Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

rafecomo At the beginning I thought this was going to be one of those thrillers that are worth watching just for kill time, but in terms of cinema don't bring anything really; however, as the movie advanced I really enjoyed all the twists that it had, even with side plots and situations that really make you doubt who's the bad guy, and maybe by the end makes you wonder "what did that have to do with the principal plot line?" And maybe the answer is none, just to confuse you more, and it's done in a very elegant way, not like those kind of thrillers that throw a bunch of situations just to confuses the viewer and end up ruining the whole picture, but not this one. In conclusion, a very good thriller, obviously not a masterpiece, but in therms o plot and acting (specially by Kidman and Baldwin), it really holds up to thrilled that you won't forget.

flitz35 Very rare in a movie can a character be so likable like Dr. Jed then be hated. First seen your watching a brilliant doctor save a life in surgery. Then make friends with his victim. First time I watched this movie I was blown away how the writer plays with your emotions by turning like to hate. I would of fell for it if I was that character.Alex wasn't the only one that turned like into hate. Nicole Kidman was amazing at being a loving wife and even more amazing being a murderous greedy wench. This is a story I will never forget.Very rarely can a movie make you want more and more without letting you stop watching. Hopefully one day there is a remake of this overseen brilliant story. I just hope the casting is as good

Simon Harris Andy Safian is a small town college dean, and his wife Tracey is a school teacher. They desperately want children, and we get the impression they have been trying for some time. Enter Jed Hill, new Doctor at the local hospital, who meets and befriends Andy. So much so that Andy offers him the opportunity to rent a room at his home until he can get settled. Jed accepts, and Andy and Tracey become his landlords. Andy is distracted as he is dealing with the fact that someone is raping and murdering young girls from his college. The Police are all over the case, and even Andy himself is not above suspicion, and he is doing all he can to protect his young students. Against this backdrop, Jed is out letting off steam one night, and is drunk in a local bar when his emergency beeper goes. Jed rushes into the hospital to find Tracey, his landlord and his best friend's wife on the operating table. Andy arrives within minutes and Jed has to speak to him and tell him he can save Tracey, but must remove her ovaries, as they are necrotic. Andy of course tells Jed to save Tracey's life, which Jed does. However, when Tracey wakes from under the anaesthetic and finds she cannot ever bear children the movie really gets going. Tracey sues Jed and the Hospital. Jed, it seems, when forced to make a judgement call, got it wrong and removed a healthy ovary. Andy is left alone, with Tracey too traumatised to speak to him, and in hiding while her lawyer gets in to the business of suing the hospital, ending Jed's medical career and getting her compensation for the loss of her ovaries. Andy is desperate to contact her, but doesn't know where to find her. Jed has resigned himself to moving out of the Safian home, and is quietly drinking himself to oblivion in a rented hotel room. Out of sheer desperation to see and talk to Tracey, Andy muscles his way into her lawyers office, and demands to see her. Her lawyer turns him down flat, on instructions from Tracey. Clearly she does not want Andy in her life at all at this point. Then, a small scrap of seemingly innocuous information is let slip by the lawyer: he has worked for Tracey before, when he did some work that involved Tracey's mother. This is news to Andy, who had always believed that Tracey's parents were long dead. In desperation, Andy tracks down Tracey's mother. The film steps up another gear at this point, and is well worth the effort of watching it. There are no weak spots in this cast, Pullman, Kidman and Baldwin are note perfect, but there is great support from such luminaries as George C Scott and the absolutely wonderful Anne Bancroft, who steals her one, pivotal, critical scene effortlessly. But that's not the end of it, there's also the fine Peter Gallagher, the lovely Bebe Neuwirth (who makes a great cop by the way), and in lesser roles, there's Tobin Bell (who became SAW, and shows his scary credentials here too) and finally a bit part for Gwyneth Paltrow as a surly student. The remainder of the film is full of surprises, and when the curtain is finally pulled back and the magician revealed, you have to marvel at the depth, scope and ambition of the plot. The movie easily bears multiple viewings, as you will undoubtedly spot things the second and even third times that failed to register on the first viewing. A clever, dark and intricate movie, with all the stars on top form. A last word about Alec Baldwin. His acting is out of the top drawer in this movie, and that is not meant to detract from the performances of Pullman and Kidman, who are also very very good. I guarantee you that you will watch the scene where Andy (Pullman)tracks down Tracey's mother (Bancroft) again and again. It is an absolute delight.

mnpollio I am a mystery/thriller fan and Malice is the kind of first-rate thriller that rarely comes along any more. One that truly challenges the expectations of the audience and involves red herrings and misdirection.Set in an upper scale New England college town, Malice focuses on happily married college dean Bill Pullman and wife Nicole Kidman. The town is reeling from a series of serial murders by an unknown killer and Kidman is more than a bit perturbed when Pullman decides to rent their upstairs room out to school buddy and egocentric surgeon Alec Baldwin.If you think that you know where Malice is going from that synopsis, then think again. There are several plots at work in Malice and the one that we think will be the main focus becomes a rather neat little red herring. The film is cleverly written, adeptly acted and Harold Becker (of Sea of Love fame) provides tight direction. It is a joy to re-watch the film to see how adroitly the filmmakers and writers use our expectations against us.The film also keeps us guessing. It provides us with a set of characters who seem to fit neatly into the thriller genre and then sets about to confound us. For instance, Kidman's character seems destined from the opening moments to be the quintessential damsel in distress. The cuddly, well-meaning heroine whose world is invaded by an untrustworthy and unwanted boarder, who may be far more malevolent than even she believes. However, the film turns that assumption on its head and allows the actress to run the gamut from A to Z. And she does so admirably - this is arguably one of her best and most underrated performances.Pullman is quite appealing as the ostensibly nice guy dean. Baldwin nails his role as the swaggering surgeon with a major God complex. His mid-film meltdown under a cross-examination is really quite marvelous to watch, as is Kidman's droll comeback to his posturing. Bebe Neuwirth also scores a memorable turn as a local cop investigating the deaths. Gwyneth Paltrow has a brief part as an irresponsible student. Plus we get well-delineated cameos by George C. Scott, as Baldwin's former mentor, and Anne Bancroft, hamming it up in a surprise role.The film has genuine thrills, but it also keeps the audience consistently guessing as to who is doing what to whom and who is responsible for what. There are double-dealings and double-crosses, but all of them seem completely credible, and the film is also refreshingly free of gory violence.If the film has any real flaws it is merely an over-reliance on melodrama in the latter fourth. Additionally it seems unlikely that the mastermind behind the main plot would fall for such a suspicious snare as gets laid out in the climax. However, these seem relatively minor quibbles for a film that so astutely knows how to manipulate viewers and confound their initial impressions.