LAST DANCE (1996, Bruce Beresford)

 

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A woman on death row sees a chance for clemency when a new lawyer takes on her case.

Starring  Sharon Stone, Rob Morrow, Randy Quaid, Peter Gallagher, Jack Thompson

Written by  Steven Haft, Ron Koslow

Produced by  Steven Haft

Duration  103 minutes  

 

Watching LAST DANCE forces the viewer to confront a question cinephiles have grappled with for three decades. Is Sharon Stone a good actor?

Stone seemed to burst out of nowhere, aged 33, when she played Catherine Tramell in BASIC INSTINCT (1992). But really she'd been around for ages, beavering away in movies of varying quality until getting her big break.

There was Wes Craven's Hittite horror DEADLY BLESSING (1981); Drew Barrymore emancipation drama IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES (1984); INDIANA JONES knock-off KING SOLOMON'S MINES (1985) (and its sequel); POLICE ACADEMY 4: CITIZENS ON PATROL (1987), which was so bad it pushed Steve Guttenberg out of the franchise; ABOVE THE LAW (1988), which made Steven Seagal a star; and ACTION JACKSON (also 1988), which failed to do the same for Carl Weathers.

Then BASIC INSTINCT made Stone big; so big that the makers of 1994's THE FLINTSTONES movie wrote a part for her called 'Sharon Stone'. She turned this prehistoric payday down, perhaps not wanting to become a parody of herself, although she hadn't minded popping up as Tramell in LAST ACTION HERO.

Reflecting on casting the part that made her famous, director Paul Verhoeven noted Stone's ability to turn on a dime from vulnerable to vixen, citing her performance for him as the duplicitous fake-wife in TOTAL RECALL. Personally, I love BASIC INSTINCT, with all its sleazy insanity and mile-wide plot holes (two words: forensic evidence). It's the ultra-graphic version of FRENZY Alfred Hitchcock wishes he'd been allowed to make. And I especially value it for Stone, who gives one of the most underrated performances of the 1990s. But was it a one-off?

Unfortunately, Stone is often only remembered for that legs-uncrossing scene. And it's likely that this overt sexuality has taken attention away from her craft. For instance, when she got Oscar-nominated for 1995's CASINO, her achievement was rarely referenced without mention of all the glitzy outfits she adorned throughout the three-hour Vegas mob epic. (To be fair, the colourful suits Robert De Niro wore were also often commented upon.)

But nevertheless, Stone never again reached the heights of her Verhoeven or Scorsese pictures. Other than in those, it's fair to say she's been pretty forgettable. And occasionally, downright regrettable – I'm thinking of the ill-judged BASIC INSTINCT 2: RISK ADDICTION, or her unintentionally hilarious fat-suited turn in ALPHA DOG.

LAST DANCE, meanwhile, is most remembered (if it's remembered at all, which I'm sure it's not) as wilting in the awards-lavished shadow of the similar DEAD MAN WALKING. In fact, it made even less money than the death penalty movie that came straight after it, John Grisham adaptation THE CHAMBER.

But despite the box office underperformance, could it be that LAST DANCE is Sharon Stone's overlooked masterpiece of cinematic acting?

The movie was her follow-up to CASINO and a clear attempt to 'de-glam', after not only that film but other sexy roles like SLIVER, THE SPECIALIST and DIABOLIQUE.

In this one, Stone's Cindy Liggett is spoken about for a good 15 minutes before she's even shown in the flesh. We just get photos in Cindy's case file, and not only of her but of her crime: she's on death row for a brutal double murder.

Our entry into Cindy's world comes via Rob Morrow's inexperienced lawyer. Morrow, fresh from six moose-bothering seasons of Northern Exposure, receives Stone as a by-the-numbers case, scheduled for lethal injection in 30 days, no interest in parole from either the state or herself.

But the more Morrow burrows, the more he becomes convinced that Cindy is ... not innocent, but the victim of a mishandled case that has left her unfairly facing the chair. (I'm aware that they don't actually use the electric chair anymore, but presumably when they lethally inject you, they're nice enough to let you sit down?) But his bosses don't want him to dig too deep and pressure him to leave well alone.

Stone is definitely as unglamorous as we've ever seen her. It's the hair, a dirty copper-brown. It's the accent, from somewhere deep south. It's the lack of makeup and baggy prison clothes. And especially it's her blunt, charmless character. Granted, she's not quite Charlize Theron in MONSTER. But it's close.

As well as presenting an un-glitzed version of its leading lady, LAST DANCE grapples with issues. Are some people on death row who shouldn't be? Should there be a death row? Why is it even called a 'row'? Some or possibly none of these matters are explored during the film's running time.

To be honest – and stop me if you can tell – LAST DANCE never really gripped me. I don't remember much about DEAD MAN WALKING, but I'm sure it was better than this. (THE CHAMBER I can't recall whether I've seen or not, although I did read the book and thought it a lesser Grisham, certainly no Rainmaker or Firm or Time To Kill.) There's not much wrong with LAST DANCE, it's just kind of ... there.

Mid-movie, I started to wonder whether this should have been the actual BASIC INSTINCT 2. Catherine Tramell has been caught and convicted, awaiting corporal punishment for her multiple homicides. Stone could do her black widow thing on Morrow, manipulating him into busting her out. But then when they go on the run together (stopping off now and then for kinky motel-room romps), he can't be sure if she's going to stab him with an icepick next. But he keeps on shagging her silly all the same. It could even feature Michael Douglas's character from the first one in a cameo, giving evidence via video link from a home for retired sex-addicted cops.

As to the issue of Sharon Stone's acting talent? The jury's still out. But the appeal has been lodged. And the court is in session. And, um ... well, you get the idea with that one.

Three stars out of five.

 

 

Valid use of the word ‘last’?  She ain't dancing no more – tango or otherwise. Oh, and it turns out they have you lying down when they administer the lethal injection, not sitting in a chair. But 'get the gurney' doesn't have the same ring to it.

What would a movie called FIRST DANCE be about?  Maybe yet another alternate universe BASIC INSTINCT sequel. It begins with a wedding, but ends ... with a massacre!

 

Previously:  THE LAST DAYS ON MARS

Next time:  THE LAST MOVIE

Check out my books:  Jonathanlastauthor.com

THE LAST DAYS ON MARS (2013, Ruairí Robinson)

 

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Researchers on Earth's nearest neighbour encounter something that doesn't like them poking around it.

Starring  Liev Schreiber, Elias Koteas, Romola Garai, Olivia Williams

Written by  Clive Dawson

Produced by  Michael Kuhn, Andrea Cornwell

Duration  98 minutes   

 

Dear Mom,

Well, I finally did it. I emigrated to Mars! I know you said I'd never do it, but here I am.

The problem with Hollywood was, you can't move for wannabe screenwriters. The competition was just getting too much. So, after I sold all my possessions except the clothes on my back (and my Macbook, of course!) I could just about afford a fifth-class ticket on the very first commercial transit to the Red Colonies!

As you can imagine, onboard living conditions weren't exactly the best. It was like being below deck on the Titanic, except no Leo – sadly! And we made it on time – no "Meteor, right ahead!" or anything like that! And yeah, I'm not living in the best digs now that I've arrived, either, although it's better than my old apartment in the North Valley, that's for sure.

I'll tell you one good thing about that space journey, though. Three months is obviously a lot of time to kill. And so the ship laid plenty of free entertainment on us, including a wide selection of movie theatres. So, you can guess where I spent most of my time!

And I thought, you know what, it's a great opportunity to do some research. Because, ma (and this won't surprise you much either), this whole time I've been thinking about my next screenplay project. I'm gonna write the definitive Mars movie! And wouldn't you know it – one of the theatres had a series of movies set on my new red home. Talk about a great chance to get inspired!

I tried to learn something from each one of those Mars movies, and, now I've set foot on red soil, compare it to the reality.

For example, they screened THE MARTIAN, that one with Matt Damon. Now, I know I'm not gonna get left alone here like he was, since there were more than 5,000 in my space cruiser alone and there's at least another dozen more of those besides.

And I didn't see any zombie types on the shuttle bus out to the colony, so we're not in a GHOSTS OF MARS situation, either! I had got the idea from TOTAL RECALL that Mars might be kinda dirty, with prostitutes and strip bars everywhere, but don't worry ma, it's nothing like that. Not the parts I've seen, anyway.

MARS NEEDS MOMS did have kind of a point, though. We do need to populate this place. I haven't had much of a chance to socialise yet, but maybe you'll someday be attending your first wedding on another planet? Would I have to wear a red tux?! But what Mars definitely doesn't need is any of the monster thingies from JOHN CARTER. Giant apes with two-foot fangs? No thank you!

I would say something about MISSION TO MARS and RED PLANET, but to be truthful, I can't remember which one was which. Instead, I wanna talk about one other movie, since it was only yesterday I watched it so it sticks in my memory, and also 'cause unlike the others, I'd never even heard of it before. It's called THE LAST DAYS ON MARS.

Liev Schreiber is a scientist type dude over on the ol' fourth rock from the sun. He's just out there (I mean, here!) drilling away into them red rocks they/we got everywhere. Liev and his handful of other drillers are coming to the end of their six-month mission, where they've been trying to get some samples or find something. You know – science stuff. 

So yeah, they're all cranky with each other: Liev and that guy Elias Koteas, who was Casey Jones in the original NINJA TURTLES movie, and also that British chick Olivia Williams, who was dead Bruce Willis's wife in THE SIXTH SENSE. And a bunch of other guys, all different accents, so a multicultural Mars – which is nice and all.

So alright, they're looking forward to leaving the planet and can't wait to return to the green lush of Earth. Haha, I hope that's not me in six months' time! Anyway, one of the scientists with an accent – I think he's German or French or Spanish, one of those European places, anyway – discovers from one of those 'samples' that there may be, like, alien life. But when he goes out to investigate he's mysteriously killed, and so his buddies have to find out what happened. And, you know, they start blaming each other and getting all paranoid, that kind of business. And next thing you know, they're all getting possessed and attacking each other.

Look, I'll level with you ma. When I saw this movie described as a 'horror/thriller' I got a bit concerned and I nearly didn't watch it. Like, I'm already on a brand new frickin' planet here. Do I really want to start making the place seem scarier than it already is? But I shouldn’t have worried. There wasn't much that was horrific or thrilling in THE LAST DAYS OF MARS. And you know what? It wasn't like them being on Mars even mattered to the plot or anything. It could have been out on an oil rig, or in Alaska (like THE THING) or, I dunno, the middle of Wyoming or somewhere.

OK, fine, there is a part where one of the crew who's gone nuts bursts into their science station and sticks a power drill straight into his buddy's chest. That scene was kinda cool. And then the British chick hits him over the head with a fire extinguisher. But mostly it's just people arguing. Arguing with spacesuits on. With the occasional glimpse at some reddish rocks through the window. Some of the characters live, most of them die. 

What are the survival chances for the biggest names in the cast, Liev Schreiber and Olivia Williams, you might ask? Do I need to point out an anagram you can get from his first name by swapping the last two letters, or tell you that 'Olivia' is often shortened to 'Liv'? (OK, full disclosure: I fell asleep before the end, so I'm just guessing. Maybe they both die horribly.)

Look ma, I gotta go. I've an interview tomorrow for the Mars Mining Corp first thing in the morning. Ha, might turn out that soon I'll be out there drilling for samples, like the poor guys in THE LAST DAYS ON MARS!

Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't have watched that flick yesterday, after all ...

Love to Dad,

Your son

Two stars out of five.

 

Valid use of the word ‘last’?  The ones that didn't make it certainly won't be setting foot on the planet again.

What would a movie called THE FIRST DAYS ON MARS be about?  Getting to know each other, team-building exercises, reserving spaces in the fridges. Those sorts of things.

Previously:  THE LAST EXORCISM: PART II

Next time:  LAST DANCE 

Check out my books:  Jonathanlastauthor.com