Dirtylogy
It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
Tayyab Torres
Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
Dana
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
quridley
You don't have to know the erotic thrillers being spoofed to enjoy this Carl Reiner film. Its smart slapstick in his usual absurdist and cinematic style. Its corny stuff but its totally self-aware cheekiness. I found myself LOL'ing quite a bit and also enjoying the acting, cinematography and editing. Reiner is a master comedy director and this is as enjoyable as The Man With Two Brains and Summer Rental. This one just doesn't appeal to as big or hip an audience.
jotix100
Carl Reiner, a man that knows about comedy, is the man behind this spoof on the noir genre. Mr. Reiner, working here with David O'Malley's screen play, has created a film that parodies movies like "Double Indemnity", "Basic Instinct", and "Fatal Attraction", among others, with great style.The result is a film with some clever lines spoken by the cast as though they are acting in the prototype movies that Mr. Reiner is spoofing, with great panache. Not everything works, but when it does, the fun never seems to stop making us laugh.The cast Mr. Reiner assembled is up to the task. Armand Assante is excellent as Ned Ravine, a man who is a policeman and lawyer and who does some excellent dancing in those red stiletto shoes his character seems to love. Sherilyn Fenn is the loyal secretary Laura. Kate Nelligan does an excellent imitation of Barbara Stanwyck as the scheming wife, Lana. Sean Young has some good moments in the film."Fatal Instinct" is a film to watch with a lot of friends. Mr. Reiner shows why he has been one of the best comic writers in America.
burkemancometh
I absolutely hated this movie. I remember seeing it back in 1994 when I was 11, and hating it even then. Of course, back then I hadn't seen the movies it was spoofing, such as Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, and Sleeping With The Enemy. Over ten years later, I have seen all these movies, so I thought, "Hey, I'll give this movie another try".I recently saw it again, and still thought it was terrible. I read a review Roger Ebert gave of it, and he gave the movie one and a half stars. Roger, in my opinion, was being too nice.Carl Reiner has directed some great movies (i.e. The Jerk), but this is easily his worst. The jokes in the movie ranged from mediocre to just flat out awful and predictable. One of the worst is in the courtroom scene, when the bailiff calls for a ten minute recess. Sure enough, the gag was that everyone went outside and played. Get it? Recess? Ha ha- not! Comedy is indeed hard, but this movie shows that editing your scripts is always a good idea. The kind of humor when the cast acts seriously while the gags speak for themselves worked well for movies like Airplane, Naked Gun, and Hot Shots, but not for this movie. I can't say if it was the acting, the jokes, or the sheer dislike for the characters, but something just wasn't clicking. I'm just curious as to how the cast members felt about this movie as they were doing it. Armand Assante in some scenes looked as if he was ready for Carl to yell "CUT!" any minute. He did not look comfortable doing this comedy. Sean Young looked like she was trying to have fun with it, and is pretty convincing in some scenes. Above all, though, something went terribly wrong with this movie. If you want to rent this movie, I would suggest not paying any more than one dollar for it on video.
gypsytda
I personally love spoofs, and twisted views on various things (I am a fan of Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, etc... also loved the show "Soap") For me this move is and always will be a kick to watch... Sure it is not an award winner, but it is fun and funny to watch. As with all good spoofs i enjoy it each time I watch it.. but again this is a personal enjoyment.. for many others they could easily find it dull etc, so just a point of view if for some odd reason you missed out on this movie the thousands of times it has been on regular TV. OK So in summary.. if you love spoofs this is a MUST See.. if you don't skip it, you know your category of interest, right?
