Review of Killing Me Softly

Introduction

Killing me Softly, as well as being a song by Roberta Flack, is a film starring Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes, which never even made it to the US box office. Instead it opened here in the UK in summer 2002, to a very frosty reception from critics, being slated by many and picking up plenty of "so bad it`s good" comments.

Like many other people I suspect, this film passed me by last year so I thought it was time to check it out. Was it unfairly pulled to pieces or just another turkey ready for roasting?

Video

An excellent 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, as you might have come to expect from a film that didn`t do a lot at the box office - these films always tend to look good on DVD. The film was shot on location in London and Cumbria, but for once you don`t get a look at the bits of London that always make it onto celluloid - the film paints a slightly different picture. The Lake District scenery is great - Tarn Hows looks good on film.

The transfer is free from blemishes and it all looks just great.

Audio

A very good DD5.1 soundtrack is on offer here. This is not a booming and banging all action summer blockbuster, but there`s still a good soundtrack. There are a lot of ambient effects which have you looking around the room to see where the pigeon just landed. It does its best to add atmosphere to the film.

Dialogue is always clear and audible and locked on to the centre channel except when necessary.

Features

We only get a trailer (but in widescreen with DD5.1 sound), and it`s blighted by a cheesey voiceover man. We also get a 4 minute featurette, which is just some very brief interview footage with clips of the film mixed in.

Conclusion

So, a film unfairly pulled to pieces or a turkey ready for roasting then? Well I found evidence of both. Billed as an erotic thriller, it doesn`t really live up to its billing on either of those counts. There`s lots of sex, and a few thrilling moments, as well as a quick outburst of extreme violence, but just as you think that it`s about to deliver it lets you down. As for the performances of those up on screen, Natascha McElhone definitely steals the show from the 2 leads.

The main problem problem is that the story plods along a bit, and jumps around from one obvious thriller scene to another. Our heroine discovers something secret in a cupboard - will she manage to hide the fact that she`s been rummaging around in the cupboard before the man reaches the top of the stairs (where the cupboard is)? Fans of the original novel might like to steer clear of the film too, since the story strays away from the book quite a bit.

There are a few twists and turns along the way (but you might spot them coming), as well as the odd red herring. At the end of the day it`s probably worth a rental as you could do much worse.

Why is it that films that bomb tend to end up with DVDs like this one (with good picture and sound)? Whilst the DVD is good technically it would be nice to have seen some more extras.

Rent, but don`t get your hopes up.