No. 35 (2021) FATALE. MAY 12th.

 

Film No. 35 (2021)  May 12th.  2:30 PM  EVENT CINEMAS  No. 1,  Innaloo.

"Life is a road, straight and narrow, stay on the road and it will take you safely home, take a wrong turn and you will meet the darkness". (Derrick delivers a monologue early in the film setting the scene for what's to come).

The phycological thriller has always been part of popular Cinema. I don't know many that hit our big screens which don't stem from a good idea. Most of these scripts (because there are so many presented to studios) are finely sifted and scrutinized. FATALE, passed the first hurdle (idea) with a well credentialed star in tow; Hillary Swank. So why is it that it could have been better?

Well, for starters ... FATALE is a B Grade thriller, and from that POV it works fine. Hillary Swank has just the look and intrigue the main star of a noir thriller of this ilk should have. The light, the silly twists and the breathy dialogue fit the bill perfectly. Swank plays Detective Val Quinlan whose private life is fractured.  When she meets Derrick (Michael Ealy) in Vegas and they have a lustful one-night stand, we know they will meet again and violent crime and infidelity will be at the seat of that meeting. 

It's a pity that Ealy, who has the looks, couldn't match Swank's screen presence. Valarie shows Derrick shocking things about his wife, his business partner and much, much more. His reactions or better still, over reactions, lacked the finesse needed to match Swank's delivery. But Ealy has his fans and I'm sure they won't concur with these slight criticisms. 

Meanwhile, FATALE is no BODYHEAT but it's good fodder for the thriller noir buffs and .... Hillary Swank fans.  8GUMS.