Deceived is directed by Damian Harris and written by Mary Agnes Donoghue & Bruce Joel Rubin. It stars Goldie Hawn & John Heard with music by Thomas Newman and Cinematography from Jack N. Green. Plot sees Hawn as a New York art restorer who finds her world is not as it seems after the unexpected death of her husband (Heard).
Effective "straight" acting from Hawn in a so so thriller that promises more than it delivers. That Harris' movie never succeeds where other similar themed thrillers have is down to the unadventurous script. Which is a shame because tonally, visually and aurally the film is a triumph. There's a heavy weight of familiarity that hangs over the piece and we yearn for the story to step up a grade and give us something new. We can accept implausibilities, some of which are just stupid here, if the story takes us in an unexpected direction, sadly Deceived reverts to type right down to the cat & mouser chase finale that closes with complete absurdity.
As "Sleeping With The Enemy" proved (released the same year as Deceived), there is, and always will be, a market for well budgeted thrillers. Particually when led by good female character actors. Yet Deceived commits one of the ultimate sins against a supposed "heroine" character, it makes her look, well, dopey. The little twists and turns have a Hitchcockian feel to them, but they just come off as contrived. Thus as Hawn goes about unravelling the mystery that's come about after the can of worms is opened, the shock value is mostly tepid.
Great scoring from Newman and atmospheric photography from Green help to create the illusion this is a better film than it actually is. Even Heard deserves a pat on the back for managing to not let the script bog his acting down as he makes the character work. But this is mostly forgettable stuff and can't be recommended with confidence. 5/10
Effective "straight" acting from Hawn in a so so thriller that promises more than it delivers. That Harris' movie never succeeds where other similar themed thrillers have is down to the unadventurous script. Which is a shame because tonally, visually and aurally the film is a triumph. There's a heavy weight of familiarity that hangs over the piece and we yearn for the story to step up a grade and give us something new. We can accept implausibilities, some of which are just stupid here, if the story takes us in an unexpected direction, sadly Deceived reverts to type right down to the cat & mouser chase finale that closes with complete absurdity.
As "Sleeping With The Enemy" proved (released the same year as Deceived), there is, and always will be, a market for well budgeted thrillers. Particually when led by good female character actors. Yet Deceived commits one of the ultimate sins against a supposed "heroine" character, it makes her look, well, dopey. The little twists and turns have a Hitchcockian feel to them, but they just come off as contrived. Thus as Hawn goes about unravelling the mystery that's come about after the can of worms is opened, the shock value is mostly tepid.
Great scoring from Newman and atmospheric photography from Green help to create the illusion this is a better film than it actually is. Even Heard deserves a pat on the back for managing to not let the script bog his acting down as he makes the character work. But this is mostly forgettable stuff and can't be recommended with confidence. 5/10