On S List of Movie Reviews

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Stiletto Dance (2001)

Rate: 6
Viewed: 1/21

1/21: Stiletto Dance is a trashy Russian mob mess of a movie that's actually not terrible.

Eric Roberts headlines the cast and is the primary reason to see it. During the first thirty minutes, I was thinking, "What is he doing in this?" Then, his performance got better, and things started to make sense in terms of why he decided to do it in the first place.

Romano Orzari may look miscast, but his character offers a newbie perspective that counteracts his experienced teammate's line of thinking which gives the film a good dimension. In the mold of Hans Gruber and Charles Rane, Shawn Doyle plays one of the most formidable adversaries I've seen in a while with a strong acting performance to boot. It's comical that he changes his suit every time there's blood on it.

Often naked, Lucie Laurier provides a romantic subplot which is ultimately thrown away after her character's husband is killed. I was asking for more than that. Hence, it's been the story of the film: parts that have gone unfulfilled. Speaking of Laurier, the tagline of the movie poster reads: "When you're undercover with the Russian mob, the last woman you should be caught with...is the wife of a brutal mob killer." But that's not what Stiletto Dance is about...far from it.

The funniest thing is I don't think there's a single Russian actor among the cast; it's been mostly Canadians with some Americans. While the script is okay, there are two bizarre monologues: one at the beginning and the other by Binky. Attempting to sound hip and cool, they make no sense whatsoever.

All in all, Stiletto Dance needs more work.

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