In the Cut

Um thriller assassino envolto num humor melancólico. Jane Campion tem uma alma perturbada e gosta de a libertar através de imagens cinematográficas. Mas não deve ir aonde não se orienta bem. Do ponto de vista do thriller, o enredo avança muito lentamente, o filme é enfadonho, previsível e, no seu desfecho surpreendente é mais ingénuo do que chocante e cheio de suspense. E aquele pormenor polémico da abertura, o «broche», só está no filme para se falar dele. (20/11/2003)

Well shot dreadful screenplay. Two distinct and notably discordant halves fail to connect even with the crucial twist starting the final chaos, nor the desperately bewildered Meg Ryan. The overly long dialogues do not help to penetrate the characters under the skin, and the flashy flashbacks can extract from boredom, but in the end, they remain mere empty inserts. The erotically inclined storyline of Frannie's personal life then irritates with its openness, which instead of aiding the story, buries it under layers of lascivious and unfortunately occasionally ridiculous scenes. The biggest problem, however, is when lofty phrases appear in dialogues or monologues, which the heroes simply squander emptily. It's a shame for the unpredictable Ruffalo, who doesn't deserve such a film in his filmography, the rest remains a pitiful, albeit occasionally striving, attempt. (01/09/2007)

Visually, it’s very well done (camera, editing, flashbacks, fast-paced scenes), but the director struggled with the content, resulting in a bland genre mix that might be enjoyable, but it probably won't last in memory longer than a few hours. For a shocking women's drama, it lacks more dramatic moments, for a thriller, a better screenplay, and as an erotic film, it probably wouldn't hold up either. It did have a really suffocating atmosphere, Meg Ryan was very daring, but she could have jumped upside-down and it wouldn't have changed the quality of the film. (09/08/2004)