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Crimes of Passion

Crimes of Passion (1984)

October. 19,1984
|
6.4
|
R
| Drama Thriller Crime

Fashion designer Joanna Crane leads a double life. By night she is China Blue, a prostitute who's attracted the attention of a sexually frustrated private detective, and a psychopathic priest in possession of a murderous sex toy.

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UnowPriceless
1984/10/19

hyped garbage

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ShangLuda
1984/10/20

Admirable film.

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Freeman
1984/10/21

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

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Haven Kaycee
1984/10/22

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

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preppy-3
1984/10/23

Kathleen plays Joanna Crane. By day she's a man-hating fashion designer. At night she dons a blonde wig and becomes prostitute China Blue. She soon becomes involved with Bobby Grady (John Laughlin) an unhappily married man and the "Preacher" (Anthony Perkins) who wants to save her. It all culminates in a violent climax.Great but VERY adult movie full of sex, frank sexual talk and some truly funny dialogue ("Whores and metaphors don't mix"). There's also some truly thought-provoking dialogue about gender, sex roles and marriage. There was a big controversy over this when it was released in 1984. In the US a full 5 minutes had to be cut out to secure the film an R rating. I saw it in 1984 and loved it. I was 22 and it was great to see an adult film. The uncut version is available on DVD. The acting wavers. Turner and Perkins are both great in their roles--especially Turner. Some of her sex scenes are shocking (especially one involving a policeman and his night stick) but she gives them her all. Laughlin is not that good in his role but seriously--the script gives him nothing to work with. Even worse is Annie Potts as his frigid wife. Still this is well worth seeing but for adults only. Highly recommended.

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sol
1984/10/24

***SPOILERS*** Being a highly paid and very successful fashion designer isn't the life that Joanna Crane, Kathleen Turner, hoped it would be in her having no time to develop any lasting and fulfilling relationships with her many clients. It's when Joanna went native and became the free soul and anything goes hooker China Blue that her drab and boring life suddenly changed overnight. Out on the streets and turning tricks Joanna, or China Blue, could now live out her fantasies in real life with people she's very at home with. Not the stiffs and square heads that she deals with at her day job.It's almost by accident that China Blue runs into surveillance expert Bobby Grady, John Laughlin, who's been hired by her boss to spy on her in him feeling that Joanna aka China Blue is passing off company secrets to rival firms. Meanwhile Bobby is undergoing a life change in that his wife Amy, Annie Potts, is not responding to his love making efforts in bed. Having faked it for over 10 years Amy finally admits that Bobby just can't turn her on not because he lacks the proper equipment but that she herself is a cold fish when it comes to him trying to make love to her.It's when Bobby runs into China Blue that his sex life is revitalized to the point when he just can't spend as much as an evening away from her. The hot and heavy action between Bobby and China Blue doesn't go unnoticed from street corner preacher Rev. Peter Shayne, Anthony Perkins, who been after China in trying to save her soul from a life of sin and degradation. It's in the crazed Rev. Shayne's attempt to save China Blue that leads him into the very degenerate lifestyle that he's trying to get her out of! This triple X, Bobby China Blue & Rev. Shayne, relationship comes to a shocking conclusion when the three end up in the same place, China/Joanna's apartment, for the films utterly shocking and totally unexpected climax!***SPOILERS***Dispite the very good performances by both John Laughlin and Kathleen Turner I have to say that it was the neurotic and constantly sweating Anthony Perkins who ended up stealing the show. As nutty and obnoxious as ever Perkins made every scene that he was in count with him never breaking a sweat by him never once acting as if he were a normal person. To top off his earth shattering and mind bending interpretation of a deranged religious nut Perkins even had the time to revive his famous role of Norman Bates that will blow your mind! Just like he did to the very unsuspecting audiences watching him in the film "Psycho" some 25 years earlier!

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fedor8
1984/10/25

Turner: "Oh, a man of words... He makes up in diction what he lacks in dick." Or: "I never forget a face... Especially when I've sat on it." (also Turner) These are the kinds of lines we get to hear in this movie. It's yet more sexual lunacy from the most sex-obsessed director of the last three decades (not counting Russ Meyer). Russell presents a bizarre combination between wacky sexual-situation comedy, family drama, and psycho-thriller. The movie goes in all sorts of directions, and seems to be about a lot of things - with sex (what else?) being the unifying theme in all the issues. There is both intentional and unintentional humour, though with Russell you can't always tell which is which, but most of the film is a sort of eccentric drama.The characters of Turner and Perkins are absurd and over-the-top, respectively; Turner is a career woman who works as a prostitute during the night, while Perkins is a deranged wanna-be minister with mania written all over his face. At the beginning, Perkins so overdoes his part (as is typical of this incompetent over-actor) that you can't help but laugh. Turner, though playing a far-fetched character, is quite convincing, and very charismatic, as usual. Turner's character is the writer's idea of what a woman, who has been emotionally hurt by a failed relationshit, might do to deal with her disappointment in male-kind (i.e. mankind): she turns to fulfilling (male) fantasies as a prostitute. That'll happen... The idea that Turner - who has sex all the time with various men - would suddenly get emotionally aroused with a customer (Laughlin) just because he feels for her or whatever, is preposterous, though not annoying. In fact, nothing seems to be annoying in the film, in spite of it being Russell's.Well, almost; Russell took one or two themes from Dvorak's "New World Symphony" and milked them for all they're worth. These melodies are played over and over and over, in varying styles. Strange, because this music doesn't in any way suit this film. Some dialog sounds unnatural, some is silly/comical and loaded with sexual word-play, and some is right out of a TV soap-opera.Perhaps the funniest moment was when Turner, while rummaging through Perkins's bag, finds a powerful-looking metal dildo and asks him whether it's a cruise-missile.

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moonspinner55
1984/10/26

Kathleen Turner is admirable playing a prim fashion designer by day and a kinky hooker named China Blue by night. This determinedly-weird sex-odyssey from outré filmmaker Ken Russell does indeed have the force behind its salacious convictions--it is almost embarrassingly sordid and one genuinely feels for the performers on-screen--yet as a psycho-drama it comes out half-baked. The subplots, one involving family man John Laughlin with sexless wife Annie Potts and the other, sillier one concerning Anthony Perkins as a sidewalk preacher, only take time away from Turner's intriguing impersonation. Last minute editing revisions forced upon Russell leave the final act feeling choppy, however there's some amusing satire here (big city business and stifling suburbia) that gnaws at you in both good and bad ways. The screenwriter, Barry Sandler, has many targets and a lot of interesting things to stay, but the deadened look and feel of the movie makes it seem like a repugnant gag. Yesterday's kink is today's old news. **1/2 from ****

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