Review of Masquerade

Introduction

Rob Lowe and Meg Tilly star in this thriller that in an earlier age would have been extremely Noir. Ambiguity is the name of the game throughout as the audience is kept pretty well in the dark about the motives of at least two of the main characters. Director Bob Swaim tries his best to deliver a Hitchcockian experience, but character inconsistencies make the final result more of a Hitchcock-up.

Shot in bright, somewhat windswept fashion with a photogenic cast, the movie is set in the wealthy Long Island yachting fraternity. Lowe plays Whalan, a yacht-sailing gigolo after the fortune of pale and mousey billionairess Olivia (Tilly). His inveigling his way into her life is viewed with suspicion by the local cop (Doug Savant) who is also smitten with her. A bigger threat to her fortune and wellbeing is her wicked stepfather Gateworth (John Glover). The relationship between Whalan and Olivia is complicated after he kills her thoroughly wicked stepfather in a confrontation over the lovers` sleeping arrangements.

Ultimately unsatisfying, this movie will probably only appeal to Rob Lowe fans who might want to switch off before the last couple of chapter points. Kim Cattrall fans might also be interested to know she gets her kit off big time.

Video

Presented in anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1, the movie is shot in a style that was it not for the widescreen aspect of the picture, I kept expecting Angela Lansbury to pop up to solve the case. You know how Murder She Wrote is photographed? You`ve got the look of this movie.

Audio

Again, MGM supplies a movie with a bog-standard Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround soundtrack. As that`s most likely what the movie was originally released with, and the picture would gain little from a more spectacular sound mix, it`s satisfactory.

Features

Subtitles, but nothing else.

Conclusion

A competent little thriller, but nothing to write home about. Few of the characters are what they appear to be (in an attempt to emulate Hitchcock), but the heroine is a little too wet to engage the audience`s emotions.