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Never Talk to StrangersFirst-time director Peter Hall (not to be confused with the former head of the National Theatre) assembles a quality cast for a steamy thriller that pushes both characters and plot to the edge of credibility. Fortunately, it's also highly atmospheric, frequently stylish and driven by charismatic performances by Banderas, De Mornay and the always reliable Harry Dean Stanton.
Criminal psychologist Dr Sarah Taylor (De Mornay) bumps into Latin hunk Tony Ramirez (Banderas) in a New York supermarket and within minutes they're at it hammer and tongues. But as their carnal affair progresses Sarah is subjected to a series of creepy harassments. Running parallel with this are her professional appointments with an imprisoned serial killer (Dean Stanton), who seems to know a great deal about Sarah's personal life. Is it he who's responsible for killing her cat and sending bits of it through the post? Could it be the mysterious but addictive Tony? Or is Sarah haunted by a darker secret, which even she can't bare to acknowledge?
With its rapid twists and turns and lurid tone it's unashamedly in the spirit of the old fashioned B-movies, filtered, perhaps, through the eyes of Brian De Palma. It's the performances which keep it on track, Harry Dean Stanton in particular relishing his role as a manipulative sadist. The last minute revelation may be a little crude, but elsewhere there's much that's enjoyably sexy and stylish.
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