When I recently read up that in the 90s,one of the main people that was behind the making of the popular vigalanti- revenge genre, (Michael Winner) had made a film where,a woman was the lead viglanti,I started to anticipate,that I was about to see an extremely gripping,hard-hitting, brutal revenge film.As the film started to reach the end,I realised that the edginess that should have been the beating heart of the film,was unpredictable very muted.
The plot: After having gotten some very threatening phone calls,a woman who lives alone in a small flat (Bella) decides to get some help from her family and friends,on the best way to keep herself safe.To Bellas surprise,all of them tell her that instead of trying to get the creep to back off,she should instead be more "welcoming" to him,and be much more thankful that he is showing an interest in stalking and killing her!.With hearing this,Bella decides that if no one else is going to stand up for her,then she has to do it herself.Although when she starts going out for revenge,she suddenly starts to develop a huge appetite for murder...
View on the film: For the screenplay,writers Michael Winner and Helen Zahavi (who also wrote the book that the film is based on) disappointingly stay away from making the film into tough, rough"n" ready twisted "Girl Power" movie.Instead they change the films narrative into being a black comedy,which turns almost all of the supporting characters into very thin card-board cutouts,although the dialogue is not helped out by most of the cast not delivering the lines with a real relish,that would have made the comedic feel of the film a lot stronger.Whilst the BBFC have sadly cut out some of the "impact" shoots in the murder scenes,director Michael Winner is still able to give the movie a fun playfulness,with Bella being able to go to her "local gun shop" and buy a gun,as if she is just going out to buy her bread and milk from the local shop.For the most memorable killing (which involves a plastic bag)Winner is able to show a brief sign of the ruthlessness,that could have made this film into something very special.
Final view on the film: An enjoyable black comedy,that sadly lacks the anger,which it desperately needed.
The plot: After having gotten some very threatening phone calls,a woman who lives alone in a small flat (Bella) decides to get some help from her family and friends,on the best way to keep herself safe.To Bellas surprise,all of them tell her that instead of trying to get the creep to back off,she should instead be more "welcoming" to him,and be much more thankful that he is showing an interest in stalking and killing her!.With hearing this,Bella decides that if no one else is going to stand up for her,then she has to do it herself.Although when she starts going out for revenge,she suddenly starts to develop a huge appetite for murder...
View on the film: For the screenplay,writers Michael Winner and Helen Zahavi (who also wrote the book that the film is based on) disappointingly stay away from making the film into tough, rough"n" ready twisted "Girl Power" movie.Instead they change the films narrative into being a black comedy,which turns almost all of the supporting characters into very thin card-board cutouts,although the dialogue is not helped out by most of the cast not delivering the lines with a real relish,that would have made the comedic feel of the film a lot stronger.Whilst the BBFC have sadly cut out some of the "impact" shoots in the murder scenes,director Michael Winner is still able to give the movie a fun playfulness,with Bella being able to go to her "local gun shop" and buy a gun,as if she is just going out to buy her bread and milk from the local shop.For the most memorable killing (which involves a plastic bag)Winner is able to show a brief sign of the ruthlessness,that could have made this film into something very special.
Final view on the film: An enjoyable black comedy,that sadly lacks the anger,which it desperately needed.