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Dangerous Liaisons Customer Reviews (19 - 21 of 28 Reviews)

"Great Potential Ruined By Mediocre Actors"

Oh, now THIS is rich...

THREE Oscar-nominated performances, and one of those is an example of "mediocre" acting? Gimme a break.

This is without doubt a fine film... Wicked, delightful, and delicious even for this guy's guy (forget that "chick flick" nonsense, any man who doesn't wish to take Malkovich's place in "educating" a very young Ms. Thurman is delusional). Five stars, a modern classic.

Superb cinematography, acting, costumes, dialogue, etc. Highly recommended.

Power Battles, Marquise contra Vicomte (VHS Edition)
'Dangerous Liaisons' which was based upon Choderlos de Laclos' epistolary novel 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses' and adapted for the stage by Christopher Hampton [Hampton also wrote the screenplay] is definitely one of my favourite films although not without its flaws. It's dominated by the characters of the Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont who play dangerous games with the hearts and minds of young people. Director Stephen Frears did an excellent job in transferring Choderlos de Laclos' novel to the screen. This film is intelligent, has bite and it's quite edgy. The parts of the Marquise and Vicomte were taken by Glenn Close and John Malkovich and as already said, they dominate this film from the beginning to the end. Glenn Close is nothing short of brilliant as the remarkably intelligent, independent but scheming Marquise and the scenario provides her with excellent, cynical, biting pieces of dialogue. She plays the Marquise to the hilt. John Malkovich as that other predator, the Vicomte de Valmont, may not possess the overwhelming beauty which is mentioned in Choderlos de Laclos' novel. But he does have an edge and charisma which is essential to Valmont and he is more than able to rise to the challenges which the Marquise presents to him. Michelle Pfeiffer delivers a heart wrenching performance as the poignant Madame de Tourvel. But Uma Thurman as the young Cecile de Volanges left me unmoved. Further great costumes and locations.

However central to this picture is the warfare between the Marquise and Vicomte for power and dominance. Their scenes together are electrifying and vibrate with tension. For viewers of this film [and future readers of Choderlos de Laclos' epistolary novel] it's interesting to know that the vital and elusive anti heroine Merteuil inspired the eminent Dutch writer Hella Haasse to write her own epistolary novel. Wherein the author starts an imaginary correspondence with the Marquise. For those who are familiar with the Dutch language it's a very good read.

All in all, I recommend this edgy and intelligent film very highly.

Almost a masterpiece
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.