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Body Double (1984)

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123 comments in total

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32 out of 46 people found the following comment useful :-
Brilliant, 21 October 2004

Author: Jason Forestein (jay4stein79@yahoo.com) from somerville, ma

I was introduced to Brian De Palma at the rather tender age of 7, when I watched The Untouchables with my parents. My friend Nicky and I enjoyed it immensely and found the rousing tale of Elliot Ness et al. an absolutely brilliant cop v. robber/adventure movie. Until Tim Burton released Batman in 1989, Untouchables was our game of choice and we would re-enact the entire movie in my back yard after school.

But I'm supposed to be talking about Body Double... To make a long story short, since I was 7, I didn't know who Brian De Palma was, nor did I really care, so I went about my cinephillic youth without completely immersing myself in his oeuvre. I caught bits and pieces of it, encountering Scarface as a fourteen-year-old and finding it laughable, watching Sisters with (how apropos) my sister before I went off to college and finding it intriguing, and finally seeing Femme Fatale when it was released a couple years ago and thinking it amazing.

So, as you can see, I grew into De Palma and, since watching Femme Fatale, I've gone back and watched many of his films (even Phantom of the Paradise, which was an epiphany - go see it immediately). I re-watched Scarface, Carrie, Blow-out, Wise Guys, the Untouchables, etc. and then this week I saw Body Double at the video store. The cover art, which is horrible, drew me in. I said, Jason, that cover art is so tacky and the movie is called Body Double, it must be awful. Flipping the case over, what should I find? De Palma.

Oh my. I scooped it up then and there, went home, and popped it in the player. How had I not heard of this film? Probably because 2/3 of the natural world finds it a trashy piece of filth. I find it brilliant.

It is your typical De Palma suspense thriller. Riffs on Hitchcock, beautifully fluid camera movements, sexual 'dysfunction,' an exploration of voyeurism, Hollywood satire, a convoluted and endearingly unbelievable story...

So why watch it? Because unlike most movies Body Double cannot seem to take itself too seriously. Body Double moves forward with a straight face but, as evidenced by the Frankie Goes to Hollywood video somehow slipped into this film and an awful rubber mask, De Palma's tongue is so firmly in his cheek it's liable to break through the skin. Could a film that's credits hearken back to the EC Comics font really intend to be taken seriously? No. Oh, and for you scenesters out there, QT may have found inspiration for his first film's title in Body Double's final scene which, you guessed it, contains both a reservoir and dogs.

And yet, although the movie on some level parodies the preposterous suspense thrillers of yore, it also never condescends to them. De Palma directs this movie with such glee and exuberance, that you know he loves those types of movies (well, I mean if Phantom of the Paradise, Sisters, and Dressed to Kill hadn't let the cat out of the bag already).

Anyway, if you enjoy maverick directors unafraid of genre-pictures, fun, and enormous drills, this is a movie for you. However, if you like Lars Von Trier or other such beings who take themselves and their art far too seriously at times, go elsewhere.

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18 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Another misunderstood masterpiece from De Palma, 14 July 2006

Author: Hands_of_Fate from United States

I was pleasantly surprised when I picked this film up recently. Judging this movie by its cover, and putting a little too much trust in the IMDb rating, I avoided it. Finally having watched it I can honestly say that its a post-modern classic. I love the fact that Craig Wasson's character is involved with a Vampire B-movie, His character, and situation make a film thats extremely fantastical seem somewhat believable. It just goes to show you that Hollywood is indeed one of the craziest places in the world. De Palma demonstrates manic inspired genius by utilizing the southern California back-drop. Caught somewhere between satire, and sexual thriller its one of those special genre films that no one attempts to make anymore. As far as I'm concerned De Palma is the only old-school director that continually takes chances, and still explores new avenues. 10/10

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13 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
De Palma in his Hitchcock Phase, 25 June 2002
Author: GizmoMkI from Arizona

Sort of a cross between "Rear Window" and "Vertigo" but instead of James Stewart we get Craig Wasson as a struggling actor mixed in with some sly jokes at the film studios, actors, and adult films. Visually very stylish with hypnotic score. Bizarre music video sequence is well done to the tune of "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. If you can look past the plot holes, it's an entertaining over-the-top effort from De Palma.

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11 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
a great movie, misunderstood by most, 7 December 2003

Author: Undead_Master

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

possible spoilers

I'm pretty sure that Body Double is one of the most misunderstood movies of all time. Many people call it a tribute to Hitchcock, other people call it a rip-off of Hitchcock, some people think it's a parody.... I think it's more than any of those things, I think it's an analysis. A humorous, insightful essay on Hitchcock... Kind of like something Godard might do, which isn't surprising when you realize that Godard is also a big influence on De Palma.

The distancing techniques employed in the film, the way he hams it up, the scenes where the internal logic breaks down in obvious ways, like the kissing scene near the tunnel, where the movie suddenly reenacts the famous hotel kiss from the second half of vertigo, at a very unexpected time with almost no set up to make the scene believable... All these things are intentional, designed to let the audience in on the fact that this is not just a straight forward movie (although it can be enjoyed that way). De Palma wants the audience to have some separation from the story so that they can look at the movie in a more critical way, and think about Hitchcock's movies from a different perspective. These distancing techniques also allow de Palma to get away with some pretty harsh/sleazy scenes, and that was necessary because the analysis wouldn't have worked any other way.

This is basically De Palma saying, "what if Vertigo and Rear Window had a baby, but the baby was born in the 80's and raised by a prostitute and a murderous pimp." The result is a fascinating movie that stands up very well, as long as you understand the intentions. If you take it the right way, it's one of De Palma's very best movies.

As a big fan of vertigo and rear window (vertigo is my favorite movie of all time), it was fascinating to me, to see De Palma, rework those story's, twine them together, and put them in a different context. I really enjoyed it both times I've watched it, and I'm pretty sure it's one of those movies that will just keep getting better with repeated viewing.

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13 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
De Palma Gets Kinky, 19 June 2005

Author: Hal-900 from WA, USA

Beware, revisiting old favorites can be a heartbreaking experience. Ever since I saw Carrie (1976), I've tried to watch all the films made by Brian De Palma that I could get my hands on. I watched Body Double right after it was released on VHS for the very first time, and I remember being pleased by this movie. Unfortunately, I don't think the film holds up well - it is definitely one of De Palma's less effective thrillers. As with most films by this director, the movie is an obvious homage to the cinema of Hitchcock. This time around, De Palma attempts to widen the scope of the film by making references to more than just one of Hitch's classic films. The end result is a film that has a few great individual sequences, but overall, the movie fails to offer something besides the intended tribute. It is a clever copycat, but a copycat nevertheless. Moreover, at some point, De Palma seems to be paying homage to himself, with some sequences looking too similar to scenes in his own previous movies. It does not help that he has an impossibly bland actor (Craig Wasson) in the leading role. De Palma needed someone we could have identified with (I would have settled for John Travolta, the star of De Palma's "Blow Out"). It is not a complete waste of time (especially if you are a fan of the director), but it is definitively minor De Palma. Still, Pino Donaggio's music score and Stephen Burum's cinematography are top class.

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13 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Stylish, But Not As Smart As It Tries To Be, 26 February 2007

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

This was a wild, confusing - and extremely stupid - movie for the first 50 minutes BUT once the action kicks in and all the twists and turns begin happening, it's definitely a fun ride from that point. That's director Brian De Palma, for you: intriguing visuals, with Alfred Hitchcock- type camera angles, a lot of twists and sometimes a great movie and sometimes a very bad one. More often, sad to say, a bad movie.

I'd have to rank this closer to "bad" than "good." I'd like to rank it higher but Craig Wasson's character, "Jake Scully," (he's the lead) was so stupid at times that I almost stopped the tape. That, and too mean an edge overall to this movie, made it unappealing. It's not far removed from a very soft porn film at times, either, since the female lead, played by Melanie Grifftith, plays a porn star. We see a fair share of nudity, although it's hard to complain looking at a naked Griffith.

Overall, it has style - De Palma loves that - but it plays like a film that that thinks it's smart, but doesn't connect to its audience.....sort of like Hollywood in general.

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19 out of 31 people found the following comment useful :-
A great movie! Tremendously underrated and overlooked, 17 December 2005

Author: sspelling1 from United States

This is a terrific murder mystery / comedy / erotic thriller, and Brian De Palma's next flick after Scarface. Let yourself go along with it for a really fun ride. The style is tongue in cheek, masterful film-making including the usual ballet camera work and wonderfully interesting imaginative staging. It looks like everyone had a lot of fun making this overlooked gem! The star, a young Craig Wasson gives an Oscar caliber performance overlooked by all the critics. What gives with this? Scorsese never won an Oscar for best director either, so the fix must be in. He carries the entire movie and is in practically every scene. An unbelievably great performance! This actor never made it big to the big time, but if you want to see a terrific real actor providing a stunning display of his chops, you must check this flick. Truly one of the great murder mysteries of all time. A real find.

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11 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
DePalma at his brilliant best!, 6 November 2003

Author: Maga from The Greater Southwest

This has to be one of my favorite films of all-time. I first saw it some ten years ago and I still cannot get it out of my mind. It was in fact, the muse for the future great film "Boogie Nights." It centers a masterful story around the porn industry of Southern California during the early 1980's. It mixes in excellent cinematogrophy with vivid sets and mind altering music. It is as fun to watch as it is to listen to. The story grabs you early and it does not release you till the very end. Mix in comedy, violence, sex and drama, and of course, if Mr. DePalma is involved, you will have more than a few twists (there are plenty). Melanie Griffith is hotter than hot! This movie has it all, I really do love it.

The story involves an out of work actor who is down on his luck. He soon becomes infatuated with a beautiful woman that he sees brutally killed by a rather disfigured Indian character. Ahh, but things are not what they appear to be. To give away anymore would deny you the fun and excitement that comes with watching this brilliant film. Enjoy!

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
One Of My Favorite DePalma Films, 12 October 2005

Author: EVOL666 from St. John's Abortion Clinic

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

BODY DOUBLE is one of the more under-appreciated films that I've seen. It's not rare or hard-to-find, but seems to slip under many film-fans radar. DePalma is a gifted director who's done several very good films, this one being near the very top of my list. Anyway...BODY DOUBLE is a psycho-sexual murder mystery/thriller dealing with subjects such as murder, voyeurism, claustrophobia - plus it has a cool Indian-killer guy! Plenty of twists and turns in the plot, without becoming too disjointed or self-indulgent. A fun, strange film that I try to re-visit every couple of months. BODY DOUBLE is my second favorite DePalma film, right after SCARFACE. Definitely Recommended - 8.5/10

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Much better than expected, 3 April 2002

Author: shaun98 from Milwaukee WI

I admit when I rented this movie, I did so just to get some cheap thrills. I was aware of the negative reviews from uptight critics who dismissed it as sleaze, and to be honest, that's what I was in the mood for. Besides, my curiosity was aroused. (No cheap jokes, please!)

To my surprise, this is actually a compelling, well-crafted thriller. Let me take it a step further. It's an improvement over DePalma's effective but overpraised "Dressed to Kill." "Body Double" is actually better-constructed and better-paced. Perhaps the extremes of the film's content turned off some members of the critical community. And keep in mind that many of these people loved Dressed.

However, if you can stomach some of the content (it would certainly warrant an NC-17 in today's climate), there's much to like here. DePalma's approach might be manipulative, but when he does so this effectively, it's hard to complain. Technically, it's a marvel of film technique. Wasson's claustrophobic attacks are effectively conveyed to the viewer. When they hit him, they hit us just as hard. The very ending, which I wouldn't dream of giving away, is a work of pure genius. The infamous drill murder is a terrific setpiece.

One aspect that interested me was its attitude towards porno. So-called "dirty movies" are not condemned, but treated as simply being another side of the film industry. It's not considered right or wrong; it's just there. Such a nonjudgmental outlook is refreshing after hearing the tiresome rants of self-appointed "moral watchdogs." Likewise, there is a loving tribute to B-movies during the opening and closing credits.

"Body Double" isn't good art by any means, but it's good trash. Watch it, and you will behold DePalma at his sleazy best. He makes no apologies for what he does, nor would we want him to do so.

***1/2 (out of ****)

Released by Columbia Pictures

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