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Guilty As Sin (Sidney Lumet, 1993)
Imdb
Date Watched: 04/26/2024
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: @mrblond mentioned it in the Neo Noir Countdown
Rewatch: No.
I saw this mentioned in the Neo Noir Countdown and thought I'd give it a try. Ever since I was a teenager when I saw him in In Pursuit of Honor (a made for TV movie that I love) and the TV series Nash Bridges, I've had a little bit of a soft spot for Don Johnson. So when I saw that he was in this, it caught my interest.
Having said that, I'm used to seeing him play roles where he's charming - and maybe has a bit of a way with the ladies - but is noble overall. Or at least charmingly funny even if his character is evil, like he was as "Big Daddy" in Django Unchained, but this performance is something different. As David Greenhill he is charming, but its a slimy kind of charm that left me feeling uneasy throughout and Johnson is absolutely perfect in the role. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Rebecca De Mornay and the remainder of the cast were all good or at least serviceable in their roles (though Stephen Lang's perm and enormous mustache are hard to forgive), but for me this was Johnson's movie.
However, beyond his role this movie is riddled with flaws and implausibilities. So much so that it's a little hard to believe that this is from the same director that brought us 12 Angry Men, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon. It really demands the viewer to strain their ability to suspend disbelief: A man is assaulted to the point of hospitalization and there seems to be no investigation or police involvement, a surprise witness appears that magically gives Greenhill a very flimsy alibi, and the film culminates in a climax that is so over the top and bloody that I struggled not to laugh at it. Even so, I enjoyed it quite a bit and unashamedly so - though Guilty As Sin probably ought to be filed under "guilty pleasures."
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Last edited by Miss Vicky; 8 hours ago at 07:59 AM.
. amazing movie i really loved it 
