JADE (1995 - MYSTERY / THRILLER) ***1/2 out of *****
(Now that's my kind of psychologist...)
CAST: David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Biehn, Richard Crenna, Donna Murphy, Angie Everhart, Kevin Tighe, David R. Hunt.
DIRECTORS: William Friedkin
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and some rather unorthodox shrinks with very interesting extracurricular activities - straight ahead...
IT'S LIKE THIS: If the movies are any indication, then San Francisco is one kinky-ass city. BASIC INSTINCT (review # 81) was set in Frisco and revolved around Catherine Trammell, a bisexual mystery writer (Sharon Stone) with a double-degree in Psychology and Literature. Catherine's latest mystery novel featured a murder scene that basically predicted the way one of her fuck buddy's was soon murdered himself. Catherine became the prime suspect, but she basically beat the rap by fucking the brains out of the investigating detective, Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) - literally. Nothing like several dozen orgasms to trigger a massive IQ drop in your basic Male Mind.
Now, in our latest review, we meet Catherine's soul sister, Dr. Katrina Gavin (Linda Fiorentino). Imagine if Catherine stopped dying her hair blonde, and had actually used her Psychology degree to become a respected San Francisco clinical psychologist and bestselling self-help author, instead of a mystery writer. Then picture her leading a double life as a mysterious brunette named "Jade" - who, apparently, is so good in the sack that men are literally dying for the chance to fuck her. That is basically who Katrina is, folks: Catherine Trammell: only with better, shinier hair color. Hey, Katrina what conditioner do you use?
Anyhow, Katrina's secret life as Jade comes to the fore when one of her acquaintances, Kyle Medford (Ron Ulstad) is found in his mansion, chopped to bits by an African ceremonial hatchet. Ambitious, driven SF prosecutor David Corelli (David Caruso) is assigned to the case and quickly finds out Katrina's prints are all over the hatchet used to kill Medford. David also learns she was the last person to see the victim alive when she visited his mansion the day he died. Apparently, Katrina and Medford had a business meeting involving museum art pieces, during when he showed her the hatchet - which she, um, handled. I'll bet it wasn't the only thing she handled. Ahem.
Anyhow, Katrina maintains she didn't kill Medford, and that he was alive when she left him. It helps her case considerably when David finds out Medford had a habit of blackmailing high-powered figures like, oh, the Governor of California. It seems Medford had set up hidden video cameras in his beach house outside Frisco, where Governor Lew Edwards (Richard Crenna) and others would go to have illicit trysts. Did the Governor or someone close to him kill Medford for the tapes? If so, is Katrina actually innocent, then?
But then David and his SFPD colleagues discover a lead: a redhead named Patrice Jacinto (Angie Everhart) who appears in the video with Governor Edwards - and claims to know all about "Jade." Apparently, Jade was a hot commodity to the Governor and a lot of other men who were also nuts about her. Patrice tells the cop that this mysterious raven-haired chick just might be the key to the mystery, after all. And if Jade is really Katrina, then what other secrets about Medford, the Governor, and tapes does she know?
This is what David sets out to discover. Unfortunately, it turns out that he and Katrina used to be college sweethearts - and now she's married to his best friend, Matt Gavin (Chazz Palminteri). Talk about awkward. I'd hate to be a fly on the wall at their next get-together. Things take a turn for the worse when Patrice gets mashed by a black '92 Thunderbird (the kind of car Katrina drives) in broad daylight. It seems that anyone who might lead David to Jade gets killed off pretty viciously. What is it about this chick?
So... is Jade truly Katrina's alter-ego? And if so, why would a smart, successful, married clinical psychologist lead a double-life? Does Matt not satisfy her? Or is Katrina exercising her right to be just as sexually-adventurous as a man? And what happens when the Governor's murderous flunkies start thinking Jade might have damaging information on their boss? Will they have to kill her? And if so, does that mean that they have to kill Katrina? Or is Katrina/Jade really behind the whole thing? Just like her soul sister Catherine Trammell? And what about David? Does he still love Katrina? And does her secret identity as Jade actually turn him on? Will he cross over to the dark side? How will this kinky merry-go-round end?
Hopefully with a really awesome afterglow and a cigarette. Oh, yeeeaaaaahhhh....
BUT, SERIOUSLY: Joe Eszterhas, the screenwriter of BASIC INSTINCT, is back in familiar territory with JADE. We have the same lush, sleek San Francisco setting. We have the same complex murder-mystery involving skeletons in some very high-placed closets. We have the same seductively elusive woman at the heart of the puzzle who is either a deadly killer or a potential victim. Even their names are similar (Catherine, Katrina). And, just like BASIC INSTINCT, JADE is not afraid to take a look at the darker side of sensuality, revealing lurid undercurrents within a seemingly classy environments and its individuals.
BASIC INSTINCT was a huge hit and made Sharon Stone a star. Her role of Catherine Trammell was iconic and riveting. In essence, Stone as Catherine owned that movie, stealing the show from everyone without really trying - including her co-star Michael Douglas. Whenever Catherine was onscreen, she electrified the room with her presence. Whenever she wasn't, you could still feel her aura like a ghost - and couldn't wait for her to show up again. Stone delivered a perfect performance: alluring, formidable, and seductive, yet also keeping the audience firmly at a distance. You could understand why Nick Curran, Douglas' character, would be drawn to her despite his better judgment.
In JADE, Dr. Katrina Gavin is a similarly enigmatic character. Unlike Catherine, though, Katrina is a lot more vulnerable and fragile. Stone was considered for this role, but she wisely didn't take it because it is too close to Catherine. Linda Fiorentino, fresh off her success as the Catherine-like (but even more ruthless) Bridget Gregory from THE LAST SEDUCTION (1994) was cast instead - and she's a great choice. You would've expected Fiorentino to make Katrina as icy and steely as Catherine and Bridget. Instead, she chooses to emphasize the character's softer side. It actually works well for the film because you are never quite sure if Katrina is manipulating David, Matt, and the other male characters to protect her secret identity as "Jade" - or if she is truly a victim of circumstance and her own weakness. The truth is, I like JADE and Katrina a bit more than BASIC INSTINCT and Catherine. Primarily because Fiorentino shows more or Katrina/Jade's humanity.
David Caruso brings his usual dignified intensity as David Corelli, the public servant swept up into this deadly mystery filled with people far richer and more powerful than him. Of all Caruso's film roles, this is one of the best. Chazz Palminteri is fine as Matt Gavin, the high-powered lawyer who finds out the hard way just how little he knows about his wife. Richard Crenna, Michael Biehn, and Kevin Tighe are all solid as the film's ostensible baddies. Donna Murphy and Angie Everhart, round up the female support - with Murphy a nice, no-nonsense presence as Karen Heller, David's confidante on the SFPD.
In the end, though, this movie belongs to Fiorentino, the same way BASIC INSTINCT belonged to Stone. Katrina/Jade haunts the movie, even when she isn't onscreen, the same way Catherine did in BASIC INSTINCT. Ultimately, JADE is both a character examination of a complex, mysterious woman, as well as a handsome, twisty mystery that reminds us even the most beautiful things have dark sides. Like BASIC INSTINCT, it leaves some questions unanswered. Some folks may not like that. However, let's not forget that sometimes the best mysteries are the ones which leave you hanging a little - and remain just a little elusive. Much like Jade herself...
