Wednesday 27 January 2016

Freeview film of the day : wednesday 27th of January

Someone To Watch Over Me (1987 102min.) [BBC1 12.15am thursday]

Thriller from director Ridley Scott, starring Tom Berenger, Mimi Rogers and Lorraine Bracco. Mike Keegan is a happily married New York detective assigned to protect Claire Gregory, a wealthy socialite who has agreed to testify against the gangster who murdered her friend. But Mike gradually finds his involvement with the witness affecting his family life.


Ah! The eighties thriller - usually a confection of ludicrous plot, consumer-porn housing, cars and accessories, impossibly glamorous people and set among shiny, reflective surfaces all of which are there to distract from the lack of anything worthwhile or interesting happening on screen.

In amongst this great slew of empty headed films there's a few that stand out from the crowd and Someone To watch Over Me is one of them.

Firstly, it's directed by Ridley Scott who has a sure touch and a knack for this sort of material : secondly it's two lead actors are Mimi Rogers and Tom Berenger who are believable as human beings rather than walking, talking clothes horses.

We actually care what happens to these two thanks to a smart script from Howard Franklin which has greater depth and subtly than usually find in thrillers of this time - the subtexts with regard to consumerism and the nature of voyeurism are well handled while the thriller elements keep the story moving forward.

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