Wicked

1st watched 12/28/02 - 5 out of 10(Dir-Michael Steinberg): Ridiculously unsupported ending blows what for the most part was a very stylish, well acted, well-done horror/thriller movie. Julia Stiles does a superb job with her role of a tortured child with violent tendencies and the direction is sly and cunning, but for some reason the filmmakers decided to throw a curve in the last half hour that works for some movies but for this one destroyed all that had been built up to this point. To tell you much of the story wouldn't really matter because, just remember, the end isn't what is expected or should be unless the actors & actresses are lying to you throughout it. This is basically about a mother who becomes killed apparently by a break-in but through the twists and turns of the story-telling we are being led to believe that one of the children has something to do with it. That actress is then put through the paces and shown to be a definite possibility to the murder even to the point of imitating her mother after her death and definetly wanting to take her place. The movie should have been more about why she wanted to do this but we only get small hints about this. Then, all of a sudden, instead of exploring what I mentioned in the last sentence the aforementioned `stupid' & `meaningless' ending was thrown at us from left field. I think I've said enough, Yes I'm upset.(but I'll get by). Hopefully Steinberg will as well.

Though this thriller (about a teenage girl who develops a dangerous crush on her father when her mom dies) has the feel of a cable movie, with few characters and most of the scenes shot in a couple of locations, it was well-acted and had a plot that kept my interest. The characters develop quite effectively and you're never quite sure whodunnit and why, until the end. Worth renting.

Wicked is a extremely bizzare film, there is such a varied mix of ideas that it is very hard to keep track of the story, the ideas are good ones there's a bit of who dunnit, murder, intrigue, sex, deception, being physcotic, dealing with you dad getting a new girlfriend and much more but Wicked just cant seem to link them altogether to make a good strong cohirent plot. The main story is after a women has a huge row with her daughter she is murdered in a very brutal manner, the police are trying to track down the killer but are having very little luck. All the way through the film the tension is very high and the atmosphere is very good, there a immense who dunnit as the writers throw in suspects left, right and centre. There is also a very intriguing plot twist when the daughter becomes ever obsessed with her dad. The gorey scenes are also very brutal for a 15 certificate. Julia Stiles puts in a good performance as a character who through the course of the film you see slowly going over the edge, the rest of the cast are very good to its just a shame that the poor writing let them down. Most of the film is quite good, going along at a good pace and adding more and more plot twists, but the ending is just the most ludicrous thing I have ever seen, you never really find out who killed the mum and its just a excuse for the to be a total blood bath, where people get there heads smashed in, their feet cut and a hole blasted through their heart.

I'm not sure what kind of person would write the screenplay for this movie. It's very disturbing, having to do with love (not paternal) between daughters and fathers, with a twist of mystery. If you ever wanted to marry your father, DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE. Also, I would advise, if you are a female, don't watch this movie with your father.

Julia Stiles was the main draw for me to see this film, which genuinely lives up to its title (and then some). WICKED is a sneaky little twist on the let-me-be-your-wife-and-I-will-love-you-better-than-mom-ever-did genre, with great performances and excellently fleshed-out (NO pun intended) characters. Highly recommended for that late-night cable guilty pleasure.