Malice

This film kept my attention because I had no idea what to expect next. I wouldn’t watch it a second time. Though well acted, its only really strong point is that it takes the viewer in unexpected directions.

College dean Andy Safian and his wife Tracy (Bill Pullman and Nicole Kidman) are beginning to live the good life, restoring an old house the way they want it and hoping to start a family. But Andy’s happy situation is shattered by the fact that a serial rapist and sometime killer is loose on campus. Also, Andy provides an old classmate, Dr. Jed Hill, with temporary living quarters in an attic bedroom. Dr. Hill (Alec Baldwin) is a hard drinker, a nurse-chaser and an egomaniacal surgeon (he once worked at an abortion clinic—which by the way doesn’t even require a surgeon’s license—but has now come to believe that his surgical skills make him about equal to God). Soon, there’s all kinds of trouble between Andy, Tracy and Dr. Hill. It turns out that the main theme of the film is something completely different from what we first assume; however, there’s a small, but vital link between the two themes.

Content: There’s heavy profanity, implied rape and other simulated or implied sex acts (both marital and nonmarital). Unless I missed it while blinking, there’s no explicit nudity (that is, characters may sometimes be nude, but discreet camera angles are always used). There’s murder, violence and betrayal; and if you’re pro-life you’ll be very offended—as I was—by one particular plot twist. Although the “bad guys” are eventually taken care of, the road to that resolution is pretty disgusting and there’s no redemptive content to speak of. I recommend skipping this one.