dale-51649
Basically a couple of high school BFFs take a post grad trip to Thailand and meet a cute guy from Australia. He's a sleaze, but so are they. They end up both throwing him one, in sequence, within hours of meeting the lucky dude. Turns out he is not only using them for sex, but also for reasons more dangerous.This film would have been better as a spoof. There is one line that is sort of its pivot point, when Danes says "I wasn't that scared in jail, I''ve had worse hair cuts". They should have taken it from there and gone with the obligatory GIRL FIGHT:' Picture this : Beckensale " :shut up , clown nose, get your own man" Danes : f"stuff it, you pompous pixie nose Brit., without famous parents you'd be making BBC infomercials with that half sis of yours". Then they could spin round and round with a handful of hair. It could have been a slap stick bonanza, and they should have seized the day.Instead they go down the old movie of the week path, violins and all. The story is also sort of confusing, where its tough to tell who knew what when. Did they know about the drugs? Did one? Did both help plant it? I don't know if that is intentional, or if it's just bad writing. They also left you "hanging," literally, when it came to the "lesbe friends" overtones. Oh sure, Danes was pretty aggressive in some scenes (yikes), but they missed a golden opportunity to go anywhere with it.
paulispinel
This movie was so much better than I expected. Towards the end i was foolish enough to think that it'd have a happy ending and that they would get out and blah blah, but the real ending had to happen, the cruel reality and it was the only way out for Dar, since it was pretty clear that neither of them would get free. I also enjoyed and appreciated the acting.A journey into Alice and Dar's friendship, two teenage best friends that just wanted to have fun but things didn't come out as planned. I was crying like a baby at the end. It is a powerful, sad and unfair one but maybe, it was the right thing to do, like Alice said. I wish it was longer, or had some sort of sequel. A truly touching movie about true friendship and I highly recommend it!
Dragoneyed363
Where should I begin with how much I cherish and praise this absolute masterpiece? Let me start off with how I came upon it; I remember it perfectly. I was staying the night at my sister's house one night, and it was after she and my nephew had fallen asleep that I had watched a few films already and still really had nothing better to do, but was not going to sleep any time soon. I was sorting through her DVD collection, searching for films I had not seen before, and luckily enough stumbled onto this film. I had never heard of it, and though this might sound crazy, I felt drawn to the film. I mean, I really loved the cover, and I really love a lot of Asian themed films, and so I read the brief description on the back of the case and decided it sounded decent enough to pass the time. Since it had Claire Danes, who I love in every movie she has been in, except maybe Romeo + Juliet which I had not seen at the time, I decided it would be entertaining. Giving this movie a chance was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life, and I am not exaggerating. It is simply perfect, flawless, in my opinion, in every way possible and fully deserves any positive recognition it receives, plus all the other recognition it should have received and should be receiving now.First of all, it is executed so much better than any other film I have ever seen, and was so beautifully crafted and put together with perfect performances and poignancy that it makes my head spin. I was so entranced in the story and I am amazed at how perfect I believe this movie to be. It is sheer brilliance from beginning to end. It has the perfect atmosphere of intensity and brilliance that keeps me entranced in it from the get-go. The performances are perfect. Claire Danes does wonderfully as Alice, and her splendid portrayal was perfect with enough sincerity and an amazing climax scene that goes down as my favorite scene in cinema history. Kate Beckinsale is perfect, and her character, while annoying some reviewers, did not annoy me one bit. Bill Pullman is perfect, and I have never really cared for him at all. Jacqueline Kim is perfect. Lou Diamond Phillips is perfect. I could list the entire cast, but I am sure you get the point I am trying to prove by now.It has an excellent plot with authenticity and pain, rending the viewer helpless to submit to every kind of emotion they intend you to submit to. I love how it unfolds; them wanting to have a more memorable vacation by going somewhere exotic, meeting and becoming infatuated with Nick Parks or "Skip", and then how they are thrown in jail for heroin that neither of them claims to know how it got into their luggage, and their lives are slowly turned upside down on a vacation that was supposed to be their last great time together. It is so achingly beautiful. I love the whole backstory at the beginning, and it immediately clicks with me and I know these two girls' lives and traits, which is why I care for them so much throughout the entire remainder of the film. It inspires sympathy in the utmost manner for them. Nothing is superficial or played out about it, because the way it is told is like everything is fresh and new to our senses. It is grotesque without being violent, it is heartbreaking without being depressing, and all the material you think is irrelevant is revealed as being important pieces of the puzzle little by little.All the troubles and faults that go on in the prison make me pull my hair out and grit my teeth. The cruel inmate that causes Alice to be punished, the failed escape, the cockroach in Darlene's ear. Those poor girls; I wish I could help them. It is not as violent as it could be, but it did not need to be to berelevant. I know this is sometimes compared to A Midnight Express and Return to Paradise, and a few other drug-smuggling in foreign regions films, but I can assure you, in my honest opinion, none compare to the brilliant execution and poignancy of this magnificent work of art. The soundtrack is even perfect as well. I love "Rock the Casbah", "Silence", "Damaged", "Party" and then "Deliver Me" is positively beautiful, and a perfect song choice to an absolutely wonderful ending, which brings me to my next appraise. I am baffled by the movies last minutes. The best climax/ending in cinematic history, and the most effective, in my honest opinion. The movie's ending made me cry my eyes out, but the song just added on to the tears. There is the cliffhanger that just makes this movie even more amazing. You never know if Alice did it or if she didn't, you just know she did what she had to do set her friend free in the end, and after all, that's all the matters, is it not? All of this does not even begin to explain how perfect I think it is. It is extremely underrated, not winning one award and is hardly conversed about in today's film society, and a hidden gem for anyone who has seen it and loved it. It is a beautiful, perfect movie with a powerful message and incredible entertainment value. It has been my favorite movie for awhile now, and I believe that I might not find another movie that I love as much as it anytime soon.I know my comment may be a little cheesy, but I mean every word... Two thumbs way up!
