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(More customer reviews)At first glance, DANGEROUS LIAISONS appears to be an extravagant eighteenth-century period-piece, which it is; the powdered wigs and overflowing corsets typical of the genre are all here, and the cinematography is appropriately glossy. But boiling beneath the elegant surface are the deviously twisted sensibilities of two monstrous characters--the Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) and the Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovich), a pair of schemers (and former lovers) who take pleasure in coolly manipulating and seducing those around them. The Marquise challenges the Vicomte to seduce the virtuous Madame de Tourvel (Michelle Pfeiffer), but when the latter finds himself genuinely falling in love with his intended prey, the game quickly turns fatal--with devastating consequences for everyone involved.
A period-piece? Yes, but one honed with a distinctly contemporary menace. It's rare, for example, to find a period-piece with such delicious, razor-sharp dialogue (which garnered the film an Academy Award for Best Screenplay Adaptation). It's also rare to find a period-piece that focuses primarily on sex, but treats its subject matter with so little eroticism. DANGEROUS LIAISONS is more about power and one-upmanship; sex merely serves as the weapon of choice. It's a diabolically entertaining film, a decadent one even; there's something both disturbing and enjoyable about watching the two central characters indulging in their elaborate power plays.
The performances are strong for the most part (Close, Malkovich, and Pfeiffer all received Oscar nominations), although the women fare much better than the men. Glenn Close does a magnificent job as the evil Marquise, and supplies the film with some of its most explosive moments--the scene in which she quietly utters the word "War" without batting an eyelash is chilling beyond words. I didn't completely buy Malkovich as the charming lady-killer (a small but serious flaw that undermines the whole film), but he does a fine job with what he's given. Keanu Reeves, as usual, is utterly unfathomable, even in a relatively minor part. The best performance of all is delivered by Michelle Pfeiffer; as the tormented wife, she bares every inch of her moral anguish, and the results are heartbreaking to behold. Behind the cold-blooded duo of Close and Malkovich, it's Pfeiffer who provides the emotional heart of the film, and in every one of her pained expressions lies the evidence of the very human consequences at stake.
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Dangerous Liaisons (1988)THE BITING SATIRE ABOUT LOVE AND LUST, PASSION AND DECEPTIONINCLUDES DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY.
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