passion is that Joanna's backstory was never really explored. But that would be a gripping film within itself.Ken Russell's film really explores the darker side of sexual attraction and obsession.It does end on a lighter note though which gives the film a more optimistic feel that gives the film a bit of a lift.Crimes Of Passion is not for everyone, some of the scenes are explicit, but it is worth checking out.

It is no secret that since the beginning of civilization sex and religion have always been able to maintain a unique "love hate" relationship with each other. The story of Adam and Eve is also viewed in the same context. Wherever there is religion, sex is likely to be found and vice versa. No religion has been able to free itself from the influence of sex. This has always been a trend and it would continue to be so in near future too. "Crimes of Passion" might turn out to be mild for many viewers according to today's standards but it was viewed as an absolutely shocking controversial film upon its initial release in 1984. Words would fail to describe actress Kathleen Turner's impeccable performances as 'China Blue'- an expensive hooker who is also leading a double life. Apart from some kinky sex scenes, China blue's character allows viewers to get a glimpse of tough lives faced by hookers. The religious side is presented by actor Anthony Perkins as a crazy priest whose only obsession seems to rescue china blue from damnation at all costs. He is able to succeed to a very large extent but a sudden event completely changes the course of action. Director Ken Russell has been honest with his depiction of people with dual identities. They have been presented as they are in real life without any embellishment. 'Crimes of Passion' has a lot of hilarious lines which denounce hypocrisy, falsehood and dishonesty. They are absolutely essential for viewers' comprehension in order to give them better ideas about a marriage which is on the verge of collapse due to lack of sex and how mean are societies to create and promote fallen women like "China Blue" for their selfish interests ?

Ken Russell as has been said many times before always was an interesting and unique director, though also understandably controversial. Crimes of Passion is not quite Women in Love and The Devils among his best but it is certainly much better than Lisztomania and Gothic. Crimes of Passion may not be perfect, with the score rather repetitive and excessively utilised and Annie Potts' "deadly serious" performance at odds with the rest of the performances(which are campier and broader), she is a talented actress who wasn't able to play to her strengths. To a lesser extent also the scene with the vibrator and the blow-up doll didn't make much sense and reminiscent of the irrelevant excesses that Russell could be prone to, though admittedly it did have some entertainment value. Crimes of Passion does look great though, very stylishly filmed with some garishness that meshed perfectly within the atmosphere. The scene with the couple in bed in conversation is shot cleverly too with a several-minute non-break shot. The satire is very witty and the funny moments are enough to make you laugh-out-loud, while with the story Crimes of Passion is not plot-heavy but it does keep one's attention and is paced well, never what you can deem as dull. As well as funny parts, there are also some poignant parts like the woman with the terminally ill husband and some shocking ones with the scene with the cop. The ending is a shocker too, though also may be a head-scratcher for some. The sex scenes are very lurid but also very sensual as well, and Russell directs with not that much restraint- here adopting the pulls no punches approach- but there is nothing really distasteful either. Kathleen Turner gives one of her best performances, she is very sexy and her performance is daring and even with the theatrical style of acting here(in general not just with her) she manages to make China sympathetic. Anthony Perkins evokes Norman Bates and brilliantly, insanely psychopathic that it's scary as well as somewhat campy. John Laughlin's role is smaller and he is not as experienced or as good as Turner and Perkins but he acquits himself well. In conclusion, a very good film, not for everybody and Russell personally has done better but it's easy to see why it's won over people here and it does deserve its deemed cult classic status. 8/10 Bethany Cox

First, just make sure you see the UNRATED version of this film. The theatrical version isn't the same movie, there's just way too much cut out of it (and I'm not referring to sex scenes). If you're a fan of Ken Russell, Kathleen Turner, or Anthony Perkins this is a must see. Turner, Perkins and Anne Potts all give remarkable performances. The film is plenty weird... if you're familiar with Russell's work you'll know what I mean, but well worth the viewing. I'll be thinking about it for a long, long time. I won't bore you with plot details, you can look at the summaries section for that, but I thought the movie was fun, shocking, frightening, sexy, intelligent, stupid, trippy, deep, sleazy, happy, and sad all at the same time. In other words, highly recommended!