NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1995 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 3.3
United States, 1995 U.S. Availability: 10/20/95 (wide) Running Length: 1:25 MPAA Classification: R (Violence, sex, profanity, nudity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Rebecca DeMornay, Antonio Banderas, Dennis Miller, Len Cariou, Harry Dean Stanton Director: Peter Hall Producers: Andras Hamori and Jeffrey R. Neuman & Martin J. Wiley Screenplay: Lewis Green & Jordan Rush Cinematography: Elemer Ragalyi Music: Pino Donaggio U.S. Distributor: TriStar
Here's a sure method to guess whodunnit in bad mystery thrillers: pick the suspect most likely to shock the audience and you have the killer. (Note: "most likely to shock" does not necessarily equate to "least likely to have done it".) And, true to form, this is how NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS gives itself away roughly half an hour early. A lot of things about the killer's identity don't make sense, but then, in this kind of B-grade schlock, coherence isn't a prime requisite.
It's been a good season for serial killers. In addition to this film, they're currently out and about in HALLOWEEN 6, SEVEN, COPYCAT, and JADE. I'm not sure if this fascination with mass murder says more about the average movie-goer or Hollywood's perception of the average movie-goer. Regardless, apparently this kind of motion picture sells. And so does Antonio Banderas. This is his fourth of five movies this year (MIAMI RHAPSODY, DESPERADO, ASSASSINS, NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS, FOUR ROOMS), and his name on the marquee guarantees extra dollars at the box office.
Judging by Rebecca DeMornay's over-the-top performance here, it's not hard to figure out why she's been pigeonholed into this genre. She and Sharon Stone have *a lot* in common. Anyway, in NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS, DeMornay plays Dr. Sarah Taylor, a psychiatrist charged by the court to evaluate the sanity of serial killer Max Cheski (Harry Dean Stanton). He claims to have Multiple Personality Disorder, but Sarah's not so sure. Meanwhile, she has a new boyfriend, Tony Ramirez (Banderas), a stranger she meets in the grocery store wine department. However, at about the same time she first goes out with him, someone begins stalking her. The question is: does it have something to do with Tony or Cheski (who's supposedly safely behind bars), or is the truth buried deep in the roots of Sarah's own tragic past?
And the answer is: Who cares? This poorly-constructed film has so many obvious flaws in logic that it's difficult to retain even a moderate interest in the proceedings. Normally, this type of movie goes straight to video, but apparently Banderas' involvement earned it a theatrical run. Regardless, it's doubtful that even someone as hot as this actor can help out something that's so astonishingly dumb.
There's an unwritten rule that psychiatrists in thrillers are inevitably more screwed up than their clients. NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS succumbs to this and every other bad cliche of the genre. The story is about Multiple Personality Disorders, and everyone involved with this motion picture seems to be afflicted, including the screenwriters and director.
- James Berardinelli (jberardinell@delphi.com)
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