Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Joseph Fiennes | ... |
Manuel Esquema /
Alan Riply
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Ray Liotta | ... |
Mark Brice
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Gretchen Mol | ... | ||
Vincent Laresca | ... |
Javier Cesti
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Myk Watford | ... |
Rick Martino
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Lindsey Connell | ... |
Stewardess
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Sean Cw Johnson | ... |
Randy
(as Sean C W Johnson)
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Shawn Proctor | ... |
Cabana Boy
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Russell Blackwell | ... |
Business Associate
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Jocelyn Snowdon | ... |
Young Associate's Companion
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Kevi Katsuras | ... |
Julie, Six Year-old Girl
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Shannon Lawson | ... |
Emily, Julie's Mother
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Ronald Knight | ... |
Older Male Executive
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Ginger King | ... |
Older Male's Companion
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Ted Simonett | ... |
Mr. Galen
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Two stories, 14 years apart, converge in a suburb of New York. Manuel Esquema, an international financier, whose face is badly scarred, is flying from Miami to help a New York politician negotiate a plea bargain with the Justice Department. Years before, this financier was a fresh-faced cabaña boy at a Miami Beach resort who fell in love with a young woman on holiday with her husband. The husband is now the pol, and he thinks he dispatched the cabaña boy long ago. What are Esquema's plans: revenge, mercy, or a complicated plan to seek again the woman's love? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
I won't attempt to summarize the plot, such as it is. Suffice it to say that every single character in this film manages to behave in the least straightforward and believable manner in every situation. The heavy hand of a poor screenwriter is evident throughout, as all the characters seem more manipulated than motivated. The writer/director, Paul Schrader, was an unfamiliar directorial name to me until I watched this mess, and his resume makes it clear why. He's had a few successes as a writer, but pretty much all of them were directed by Martin Scorsese, who is very definitely not on hand to salvage this disaster.
Fiennes and Mol are game for the most part, and do what they can with the laughable dialogue. Ray Liotta, however, is at his over-the-top worst. He can be effective with the right part and some directorial restraint (see *Blow*, for instance) but neither is present here.
Avoid this and find something better to do.