Review: MALICE / Harold Becker (1993)
November 19th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Malice (1993)
Directed by Harold Becker
Written by Aaron Sorkin and Scott Frank from a story by Sorkin and Jonas McCord
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Nicole Kidman, Bill Pullman, Bebe Neuwirth, Peter Gallagher, Tobin Bell, Gwyneth Paltrow as a victim with Special Guest Stars Anne Bancroft and George C. Scott
Photographed by Gordon Willis
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Running Time: 107 min.
Rating: 
Wanna’ buy a LaserDisc?
Malice starts out poorly and quickly disintegrates into something much worse. It’s a stock thriller plot, interpreted by a pedigreed cast, hack screenwriter and lethargic director. Slow and simplistic for its first hour, the bottom third files faster than calendar pages in a Sirk montage.
The placid lives of pussy whipped Professor Bill Pullman and his way-too hot teacher wife Nicole Kidman derail when a dark friend from the past, Alec Baldwin, appears. A chance meeting leads to a roommate situation which affords Dr. Baldwin the opportunity of professionally manhandling his friend’s naked wife. Don’t worry, they’re both in on it.
Gordon Willis’ exposures are as dim as the dialogue, in stark contrast to the overwritten plot that packs more points than a season of episodic TV. Willis must have spent years studying faded Metrocolor prints in order to develop his look. The cinematographer’s patented muted mahogany, contrast-free tones defined many a great movie, while compromising a great many more. Not unlike exalted DP Sven Nykvist, whose dark frames are also instantly identifiable, when applied to other projects, their styles seem out of place and redundant.
Exposition that could have been dispensed in 3 minutes takes up the first reel, but the laughs start coming at a quickening pace. Dripping in Kidman’s blood, Baldwin bursts into the doctor, patient conference room and overtakes Pullman with the bad news: They’re under the gun and Baldwin wants to remove his wife’s remaining ovary. The good doctor pauses before whispering the obvious: She’ll never be able to have children. Even with the worst HMO on the planet you would think Pullman would demand a second opinion on the spot. Baldwin’s conduct is not befitting a great surgeon, especially a hot shot whose first day on the job established and cemented his reputation by saving a rape victim’s life.
There’s a red herring serial rapist thrown in to divert attention. Luckily Pullman’s desk lamp blows just in time to advance the story. A trek for a replacement bulb uncovers a youthful Tobin Bell. I can look at this guy for hours. His overall quiet, unsettling demeanor makes him a prime candidate to play people you don’t want to know. Another top talent, Bebe Neuwirth appears as the obligatory female cop/possible former girlfriend/friend from the neighborhood/secondary love interest waiting in the wings.
Were this a 1970s Quinn/Martin TV production, George C. Scott and Anne Bancroft would be billed as “Special Guest Stars.” Her boozy Boston accent, with it’s “Paaaaaaaark your caaaaaaaaar” inflections gives the Academy just cause to rescind her Oscar.
I hold the name George C. Scott in such high esteem that my thoughts concerning his five minute appearance will be brief, but unkind. In a picture steeped in hysteria, how did the filmmakers miss the opportunity of giving the cinema’s premier hysteric a chance to blow off some steam. In the opinion of this reporter, as far as Mr. Scott is concerned, the film would best be titled Penance. If what my sources tell me is true, George turned into a real-life raging bull in his Cape Fear dressing room when Marty came in to dispense direction. (He was quickly replaced by Republican operative Fred Dalton Thompson.) You don’t ‘f’ with Marty and expect the word not to get around.
Keep your remote handy, because much of the living room laughter will drown out the sudden third act barrage of plot points. If you can’t figure out that the Casio-playing kid across the way is blind, you’re blind. This overtly commercial date picture has enough Kid-skin to keep the fellas happy and enough brutal Baldwin to make the gals want to dump their dates. He is a beautiful man. You could drop a safe on his chiseled, Monument Valley haircut and not so much as a follicle would move.
Not surprisingly, the film did exceedingly well. Audiences came in droves and left with malice.
Tags: alec baldwin, anne bancroft, bill pullman, George C. Scott, malice, malice review, Movie Review, Nicole Kidman, thrillerShare: 
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6 Responses to “Review: MALICE / Harold Becker (1993)”
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Considering the high esteem you hold the film in, I have to ask, what sparked your purchase of the LaserDisc? Of course, if you bought a LaserDisc recently, it probably cost somewhere in the 50-cent range.
Never saw the film in a theatre. It was an impulse purchase. I had money back then and saw Mr. Scott’s name on the jacket. $19.95 used, 14 years ago.
Fifty-cents is high-balling it in today’s market.
I find it touching that Scott Marks would find it in his heart to actually grace us with a few movie reviews instead of terrorizing the shuffling, re-animated corpse of Bob Hope.
Look carefully and you can enjoy both. See you Monday at the post office,
“Shuffling, re-animated corpse of Bob Hope”. Oh, the image!!!
“Hey, I wanna tell ya…I need brains…right here!!! I’m going to eat the intestines of Joey Heatherton and Kiki Lee. They’re wild, lemme tell ya. They taste better than stewed fruit.”
I’m going to go hang from a bar now for 20 minutes.
You hang from a bar, too? Well that’s wild.