The double bill that I am recommending this week have only two things in common: I approached both of them with low expectations but found myself pleasantly surprised, and they both feature glimpses into a seedy, sexual underworld. Otherwise, they have almost nothing in common in terms of characterization, directorial style or plot twists.
Taken (2008) - Written but not directed by Luc Besson, Taken has been a surprise hit during the winter lull at the North American box office. I'm usually turned off by the sentimental premise of a father who must rescue his darling daughter from criminals, but Liam Neeson's ex-CIA operative is a ruthless SOB who savages France looking for his kidnapped daughter. And it is karma when the overpriviledged daughter and her slutty friend get kidnapped by human traffickers so the tension is still enjoyable. Joe complained that the car chases sequences lacked the viruosity of Hollywood ones but he enjoyed Neeson's rampant violence nonetheless.
In the Cut (2003) - Jane Campion's dreamy, erotic thriller is mostly infamous for Meg Ryan's uncharacteristic nudity and explicit sex scenes but it is truly a dirty Harlequin novel with good cinematography. Mark Ruffalo's police detective is a modern day brute who eagerly gives amazing oral sex to Ryan's repressed English teacher. The rest of the movie is about a series of murders that seemingly gravitate around Ryan. But really, it's all about the sex scenes.
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