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Laramie Movie Scope:
Never Talk to Strangers

Whodunit? Who cares?

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
[Strip of film rule]

October 31, 1995 -- ``Never Talk to Strangers'' is the latest Antonio Banderas vehicle. ``Desperado'' never made it to town, so the only thing I've seen him in lately is ``Assassins.'' Now ``Assassins'' is not a great film, but it looks pretty good compared to ``Never Talk to Strangers.''

Banderas stars as a mystery man, Tony Ramirez, who comes into the life of psychiatrist Dr. Sarah Taylor (Rebecca De Mornay). The two become romantically involved and then come a series of murders and attacks.

Who did it? Was it the sleazoid father who sexually molested Taylor when she was a girl? Was it Cliff (Dennis Miller), the jealous guy who lives in the same apartment, or is it Ramirez?

The answer to the mystery was a surprise to me, but I didn't find the answer very convincing. It seemed very contrived and unrealistic. The story leading up to the conclusion wasn't very compelling either. I had the same problem with this film as I had with ``Jade.'' When you finally find out who the killer is, you really don't care. The acting is O.K. in the film. De Mornay tries hard in a thankless role. Banderas has a good screen presence, but that won't save him unless he starts getting better scripts.

Here's an example of the dialogue, ``The Buddhist's have a saying. If you meet your master on the road, kill him.'' Doesn't sound like any kind of Buddhism I ever heard of. There is a very raunchy sex scene between Banderas and De Mornay that seems quite vulgar and demeaning for both of them.

It is surprising the film is only rated ``R.'' I give it a D.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)