What it reminds me of is other cases where Cinematographers, like John Bailey here, try their hand at directing. Andrzej Bartkowiak (Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Cradle to Grave) comes to mind. They have a great feel for how things should 'look', but not so much a sense of 'story'. So, they tend to be formulaic in their approach to plot. And it almost always turns out to be something the audience has seen plenty of. Their career as a director usually fizzles fairly quickly. There are exceptions, like Barry Sonnenfeld, but even with him I'd argue he had two really good movies (Get Shorty, Men in Black) and lots of fluff.
As opposed to actors and writers who turn to directing. Their sense of story is very strong, and the chances of long term success is greater. Eastwood, Mamet, Schrader, Helgeland, Gibson, Costner (well, Kevin actually fizzled), it's a pretty substantial list.
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13 years ago
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gregmays
13 years ago
>>much cooler & intelligent than 'body heat'<<
To be fair to 'Body Heat' though, you have to consider the times. In 1981, nothing fresh in this vein had been done since 'The Postman Always Rings Twice', and 'Double Indemnity' in the 40's.(both novels by James Cain, interestingly)
I think the case can even be made that the remake of Postman in early 81 is what inspired Kasdan to come up with a fresh take on the subject. The Postman remake was done as a period piece, and was much less successful than Body Heat.And, BH has stood the test of time. It's still revered as a classic. Kasdan is considered a great director, and that reputation starts with Body Heat. Followed shortly by 'The Big Chill'. The contrast in those movies shows his range.
China Moon, in this discussion as well as others, has always been seen as derivative.
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