CHINA MOON
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1994 James Berardinelli
Rating (Linear 0 to 10): 4.7
Date Released: 3/4/93 Running Length: 1:39 Rated: R (Nudity, violence, sex, language)
Starring: Ed Harris, Madeleine Stowe, Benicio Del Toro,
Charles Dance
Director: John Bailey
Producer: Barrie M. Osborne
Screenplay: Roy Carlson
Music: George Fenton
Released by Orion Pictures
As the financially-troubled Orion Pictures digs through their vaults looking for shelved films to release, they come upon dud after dud. In the past two years, they have unearthed (among others) SHADOWS AND FOG, MARRIED TO IT, and ROBOCOP 3, none of which was really worth a trip to the local multiplex. Their latest offering is something called CHINA MOON, a film noir featuring the unlikely pairing of Ed Harris with Madeleine Stowe. This movie, which bears a 1991 date, is not like a fine wine--age has not improved it (in fact, in the three-plus years since it was filmed, Ms. Stowe has gone to some lengths to distance herself from the production).
Detective Kyle Bodine (Ed Harris) is one of the brightest and most observant men on the force. He can walk into a crime scene and determine whodunnit before the body is even cold. His partner, Lamar Dicky (Benicio Del Toro), shares none of those qualities and, in Kyle's words, is "an average cop". One night at a bar, Kyle meets the mysterious Rachel Munro (Madeleine Stowe), the abused wife of bank tycoon Rupert Munro (Charles Dance). After exchanging a few bad lines of dialogue, Rachael and Kyle recognize the attraction, although they don't act on it--at least not immediately. Inevitably, however, the pair become lovers and, just as inevitably, the conversation turns to how to get Madeleine out of her unhappy marriage--with a divorce or a bullet.
As far as thrillers go, this one starts off dead in the water. The first forty minutes are not only dull, but dull in a manner that calls attention to the bad dialogue and obvious plot points. There are instances when the relevance of some little detail is called attention to by everything except a big neon sign saying: "Look! This will be important later!"
The second half of CHINA MOON almost redeems the first. Despite numerous coincidences designed to stretch one's suspension of disbelief to the breaking point, and several truly dumb plot contrivances, it's actually fun to follow all the twists and turns--even if too many of them are predictable. The ending, which displays a willingness to try something a little different, is another source of potential forgiveness.
Then there are the actors. If you don't listen to 75% of the dialogue (which sounds like it was written by a seventh-grader hooked on dime-store potboilers), the two leads give enjoyable performances. Ed Harris is generally convincing, as is Madeleine Stowe, although it should be pointed out that neither role demands a great deal of range. These are pretty much single-dimension performances: the strong, silent detective and the scared, abused wife.
On the other hand, the supporting cast doesn't have a clue. Charles Dance gets into his role as the detestable husband, never once eliciting a glimmer of sympathy from the audience, but his performance seems almost clinical--a sort of act-by-numbers job with a very, very bad Southern accent. Benicio Del Toro is absolutely dreadful, and almost every scene that he's in turns into an endurance contest for those watching.
Basically, for anyone who just wants to see a truly convoluted thriller without considering the logic or intelligence of the serpentine track of the story, CHINA MOON isn't a terrible choice. The film is good only by B-movie standards, and as such it offers something in the way of lowbrow entertainment. Enjoyability depends largely on how deeply the viewer can immerse him- or herself in the movie's murky waters--something that's an iffy prospect with the combination of Mr. Del Toro's acting and screenwriter Roy Carlson's often-inane script.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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