Color of Night (1994)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

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.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Bill Capa (Bruce Willis), A color blind psychiatrist witnesses a patient jump out a window. Thoroughly disturbed by this incident, Bill decides to call it quits with his practice. After his friend Bob Moore is murdered, Bill is coerced into taking over for him and his patients. Things become increasingly perplexing when the patients are getting killed off, and he gets involved with a sexually charged, slightly promiscuous woman, who seems to have psychological issues of her own (Jane March)This was potentially a career killer for Bruce Willis. I realize he was trying to expand his range, but this was a very risky choice for Bruce. It was ripped to shreds by the pretentious, fickle pundits. People were exasperated about the unflattering material in this movie. What did I think of it? I'm not gonna deny that this movie is a train-wreck of epic proportions, but it can be very entertaining in a so bad its good way. This is one of those turkey's that is a wet dream for bad movie lovers. It's so ludicrous that I couldn't help but enjoy myself. I watched the director's cut version. It's almost 140 minutes long (!) I can definitely see why they decided to trim it some for a theatrical release. This movie does have a murder mystery, but let's not pretend that it's what this movie is truly about. It's about salacious sex scenes, vivid ones at that. You haven't seen provocative or steamy eroticism in a mainstream movie until you've seen this one. This is somewhat of a soft-core porno at times with how it comes across. The sex is the selling point of this movie, not the mystery. As far as sex scenes are concerned, you'll be hard pressed to find much better. Willis even shows glimpse of his penis at one point! The violence is poured on thick in this one. People are stabbed, somebody is impaled through a shard of glass. We also get fun with nails and more. This one isn't afraid to be mean. The acting is enjoyable, if unexceptional. Bruce Willis is motivated in this one, I'll say that. He's likable and brave to take on such a controversial project. I wouldn't call it a great performance, but he's very solid. Jane March is sexy as a conniving woman. Her unpredictability kept her interesting. She had decent chemistry with Willis as well. I didn't really buy the intense passion they shared in all honesty, but they certainly weren't awkward. Lance Henriksen & Brad Douriff are both fun in their respective parts as patients. The ending throws in a decent twist, shades of Hitchcock as well. The problem, is that the killer is easy to guessThis movie isn't very good, though I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. People can chastise it all they want, but I love entertainingly bad movies. Despite the over length, this is an undeniably messed up film that bad movie lovers can enjoy. It didn't kill Bruce Willis's career, he's still working, so chill5.6/10

Looking at the other reviews, this film is like marmite - you either like it or hate it! I liked it quite a lot. Bruce Willis is quite enjoyable - you could compare it to The Sixth Sense - he's a therapist in that one too. It's the kind of film where there are preposterous moments that make you smile, but there's enough good acting to outweigh that. Is it 'so bad, it's good'? - Yes at times it falls into that category - especially in the closing scenes. However, lots of credit to Jane March... call me slow on the uptake if you like, but I had no inkling that Ritchie/Rose are the same actress till the end. One thing that lets it down is the music - fairly corny at times, could have been much improved with a more original score. I think Dale should have risen one more time from the dead, to make it a truly 'so bad it's good' film!

if u like campy movies like showgirls you will probably like this movie! now i admit there are a few plot holes and seeing Jane March in disguise is pretty obvious. but aside from that the acting of the cast is pretty good Jane March, and Lesley Ann Warren are particularly good and Ruben Blades is pretty funny as a wound way to tight inspector. Bruce Willis is about as good as he usually is. about the plot holes that red car pushing the car from the top of the parking garage trying to crush Willis didn't make much sense i don't know how the killer would know he was in that spot from way up there and Mrs. Niedelmeyer knowing about Ritchie's death doesn't make sense if dale covered it up. the film does however keep you guessing as to who the killer is. at first with march's obvious disguise you instantly suspect her however the film throws enough curve balls to evenly spread out the suspicion among the viewers. the film as a whole it is a great erotic thriller the sex scenes are so hot and the ending is probably one of the best twist endings I've seen in a while. sadly the poor march's poor disguise spoil the surprise however it is quite a cleaver idea i must give credit to the writers. so give it a chance if you don't think its a good movie you might at least see it as a so-bad-its-good movie you can enjoy.

The Color of Night is actually one of those rare achievements that no director or screenwriter could possibly strive for if they wanted to. A film that fails at pretty much everything it aspires, but manages to become compulsively viewable to see how much further a train wreck it can become and, by some strange twist, actually attains a level of guilty entertainment value it really does not deserve. Blending together the elements of a psychological Hitchcock thriller with the eroticism of Basic Instinct/Fatal Attraction/late night Cinemax films, the filmmakers end up with a conglomeration that was probably a far cry from what they intended, particularly given that director Richard Rush was actually a director of some reputation. Psychologist Bruce Willis has gone color blind since his inept attempts at counseling led to the unintentional suicide of a patient. He decides to seek solace with an old colleague Scott Bakula, who ends up murdered. Police seem to believe that the culprit is one of the participants of the group therapy sessions that Bakula oversaw and Willis steps in to ferret out the culprit. Meanwhile, Willis crosses paths with enigmatic young sexpot Jane March who may be more involved than he suspects. The group therapy sessions are a great source of unintentional comedy. Made up of fairly reliable character actors like Lance Henriksen, Kevin O'Connor and Lesley Ann Warren, all seem to realize that they are in glorified garbage and find intriguing ways in which to embellish their characters and hog the screen. In between, comical therapy sessions, Rush inserts an obligatory chase scene, a bloody murder, or an energetic sex romp between the leads. No one can ever accuse the film of being a bore. Unfortunately the ham factor does not extend to the leads. March has been handed a virtually unplayable part filled with assorted pitfalls, and even the more remedial elements seem out of her reach. She never seems vampish enough to attract the kind of attention bestowed upon her in the film. Even worse, March's distinctive looks render a latter-film plot twist psychotically absurd when the audience has been leagues ahead of everyone else on screen and the respective characters' bafflement seems downright jaw-dropping. Much press was spilled about the torrid sex scenes compiled for the film, including much ballyhooed full frontal exposure from leading man Willis, but the leads generate no sparks. I give Willis credit for a) generously stepping up to the plate and showing substantial skin at a time when most American mainstream leading men would have run in the opposite direction, and b) trying to play the lead role seriously, but he is positively lifeless in this film. One has no rooting interest in either his relationship with March, his ability to counsel his patients, or whether he will even make it out of the various chase/attack scenes in one piece. He has rendered himself into a virtual stick of wood devoid of any emotion. Yet, in spite of its miscast and outmatched leads and the thoroughly incompetent direction, the film has that car accident quality that keeps one watching well past the point where it should be turned off. The conclusion is pure Grand Guignol corn with a bit of a cheat on the murderer, but what an unintentionally hilarious loony ride it is to that point.