The movie is not intended to be subtle. It is sweaty, candle-lit melodrama, joyously trashy, and its photography wallows in sumptuous decadence.
70
Chicago Reader
Chicago Reader
Retained my interest and sympathy -- at least until the nonsensical ending,
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Jolie and Banderas are two hot actors, in many senses of the word, and their scenes together have a lewd excitement.
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Ridiculous, yes, but in an eminently watchable way. Most of the plot twists work surprisingly well, and the frequently naked leads work up some genuine chemistry.
It's not nearly as mediocre a two hours as the trailers would have you think.
50
Boston GlobeJay Carr
Boston GlobeJay Carr
Despite the heavy-handedness, isn't awful enough to be a hilarious howler. But neither is it good enough to become the tropical noir it could have been.
42
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Aspires to blasphemy but achieves only banality.
30
L.A. WeeklyChuck Wilson
L.A. WeeklyChuck Wilson
The director belabors every moment, forgetting that pulp tales need to be told quickly, lest the viewer have time to second-guess.
25
New York PostJonathan Foreman
New York PostJonathan Foreman
Even the lovemaking scenes between two of Hollywood's most attractive stars -- often shot from above, like Cinemax soft porn -- are so unerotic, they make your skin crawl.