Hey_Sweden

A Hong Kong-made variation on the previous Hollywood hit "The Bodyguard", this film stars martial arts icon Jet Li as a bodyguard hired to protect a young woman (Christy Chung) who had witnessed a murder perpetrated by a crime kingpin. Now the bad guy is sending LOTS of goons after her in order to permanently silence her, so the bodyguard will have plenty of work to do. What complicates matters is inevitable: he and the woman develop feelings for each other, although she already has a boyfriend, the filthy rich businessman who hired him.

Although the American release, featuring some typically wretched dubbing, does the film no real favors, we still get a pretty entertaining thriller with Li in top form. His screen presence & athleticism are undeniable, and Ms. Chung is certainly lovely & appealing, although her character starts off by resenting the scores of precautions that he puts into place. Kent Cheng adds lots of comedy relief as an HK police detective with money problems. And Collin Chou makes for a *great* bad guy as the last assassin standing, a guy coldly determined to get revenge since the bodyguard had previously offed his brother.

The action truly is excellent, with an intense final fight between Li & Chou, and director Corey Yuen keeps the story racing forward quite nicely. The budding romance between Li & Chung is wonderfully played by the two stars.

All in all, this engaging diversion proves to be a worthy viewing for fans of Li.

Seven out of 10.

Pierce Brosnan, as smooth as ever, plays master thief Max Burdett, fond of constantly making a fool out of his FBI agent nemesis Stan Lloyd (Woody Harrelson). He does now seem set on retiring to a Bahamian paradise with his companion / accomplice Lola Cirillo (Salma Hayek), but the fact that the third Napoleon diamond (Max had stolen the other two) is on a cruise ship in the vicinity may very well have a lot to do with Max's current choice of residence.

Clearly aspiring to be a 21st century update of classic Hitchcock, in particular "To Catch a Thief", "After the Sunset" is obviously NOT in the same league, but it DOES show its intended audience a pretty good time. A first-rate cast, gorgeous settings & photography, a nice Lalo Schifrin score, and some decent laughs all help to make it reasonably engaging, if not memorable in any way.

Salma looks fantastic as always, but so does Naomie Harris as the Bahamian law officer who catches Stans' eye; other top supporting actors include Don Cheadle, Chris Penn, Mykelti Williamson, Rex Linn, and Obba Babatunde, with other familiar faces in smaller roles. The whole offbeat relationship between the thief and the Fed is definitely fun to watch, and Pierce & Woody play it to the hilt.

Fortunately, "After the Sunset" never does take itself too seriously, making it pleasant entertainment for fans of the cast & caper films in general.

Six out of 10.

In this, the first big screen adaptation of Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw", a wonderful Deborah Kerr plays Miss Giddens, the governess hired to oversee an estate and look after two children, Flora (Pamela Franklin) and Miles (Martin Stephens). She soon comes to learn of tragedy in this estates' recent past, and despairs over the effect that this is continuing to have on the children.

Exceptionally well shot by the great Freddie Francis, "The Innocents" is one of the finer Gothic ghost stories out there, and a sure bet for folks who love this genre. It has excellent atmosphere as well as a truly emotional resonance. It also presents a psychological dilemma for Miss Giddens: how much of what she witnesses & hears is real; IS this just the product of her own admitted predilection for imagination?

The acting, as you may well expect, is first rate. Michael Redgrave, in a cameo at the outset (playing the rather distant uncle), lays out the situation for our sincere & determined protagonist. Kerr is believable in the lead, receiving able support from Megs Jenkins as the helpful housekeeper Mrs. Grose. The kids are fantastic, especially Stephens. And Peter Wyngarde & Clytie Jessop are appropriately spooky as the specters.

Use of Georges Aurics' score is sparing, since the story has sufficient tension to not need a lot of musical accompaniment. The film *does*, however, go far on the haunting quality of the tune "O Willow Waly".

Highly recommended to lovers of old-school ghost stories, this was co-scripted by Truman Capote, and is extremely well directed by Jack Clayton, who also did the effectively dark Disney film of "Something Wicked This Way Comes" 22 years later.

Eight out of 10.