Genres

Visitors Review

Ken Hanke 2012-05-24 16:50:29

So-so Whoopi comedy-thriller. There are worse things and she's made some of them.

Janet Maslin 2012-05-24 14:15:41

The wisecracks and the swaggering are as unrelieved as the film's almost comically ecstatic gunplay. Someone must have figured audiences like things this way.

moonspinner55 2012-05-13 20:20:53

Whoopi's mere presence is reassuring, but film itself is a minefield...

Director Tom Holland attempts to bring the "Whoopi Goldberg capercomedy" into a new era by adding more serious, dramatic content, drugsand violence. The picture ends up being a murky hybrid of differentstyles, with Goldberg cast as a cop in Los Angeles tracking down anarcotics ring dealing in killer drugs (isn't that redundant?).Sub-plot romance between Whoopi and fellow cop Sam Elliott never getsoff the ground (mainly because Holland keeps most of this story-threadoff the screen), while Goldberg tosses in a few sassy asides toreassure us she hasn't become Dirty Harriet. The end result showsdefinite signs of post-production tinkering, and very little of it issuccessful. *1/2 from ****

Newsense 2012-05-13 11:24:20

Not so fatal

Whoopi has been in plenty of good films and a very little bad films.Fatal Beauty is not a bad film but it's not the best Whoopi can giveyou. I loved Jumpin Jack Flash but this movie doesn't have the appealthat Jumpin Jack Flash did. Fatal Beauty is still worth a look despiteits flaws.Plot: Fatal Beauty is in reference to a drug that kills its userswithin a few hours of its use. Whoopi Goldberg plays Rita Rizzoli, acop who constantly goes undercover to find crooks and bust them. Shestumbles unto the lethal drug called "Fatal Beauty" one night during abust and is bent on finding out who is supplying it. She has to put upwith a corrupted millionaire who she believes is in on the wholeoperation and his bodyguard Mike Marshak(Sam Elliot) who is attractedto her.Opinion: Fatal Beauty has its share of positives as well as negatives.Positives: Its funny(even though the laughs are sometimes sporadic),there are serious moments in the movie that sometimes work(like Ritarevealing why she does what she does), the action scenes are decent,and the movie as a whole is a decent watch. Negatives: The laughs aresporadic, there is no chemistry between Whoopi's character and SamElliot's character(hell, there is more chemistry between Boris andNatasha of Rocky and Bullwinkle than these two), Sometimes there aremore unintentional laughs then genuine laughs, sometimes the moviefeels like a Beverly Hills Cop knockoff(Rita gets so deep into a casethat it costs her her job just like Axel Foley). Other than that thismovie is still worth watching. Its far from the best movie that Whoopihas been in but its also far from the worst(Theodore Rex and Burglar).Its still worth being in your Whoopi Goldberg collection.

2012-05-13 01:31:25

Whoopie and Billy = two good movies

This review is from: Fatal Beauty (1987) / Running Scared (1986) (Totally Awesome 80s Double Feature) (DVD) You can relax and enjoy Whoopie and a great supporting cast and Billy Crystal is always a sure bet for a good laugh.

DeeDee-10 2012-05-12 10:36:26

Whoopi whips it up

Rita Rizzoli (Whoopi Goldberg) is going to put the drug king out of businesswho is producing a deadly drug that's killing people off at an alarmingrate. The drug king's top security man, Mike Marshak (Sam Elliott), takes ashine to Rita, although we aren't sure why. I spent the entire film thinkinghe might be an undercover cop -not so. Had it been any other actor besidesElliott I think this flaw might have prevented the film from beingbelievable. But Elliott, and his cool, understated style just swept me awaywith his obvious attraction to Rita. There are some very moving moments,some frighteningly real back alley scenes of drug dealings and shootoutafter shootout. I didn't know what to expect with this film, and was hopingWhoopi would sail with it. She did!

jasonbartworks 2012-05-07 12:40:16

One of the VERY BEST Whoopi Films!

This film is fantastic, containing action, comedy and drama. Typical80's style (i.e: Beverley Hill Cop style). Its good to see a comedianbased actress playing parts both funny and serious. If you are a WhoopiGoldberg fan, you will not be disappointed.Alongside Whoopi, Sam Elliott (Mask, Road House) plays a good guy onthe wrong side and the chemistry between him and Whoopi shows verywell. What makes a good film is when two different styleactors/actresses bounce off each other in a positive way.Also includes the brilliant actor Brad Dourif (Child's Play). Neverfails to play an excellent bad guy. Not going to give much away in this review as you can tell, because themovie speaks for itself... However, if you enjoy a good action filmwith a side of humour, without all the 'star wars' special effects...Fatal Beauty should be on your list!

Roger Ebert 2012-05-07 09:40:56

Goldberg's best work since The Color Purple.

frank68 2012-05-03 20:58:02

Cher not Whoopi

Cher was supposed to play this part and left to be replaced with Whoopithat is probably why this is an odd film. She(Cher ) and Sam Elliottbecame friendly doing the film "Mask" and wanted to work again. Forsome unknown reason Cher left at the last minute. Whoopi was "hot" atthe time(box office wise) and was offered the part. She should haveturned it down. Although she is a good actor,to use her for a part thatwas tailored for Cher is a bit silly. Proof,once again, that Hollywoodproducers can make some strange decisions. These events becomelegendary.Marlon Brando for the "Sundance kid". Thank God cooler headsprevailed.Or,Robert Evans fighting for Alan Delone for the part ofMichael in the "Godfather"

Andrew L. Urban 2012-05-03 07:38:38

Whoopi Goldberg is at her sassy, funny best in this upbeat 1987 cop caper, playing a Los Angeles detective who takes no nonsense and is ready for anything the badass guys can dish out

Fiendish_Dramaturgy 2012-04-29 03:30:55

Witty, But Gritty Knock-Down, Drag-Out, Shoot-Em-Up Cop Flick!

Fatal Beauty has the advantage of allowing Whoopie Goldberg to bounceher keen and cutting wit off Sam Elliott's straight and penetratinggaze. The action is bone-crunching gang-banging blended with South ofthe Border stylized gun battles, Corporate money, and big drugs.I particularly like this one for Sam Elliott's prominence. He portrayshired muscle for a corporate big wig, who has no idea what his boss isup to. He also has a hint of a love interest with the star, and I foundthat delightful. His down to earth personality is perfectly cast, andwittingly executed.This one always surprises me.It rates a 7.8/10 on the Buddy Cop Scale from...the Fiend :.

Jonathan Rosenbaum 2012-04-29 00:11:48

Tom Holland directed from a script and story credited to three individuals, anyone could have knocked this one out during coffee break.

Chuck O'Leary 2012-04-26 05:09:40

A lackluster Beverly Hills Cop rip-off.

leilanibz 2012-04-25 08:34:35

Decent movie to watch

Enjoyable movie, albeit a bit violent for my liking. Whoopi showssentiment and goofiness at the same time. She and Sam Elliot are an oddcombination tho, but it seems to work. Whoopi plays a drug cop who madesome poor choices as a young mother. She is attempting to pay backsociety for her mistakes by being a caring cop. She tends to be thebutt of the department, but her devotion to her job is endearing. SamElliot is self-righteous and not entirely believable, I mean, who wouldbe a body guard for a drug baron and then for a drug cop? Just a bit ofa stretch. Still, the movie is better than middle. Bottom line - Iwouldn't rush out and buy the DVD, but I do enjoy watching it when itcomes on TV.

Clint Morris 2012-04-22 05:15:27

what night's rubbish night again?

Scott Weinberg 2012-04-21 17:53:24

Whoopi's a cool lady, but she's done a lot of stunningly awful movies. This is (easily) one of the worst.

2012-04-21 03:26:52

Fatal Beauty/Running Scared

This review is from: Fatal Beauty / Running Scared (Double Feature) (DVD) Whoopi Goldburg at her best, good actress. This movie is very funny and holds your attention. If you like comedy..you'll love this

Marko-30 2012-04-20 15:10:28

This is even worse than I expect!

Goldberg-movies in generally are not so good and I have accept that butthis is too much. This movie is in my short list of terrible movies. Ijustcan`t understand why they do so stupid movies like this. Whoopi is notfunny, period.2/10

2012-04-19 14:02:30

Fatal Beauty/ Running Scared(Double Feature)

This review is from: Fatal Beauty / Running Scared (Double Feature) (DVD) I am very pleased with the vidio that I received. I have watched the one a couple of times already. I am also happy with the other movie. I also received the vidios in a timely fashon.

bob the moo 2012-04-19 11:00:08

Beverly Hills Flop (some spoilers)

Rita Rizzoli is an undercover cop working in the narcotics section. When ajob goes sour she loses her lead on a high ranking middleman she suspectsdeals for `legitimate' businessman Conrad Kroll. When the same guy turns updead later that night in what looks like a large raid on a drug deal sherealises that Kroll may have other players involved. When the same drugstarts turning up cut into a lethal mix Rizzoli confronts him but finds thatanother group may be responsible. Rizzoli continues her investigation buthas the help of Kroll's chief of security who has been assigned to keep aneye on Rita.Clearly designed as a vehicle to do for Goldberg what the Beverly Hills Copmovies did for Eddie Murphy, this sees the traditional mix of wise crackingcop and action mixed up in a plot that scores as few points for logic as itdoes for originality of genre. The plot seems to barely keep moving forwardand feels like it was added to on a scene by scene basis rather thandeveloped as a story – hence whole scenes just lead to other scenes in avery disjointed way. Also it asks us to accept a lot of big plot holes aswell as some things that are just plain silly (businessman Kroll coming intoa gunfight and pulling out on Rizzoli even though she has nothing onhim!).The film has dated badly and feels very 80's. The original Beverly Hills Copmay be 80's as well but it is good and hasn't dated so badly – this film isvery much of it's time and is full of clichés that typify the period. Theaction is very basic and there is no real tension at any point, this was asurprise considering there is a 15 minute shoot out at the end which surelycould have been done with much more suspense rather than just shooting uplots of extras. Aside from this the film adds an almost unnecessary stringto it's bow by including the romantic subplot with Mike. Now the fact thathe doesn't suspect his boss does anything wrong, the fact she lets him getclose and the way he always seems to turn up in the nick of time, suggestedthat the film could really have done without him. He isn't around longenough for the romance to really develop and I just assumed it was a way tobring the film into the `mismatched bickering partner' stable that was verypopular at the time.That said, Elliott does do quite well in the role – he has an easy charm andthe two stars do have some chemistry going on. Goldberg works hard with thewisecracks but really the material isn't there for her to do anything with. Her style of exaggerated clowning doesn't really fit with the hard edgeeither turning this into more of a standard thriller than an action comedy. Brad Dourif is on form as the bug eyed drug dealer, he has little screentime but makes a good impression. Yulin is a by-the-numbers bad guy thatthe film doesn't even know what to do with once it creates him (hence thelazy dispatch he receives). Blades is comical but underused.Overall this has dated quite badly and is probably only of interest to realfans of Whoopi Goldberg. Compared to the film that that this is clearlytrying to emulate, Fatal Beauty is low in excitement, low on laughs, low onplot logic and sadly lacks it's own style. A fatal combination that almostkills off the film.