Lawbolisted Powerful

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

guil fisher Hard to believe so many liked this awful flick. Plot was usual stalker stuff, no surprise there. Stalker being an unattractive teeny bop-per who chases her teacher, a typical LMN leading man that is clueless to all around him. Sir, this bimbo is killing people all around you. This is so unreal as to believability. People missing and two detectives are going around trying to trace a fire years back. One by one this homely bitch does away with her competition. Won't tell you who although I'm tempted just so you won't have to sit through this trivial.Doesn't the neighbor realize their son is missing? That no one sees the grandmother around, etc, etc. Rose McGowan was dreadful and far from attractive for this viewer to believe anyone would want her even for a conversation. Dressed to the nines in short skirts and bras, she's supposed to be a turn on to the guys. Doesn't seem to do her much good. Alex McArthur as the teacher unfortunately had to deal with a stupid plot and equally stupid actress. J C Brandy as his girl friend did much better and brought some reality to force. Peg Shirley as the grandmother was so overacted you had to laugh at her. All others were lost in a losing movie with a loser playing the leading lady. Forget it.

The_Void If you've seen more than a handful of thrillers, you will almost certainly have seen this plot line before; it's just the basic stalker theme only set in a school. This idea has been used in many movies previously, and was also the main theme in the excellent 'Wild Things' that was also released in 1998. Devil in the Flesh is a very low key film and actually feels like a TV movie at times; yet despite this, it does at least manage to stay entertaining enough for it's ninety minute duration, which is quite an achievement when you consider how unoriginal it is. The plot focuses on a young girl named Debbie Strand. After her parent's house burns down in mysterious circumstances, she is sent to live in a different town with her religious grandmother. She also has to start a new school and gets that same locker every new girl in American school gets (the sticky one that needs a man to come over and punch it). Anyway, it's not long before she starts to develop a crush on hunky English teacher Mr Rinaldi, and she'll stop at nothing to get what she wants.I have to admit that I have a track record of enjoying low key thrillers like this one, and for what it's worth; Devil in the Flesh is not too bad. It does suffer from a poor script that fails to flesh out it's central characters properly and doesn't contribute a logical narrative, so at times the film just seems to jump from one thing to next without a lot of cohesion. There's also a fair few clichés on display too, which is somewhat annoying and tiresome. On the plus side, the acting is rather good. Rose McGowan was one of my main reason for tuning in and she does the bitchy weird chick thing very well. Starring opposite is Alex McArthur as her crush who also performs well in his role as well as well as Peg Shirley as the overbearing grandmother. The plot moves along at a steady pace for the first half and gets going properly in the second, albeit a bit too fast at times. There's a twist towards the end which is both highly predictable and very unbelievable. Overall, this is a long way from brilliant; but it has a few good elements and there's worse films of this ilk out there.

zephyrho This is one of the most inspirational films I have ever seen. Never before have I seen something on film that was so honest and true to life. It almost felt as if I were watching my own life unfold on screen. Rose is wonderful, and this film marks one of here greatest moments in her career. The story is filled with realistic passion, lost in a lot of todays movies. For some reason it has gone almost unnoticed. The subject matter rings true as the story progresses into an amazing story of a woman's desire to survive, and gain what is truly hers. Rose is one of the greatest actresses of her generation and This movie must not be missed.

caa821 I hadn't seen this movie in the nearly 10 years since issued, and only caught it by accident. A friend's wife is a fan of Rose McGowan, and had recorded it. I saw it with them while visiting, and was frankly fascinated.The young lead actress whacks more people - family or romantic rivals - than Pesci and his cohorts in "Goodfellas," or the typical button-man in the Corleone family.The loopy, religiously-fanatical grandmother is beyond belief, even knowing that such religious nuts are out there. However, few could ever be this singularly-minded without a trace of humanity whatever. But most fascinating to me, after looking-up the lead actress, with whom I was completely unfamiliar, is her real-life versus this portrayal.Although a high-schooler here, with some admittedly great social problems, in actuality the actress was in her mid-20's, and then in a long-term relationship with, of all people, Marilyn Manson.Of course, actors frequently play characters younger or older, and different from their actual personas. In fact, this is perhaps the essence of "acting." However, in this instance, it stretches credibility beyond the limits (she's actually old enough to have completed high school, obtained a Ph.D. and already spent a couple of years in the workforce). But this simply adds to the fascination of this deliciously trashy presentation. The supporting characters add to the proceedings: the handsome jock pursuing her carries his football with him, and the insignias on his letter jacket would indicate an athletic prowess on the order of Jim Thorpe's - but he comes across like one of the nerds from "Happy Days," but with a more evidenced libido towards the flick's anti-heroine; the two detectives appearing throughout are amiable dunces, a quality not unknown for cops in this genre; and the teacher/hunk is somewhat laconic and a little clueless, also not an unknown quality among "Lifetime" leading men.Nonetheless, Rose deserves high praise and some sort of award for this portrayal. She displayed more diversity and skill with a wide variety of weaponry, and dispatched her targets with more efficiency, and Stallona did as Rambo, in "First Blood." And she made Sly's character seem almost restrained by comparison.