As black as they come... but rarely as brilliant- and Coyote is devastatingly good!

ozjeppe

Stiff British couple on an ocean-liner cruise run into, and is spellbound by an American-French man & wife with a highly unusual past... Director Polanski brilliantly brings us this unforgettable, jet-black and haunting story of love and desire, and the threat of pushing them to obsessive limits- you can almost hear the bells of doom ring as the setting of the ship shifts to beautiful Paris and Coyote's voice-over...

Definitely controversial and unsettling, but it's one of those occasions that you just can't resist (like Grant's character does) following characters that aren't necessarily instantly likable. And therein, Peter Coyote excels in an absolutely devastating performance as the failed writer! Borderlines occasionally into sensationalistic kinkiness, but always recovers... not to mention by featuring one of the best (and saddest) endings I can think of.

9 out of 10 from Ozjeppe

score 9/10

ozjeppe 4 February 2007

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1590761/