I am a *big* fan of James Spader; I think he's done wonderful work and his acting is superb. He does a very impressive job in _Bad Influence_ as the milquetoast Michael. I laughed at him a couple times because I felt and empathized with his awkwardness.
Rob Lowe does a surprisingly good job as a sociopath. His laughing is well timed and his complete lack of fear (mostly) gives his character more depth.
Christian Clemenson is *great* as Michael's brother. I found his character delightful.
And yet And yet I kept asking myself: "Isn't this thing over yet?" It just didn't draw me in. I found the story highly unbelievable in that the relationship between Michael and Alex isn't very strong. Granted, Michael is a natural follower and not a leader, like Alex, but the things Michael accepts about Alex are overwhelming and don't seem in-line with his morals. Moreover, what created this great bond between them? It's not explained and that left the movie feeling hollow to me.
(I feel like freaking Roger Ebert here; I thought the movie was great because James Spader is an excellent actor and he's easy on the eyes. However, it kinda sucked because it failed to keep my attention and I could see no reason why Michael followed Alex)
Rob Lowe does a surprisingly good job as a sociopath. His laughing is well timed and his complete lack of fear (mostly) gives his character more depth.
Christian Clemenson is *great* as Michael's brother. I found his character delightful.
And yet And yet I kept asking myself: "Isn't this thing over yet?" It just didn't draw me in. I found the story highly unbelievable in that the relationship between Michael and Alex isn't very strong. Granted, Michael is a natural follower and not a leader, like Alex, but the things Michael accepts about Alex are overwhelming and don't seem in-line with his morals. Moreover, what created this great bond between them? It's not explained and that left the movie feeling hollow to me.
(I feel like freaking Roger Ebert here; I thought the movie was great because James Spader is an excellent actor and he's easy on the eyes. However, it kinda sucked because it failed to keep my attention and I could see no reason why Michael followed Alex)