Malice | | Cast : | Alec Baldwin, Nicole Kidman, Bill Pullman | | Director : | Harold Becker | | Studio : | MGM/UA Video | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | October 01, 1993 | | DVD Released Date : | November 21, 2000 | | Language : | French (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | June 21, 2005 | | Summary | An evil treat | Content
 | In "Malice" Nicole Kidman sets her mild-mannered husband (Bill Pulman) up against her darkly sinister lover, an utterly surgeon played by Alec Baldwin. For Professor Andy Saffian (Bill Pullman) and his wife Tracy (Nicole Kidman), life in their idyllic new England College town is no more complicated than grading papers and fixing up their old brownstone...despite a string of brutal murders targeting Saffian's female students. Calm is only broken by the arrival of the flamboyant Dr. Jed Hill, the new head surgeon. Hill allows himself a rep as a godlike surgeon with an almost satanic sense of self-confidence - a paragon among an exclusive club of doctors. (Not quite tolerant of dissent in the OR, Hill is quite explicit to an assisting doctor who dares raise the possibility that one life may slip through Hill's fingers. "I'm not going to like you", the intimidated doctor fearfully predicts. "Ofcourse you will", Hill says back smiling, "Everybody likes me".) Hill moves in with Andy and Tracy, making their lives a living hell with his partying, but Andy is too good natured to run him out, and Tracy seems to share a strange bond with him. Tragedy strikes before the domestic situation gets too complicated - Tracy collapses and is rushed to the hospital with ovarian cysts. Jed rushes to the rescue - from the neighborhood bar. While one of Tracy's ovaries has clearly gone bad, the other may be good but appears "necrotic". Unable to wait for a pathologist to determine whether the remaining ovary should be removed, Jed makes a command decision - an ultimately botched one. Though Jed has his expertise on his side, he sabotages his defense with the now infamous "I am god" speech. Tracy, though winning the case, seems more withdrawn then ever, and disappears completely. Andy, unable to let go of Tracy follows her, only to learn dark things about his young and apparently innocent wife.
It's really impossible to give more than that without spoiling it. "Malice" has its share of twists, though not very ironic ones - they exist as mere plot devices. The sub-plots don't always fit and it's incredible how trusting Andy is.
Still "Malice" is a treat, mostly because of its leads. Nicole Kidman is great as a woman who isn't what she seems, Baldwin excels because he is exactly what he seems and Pullman is great because he manages to morph into a truly determined character by the final reel. The last scene ends on a joke, one that makes you forget how contrived the rest of the movie is. With Ann Bancroft as Kidman's mother, an alcoholic wreck who's a wiz at card tricks; The lovely Bebe Nieuwirth as the local police chief with a Boston accent that makes her sound as old as Bancroft looks; Peter Gallagher looking much younger than he did in "American Beauty" as Kidman's lawyer; and the now late George C. Scott as a nice guy who mentored Baldwin's character but wasn't nice enough when it counted. |
| Rating | | | Date | December 05, 2004 | | Summary | Easy going thriller without the violence | Content
| Axtually it really shouldn't even get 3 stars because the story in effect has more holes in it than swiss cheese .... but .... I find it pretty hard to give any movie with the stellar cast of Baldwin and Kidmann anything less than three ....
Both of them play their roles perectly, Baldwin the 'I believe I'm god' doctor and Kidmann as the sceeming (I hope one day Amazon puts a spell checker into this screen!) young housewife.
Certainly the kind of movie you will watch and probably a few years later youll buy or rent it again cause you'll have forgotten the film .... ;( |
| Rating | | | Date | October 20, 2004 | | Summary | Malcontent | Content
| Malice starts out as a fairly typical thriller about a sadistic serial killer on the prowl for the next victim. As soon as the viewer settles in for a story along those lines, the movie shifts its focus goes down an unexpected path altogether. Under these conditions, the film has every right to fall apart and be a total dud. Suprisingly, good performances avert that from ever happening, and things turn out pretty well.
Easy-going college dean Andy Safian's (BIll Pullman) quiet New England world has just been terribly disrupted. Two coeds have been raped, a third has been killed, and the police are beginning to suspect him of these crimes. At home, bills are piling up, his wife Tracy (Nicole Kidman) begins developing mysterious stomach cramps and a new tenant in the building -- a sly and handsome surgeon, Dr. Jed Hill (Alec Baldwin) -- is regularly keeping time with nurses late into the night. Little does Andy know that all of these events are about to overlap, taking him to places he never thought he would ever have to go.
Director Harold Becker is no stranger to the thriller, having helmed Sea Of Love and City Hall, both with Al Pacino. Here, he uses plenty of atmosphere to heigten the tension. The script by Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men) and Scott Frank is pretty good and has a great twist. For me though, its the cast, that is the reason this works. Baldwin gives a truly inspired performance and works well off of Pullman and Kidman. The supporting cast is tops too, legendary stars Anne Bancroft and the late great George C. Scott as Jed's fellow Doctor, do fine work. Also look for Bebe Neuwirth (Cheers Frasier) as Det. Dana Harris. She's not someone to mess with, and makes the most of her role.
Sadly, the only extra on the DVD is the theatrical trailer, I would have welcomed more. Viewers can watch the film in either the widescreen or pan and scan formats.
See it for its cast. Recommended |
| Rating | | | Date | June 03, 2004 | | Summary | Twisting and Entertaining | Content
| Proper enjoyment of this diverting little feature requires not knowing the plot twists, so I'll try to not spoil that enjoyment in praising this film. I join Roger Ebert in not being able to think of another film that throws in a serial killer as just atmosphere - I watched this movie when it first came out a decade ago, then again on DVD yesterday, and I had completely forgotten the part about the serial killer. Aside from the fact that George C. Scott has left us, it would be difficult to assemble a cast like this wouldn't it? Alec Baldwin, Nicole Kidman, Bill Pullman, Anne Bancroft, Gwyneth Paltrow, George C. Scott, Bebe Newirth, Peter Gallagher all contribute to this film. I love to watch films of any genre and any country and the sensation I like to have at the end of the viewing experience is "satisfied" - in the same way that I'd like my palate and belly "satisfied" by a good meal. This screenplay twists and turns, but rather than in a Charlie Kaufman "hey-look-at-how-many-unexpected-twists-and-turns-I-can-put-in" kind of way this story moves in a way that wraps up loose ends in a "satisfied" kind of way. Especially used, this DVD can be had for a song also. It's a satisfactory way to pass a couple of hours. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 27, 2004 | | Summary | Key Point Missed on Serial Rapist Subplot | Content
| The serial rapist subplot is not unneccessary....it involved Andy (Pullman) being a suspect and the police taking a sperm sample to prove his innocence. Turns out he's sterile....which sets the storyline for Kidman's preganancy and the whole story line with Jed (Baldwin)....this movie was excellently done and some of the quotes (even beyond "I am God")are super memorable |
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