Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The_Void Larry Cohen has made some good films over the course his career. The films are mostly within the realms of the low budget horror sub-genre, but his films tend to be a cut above the norm. The likes of It's Alive and Maniac Cop stand up as the best films he's made to date. As his career moved on, however, it's evident that he didn't find it as easy to get work, hence this film; a made for TV thriller calling itself 'As Good as Dead'. No, it's not a description of the director's career at the time that this was made, but a thriller about a woman who, after loaning her insurance-less friend her medical insurance card, finds herself in trouble when said friend dies on the operating table. This puts our protagonist in a lot of trouble as she is, by all intents and purposes, dead to the world. However, it would seem that there's more to this story than meets the eye, and so she decides to take the identity of her dead friend while she gets to the bottom of the life-ruining riddle put in front of her.After about twenty minutes of boring character building (boring because the characters are boring), the film really starts and despite it's poor quality - and obvious TV fodder - production values, the film actually isn't that bad. It's rather routine, and although it's categorised as a 'thriller', the film low on shocks and thrills; but the plot moves nicely and engages you enough so that you care what's going to happen (which is more than what can be said for some highly acclaimed films). It's obvious throughout that the film was made for TV, and that's not a good thing as it gives it a very low quality feel. The acting isn't very good, but it's not terrible either. Crystal Bernard is fine at first, but as her character encounters change; she looks out of place. This is good on one hand, as that realistically expresses what her character would be like that situation; but on the other hand, it doesn't make for very good viewing as far as the audience is concerned. It's obvious that Judge Reinhold rates himself higher than he should be rated, and there's an underlying arrogance to his performance that shows that. Traci Lords doesn't get to do much, but as you'd expect for a porn star; she looks good doing it. On the whole, this isn't really worth seeing - but if you do catch it, at least it isn't awful.

james davies first of, i only watched this film because Judge Reinhold was in it... i was pleasantly surprised to find it was a reasonably good way to waste an hour an a half before going to sleep... although the plot is about as transparent and as one-dimensional as Traci Lords, the twists were relatively good... even if I found myself watching just to find out if I had predicted them correctly... the ending could have had a bit more action... a bit to easy and abrupt... the acting wasn't exactly Oscar-winning stuff (except for Reinhold of course) but it was good for a made-for-TV movie... as soon as I saw him I figured he'd be the mysterious brother, but the more I watched the more unsure I became... then he simply admits it for no real reason. excellent stuff.

Theo Robertson You know not to expect too much if you know if a film playing late on BBC 1 is a TVM but AS GOOD AS DEAD did at least have actors who have appeared in relatively successful mainstream movies , and even if you don't class Traci Lords as a mainstream actress at least you've got an opportunity to see what she looks like with her clothes on ! Saying that this telefilm has a very exciting premise of what happens if an act of kindness goes astray leading to all sorts of terrible fall-out . As a couple of people have already mentioned this would have possibly worked much better as a cinematic release or failing that a thriller made by HBO . Unfortunately seeing as it's marketed more for woman who have no interest in what's on the mid week sports channel the TVM pulls its punches But it's the lack of credibility that ruins the potential . Okay Nicole just happens to bump into Susan outside a nightclub and they become instant best friends so much so Susan lets Nicole have an operation via her medical insurance . This is one of those plot setting sequences where the audience aren't supposed to think about so that can be forgiven since most movies have this type of pre-destination , for example think how the alien from ET just happens to be found by Elliot the only friendly human he's likely to meet on Earth . But what is far less easier to forgive is the way Susan reacts to the situation or the way other people react to Susan who despite having no money or access to money can afford bus and taxi fares around town . Susan shows photos of people in a hospital and sits down at a computer but no one ever gets suspicious about her behaviour or motives , and if Nicole was able to walk into any club or attend any party doesn't that mean she has a large network of associates ? If so how come no one seems to have noticed she's disappeared . Perhaps the most unlikely aspect ( IMHO ) is that while Susan is shown at the start of the movie as being a conservative dresser she then has no qualms about dressing like a slut later on . Would a woman who wears trouser suits be the sort of person who wears thigh lengths boots and a belt masquerading as a skirt ? Yeah I know you've got to turn off critical facilities when you're watching this type of telefilm but these plot twists are irritating if not unconvincing , and what makes it worse is as I previously stated is that the premise itself showed a lot of promise

watt1975 If you are a cult addict like me, you'll love this film. This movie is from the same director who did the 70's cult film "Bone" (which i highly recommend). I love strange, cheesy, campy movies...And this is definitely one of them. If i wanted something serious or mainstream, I'd go rent a Julia Roberts film (that's if I could stand her). This movie is not to be taken seriously and it's pure enjoyment from beginning to end. Not a dull moment. Plus, Traci Lords is in it... how could you not expect it to be a campy movie? I'm waiting for this one to come out on DVD to add to my cult collection.