On M List of Movie Reviews

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Malice (1993)

Rate: 9
Viewed: 2/20

Malice
2/20: I have to hand it to everybody for turning Malice into a solid, unpredictable thriller with one of the most Mamet-esque twists ever.

The genius lies in the serial rapist angle which serves both as a red herring and not so much of a red herring. It did throw me off completely, but there's a valid point why it happened this way. For a long while, I thought the all-around impressive surgeon with God complex had to be somewhat involved, but the shocking moment is when the husband found out the truth about his wife. Luckily for everybody involved, her reaction to the blind boy at the end is pure comedy gold.

The acting clinches the prize for making the film work, courtesy of the plot that's penned by the great Aaron Sorkin along with Scott Frank. So, kudos to all three leading thespians: Bill Pullman, Alec Baldwin, and Nicole Kidman. The latter is not a good actress in general, but I have to say it's the best performance of her career. Alec Baldwin is perfect and quite handsome; he certainly reached his physical peak in 1993.

Two more supporting performances that are excellent as well come from Bebe Neuwirth of Cheers fame and Anne Bancroft. George C. Scott and Peter Gallagher have minor roles. So does Gwyneth Paltrow who looks like she just came from Flesh and Bone and finally gets her comeuppance in Malice. Because of his inescapable association with the Saw franchise, Tobin Bell makes things a bit predictable, but it's not a big deal.

All in all, Malice is a smart, catchy, and engrossing whodunnit picture with strong performances and a well-written screenplay.