BootDigest
Such a frustrating disappointment
Neive Bellamy
Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
Mathilde the Guild
Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
seymourblack-1
"China Moon" is a steamy thriller that begins modestly with a number of typical film noir components which lead the audience into believing that they know what's going to follow. The reality, however, is that the plot departs from the conventional "Double Indemnity" template and ultimately leads to a twist which is both original and unexpected. There's a great deal to enjoy in this story of passion, treachery and murder including a superb performance by Ed Harris, some beautiful visual moments and even some great blues music by the excellent Anson Funderburgh and The Rockets.Kyle Bodine (Ed Harris) is an ace detective who's extremely adept at examining murder scenes, deducing how the crime was committed and then identifying clues about the nature of the perpetrator. He's a decent man who's well respected by his colleagues but he's also lonely and sometimes arrogant. His powers of observation are normally exceptionally strong but he doesn't see what's coming when he meets and then gets seduced by the beautiful and mysterious Rachel Munro (Madeleine Stowe).Rachel is married to a rich banker called Rupert (Charles Dance) who's a serial adulterer and wife beater. During a particularly heated confrontation with her husband, Rachel shoots and kills him in self defence and then persuades Kyle to assist her in disposing of the body and covering up the evidence of what has happened. Kyle carries out these tasks with his usual efficiency but problems arise when the body is discovered and his rookie partner Lamar Dickey (Benicio del Toro) discovers some clues which lead to the finger of suspicion being pointed at Kyle.Ed Harris looks perfectly comfortable in his portrayal of Kyle's unassuming demeanour and is totally believable as he becomes passionate about Rachel and then increasingly desperate as he tries to prove his innocence. Madeleine Stowe shows the despondency which has overtaken Rachel as a consequence of suffering years of abuse in a loveless marriage but at other times it seems that her depression has made her unresponsive and difficult to read. This type of inscrutability is a classic trait of the femme fatale but Rachel doesn't fall unequivocally into that category as she is clearly a more sympathetic character than the conventional noir archetype.Charles Dance is good at conveying just how violent and despicable Rupert is but his attempt at a southern accent is lamentable. Benicio del Toro gives an interesting performance as a detective who initially shows a number of significant deficiencies in his range of abilities but then later in the story surprisingly seems to acquire a much better grasp of the skills needed to investigate a homicide.The visual style of this movie with its beautiful settings and wonderful shots of the lake at night contributes strongly to the overall mood and is a great credit to the work of cinematographer Willy Kurant.
bob_meg
OK, now I get it. I just checked the credits of China Moon's screenwriter and my fears have been confirmed...prior to this, two credits, both TV. That's about the caliber of this by-the-numbers Neo-noir "thriller" that's both not very thrilling and not very noir.Noir needs to be moody, atmospheric, and contain dialog with a snap and particular rhythm. China Moon's script appears to have been attempted after a cursory browsing of "Noir for Dummies." Yes, there's snappy patter...unfortunately it's all trite done-to-death snappy patter. There's virtually not one line I couldn't predict. When Harris and Stowe first meet, the exchange is wooden and you can sense the actors struggling futilely to make something original out of it.Ed Harris gives everyone his smoldering 500-yard stare but it's nothing he hasn't offered before in much better films. Stowe and he don't seem to connect on virtually any level, but with a script this bad there's nothing to draw sparks from. Benecio DelToro looks bored out of his mind, Pruitt Taylor Vince is completely wasted. This movie could have benefited from a more unknown, fresher cast. Sending these vets into this junior high knock-off production is a little like hiring Larry Olivier to star in your kid's school pageant.Virtually nothing in the plot comes as a surprise. You find yourself thinking "surely it's not this simple" only to be woefully disappointed. The "hook-line" here --- "Sooner or later they all f*** up" --- is so stale and stupid it's cringe-worthy. And the lame attempt at a tragic ending makes it more than mock-worthy....you have to have substantial investment in characters for a tragedy of this scale to really pay off. There's none of that here.Yeah, sooner or later.... In this case, for screenwriter Roy Carlson....MUCH sooner.
blanche-2
Ed Harris and Madeleine Stowe are underneath the temperamental "China Moon" in this 1994 film also starring Benicio del Toro. Harris and del Toro are Kyle Bodine and Lamar Dickey partner detectives with a Florida police department. One night at a bar, Kyle meets Rachel Munro (Stowe) and falls for her immediately. She's unhappily married and has photos of her husband (Charles Dance) with another woman. He doesn't know this at the time, and tracks her down. They start seeing one another. When her husband winds up dead, Kyle helps her to cover it up.Though the plot is derivative, this is a classily done film with terrific acting, sensual love scenes between the two leads, an easy pace and beautiful photography. It reminded me a little of "Body Heat." The plot won't be hard to figure out, but be prepared for a couple of twists.Ed Harris gives a forceful performance as Kyle, and del Toro is understated as Lamar. When the camera rests on Stowe, she's flawlessly beautiful, and what clothes! She gives an effective performance and has a nice chemistry with Harris."China Moon" is a small, meticulously done movie with loads of talent behind it. The story has been told many times, but somehow, if it's done well, it's always good for another encore.
AlanSquier
This falls into the "erotic thriller" category, but doesn't over due it. It fits the basic neo-noir pattern depicting a sympathetic and ordinarily upstanding man drawn into covering up for an abused wife. It doesn't come up to the quality of older and of classic noirs, but the acting especially from Ed Harris and Madeline Stowe keeps it going. Benicio Del Toro isn't to be overlooked either, but he was not yet developed into the great performer he was in TRAFFIC.As others have indicated, this isn't a truly bad film and if one overlooks the flaws and just enjoys the performances, it's definitely worth watching Alert viewers won't be surprised by twists in the plot, but the ride is still good enough for a rental.
