When I picked this movie out of the sale bin I wasn't really expecting an undiscovered gem, but what a fascinating cast.
Like a number of other reviewers, possibly also male, the fact that it starred Nastassja Kinski was almost enough reason to buy it. However it also starred Rudolf Nureyev and that sounded interesting. Also on board were Harvey Keitel and Ian McShane, while further down the cast list was Aussie, Ron Randell in his last movie, and even Bibi Andersson of Ingar Bergman fame. "Exposed" was definitely worth risking $4.99.
Of course, buying movies just for the stars is as dangerous as buying them just for the special effects – usually it's like a snack full of empty calories – for proper nourishment; a movie needs a good story. Not that "Exposed" doesn't have a story, it actually has too much story, and it's a pretty whacked one.
It's full of ideas that miss the mark, and it's hard to follow. I had to rewind the movie more than once to come up with even a brief summary.
Elizabeth Carlson, played by Nastassja Kinski, leaves a Mid-Western college where she has been having an unhappy affair with one of her professors, Leo Boscovitch, an unsympathetic character played rather flatly by James Toback who also wrote and directed the film.
Arriving in New York, Elizabeth is discovered by fashion photographer, Greg Miller played by Ian McShane – he sees a great future for that sultry look. She becomes a famous model, and attracts the attention of Daniel Jelline, Rudolf Nureyev's character, a man committed to hunting down a deadly terrorist named Rivas. Daniel also happens to be a world-renowned concert violinist.
After following Daniel to Paris, she finds that he has set her up as a lure for Rivas, played by Harvey Keitel. Rivas is obsessed with her from photographs in magazines – thankfully he hasn't created a 'mad wall' with the photos in the best tradition of movie psychos. Elizabeth is in love with Daniel and goes along with his plan. Rivas gets to spout his terrorist philosophy before events come to a head with a shootout on the banks of the Seine.
In the end, it's too contrived and too talky; the terrorists may as well have been vampires for all the sense it makes.
There is one long scene with Nureyev and Kinski that eventually leads to modest exposure in the bedroom. It's a chance to compare them. According to IMDb he was 1.72m tall and she was 1.69m tall, although in the movie they look about the same height – it could be a case for "Celebrity Heights". He was older, but they were almost a male and female version of the same look – killer cheekbones, smouldering sensuality, hooded eyelids, great lips, a touch of petulance plus accents. They both had lithe bodies and feline grace – after all, the year before she was a sexy cat-person in the otherwise deadly remake of "Cat People".
Both performers are low-key. She is good; he is bad – his performance is almost a throwback to silent cinema, maybe he never got over playing Valentino. Anyway, Nureyev will hardly be remembered for his acting.
Toback, who had a self-confessed gambling addiction in real life, takes chances with his movies. When he gets it right, such as the screenplay for "The Gambler", he creates a movie that stays with you. Unfortunately "Exposed" is one that doesn't.
Like a number of other reviewers, possibly also male, the fact that it starred Nastassja Kinski was almost enough reason to buy it. However it also starred Rudolf Nureyev and that sounded interesting. Also on board were Harvey Keitel and Ian McShane, while further down the cast list was Aussie, Ron Randell in his last movie, and even Bibi Andersson of Ingar Bergman fame. "Exposed" was definitely worth risking $4.99.
Of course, buying movies just for the stars is as dangerous as buying them just for the special effects – usually it's like a snack full of empty calories – for proper nourishment; a movie needs a good story. Not that "Exposed" doesn't have a story, it actually has too much story, and it's a pretty whacked one.
It's full of ideas that miss the mark, and it's hard to follow. I had to rewind the movie more than once to come up with even a brief summary.
Elizabeth Carlson, played by Nastassja Kinski, leaves a Mid-Western college where she has been having an unhappy affair with one of her professors, Leo Boscovitch, an unsympathetic character played rather flatly by James Toback who also wrote and directed the film.
Arriving in New York, Elizabeth is discovered by fashion photographer, Greg Miller played by Ian McShane – he sees a great future for that sultry look. She becomes a famous model, and attracts the attention of Daniel Jelline, Rudolf Nureyev's character, a man committed to hunting down a deadly terrorist named Rivas. Daniel also happens to be a world-renowned concert violinist.
After following Daniel to Paris, she finds that he has set her up as a lure for Rivas, played by Harvey Keitel. Rivas is obsessed with her from photographs in magazines – thankfully he hasn't created a 'mad wall' with the photos in the best tradition of movie psychos. Elizabeth is in love with Daniel and goes along with his plan. Rivas gets to spout his terrorist philosophy before events come to a head with a shootout on the banks of the Seine.
In the end, it's too contrived and too talky; the terrorists may as well have been vampires for all the sense it makes.
There is one long scene with Nureyev and Kinski that eventually leads to modest exposure in the bedroom. It's a chance to compare them. According to IMDb he was 1.72m tall and she was 1.69m tall, although in the movie they look about the same height – it could be a case for "Celebrity Heights". He was older, but they were almost a male and female version of the same look – killer cheekbones, smouldering sensuality, hooded eyelids, great lips, a touch of petulance plus accents. They both had lithe bodies and feline grace – after all, the year before she was a sexy cat-person in the otherwise deadly remake of "Cat People".
Both performers are low-key. She is good; he is bad – his performance is almost a throwback to silent cinema, maybe he never got over playing Valentino. Anyway, Nureyev will hardly be remembered for his acting.
Toback, who had a self-confessed gambling addiction in real life, takes chances with his movies. When he gets it right, such as the screenplay for "The Gambler", he creates a movie that stays with you. Unfortunately "Exposed" is one that doesn't.