Guilty as Sin (1993) - Director: Sidney Lumet - 7/10 - Not gonna lie, I liked this one a lot. Not sure why people dislike Don Johnson as an actor. He might’ve been an ass in his private life, but he was a fairly gifted performer and he is really at the top of his game here. He plays a psychotic womanizer accused of murdering his wife. He engages in a twisted cat-and-mouse game with his lawyer who is supposed to defend him in court, but as more time elapses, she feels she can no longer trust her client and grows increasingly apprehensive of him. Undoubtedly not one of Lumet’s best efforts, but it’s definitely far from being really terrible.
Shattered (1991) - Director: Wolfgang Petersen - 6/10 - An expertly executed piece of nonsense. It tries to emulate or pay tribute to the legacy of Hitchcockian filmmaking, but the way action is resolved leaves a lot to be desired. Nonetheless, it’s well pieced together and its technical nimbleness and competent acting are probably the elements that keep this thing afloat and prevent it from becoming a nonsensical debacle of a motion picture.
Disclosure (1994) - Director: Barry Levinson - 5/10 - “Pure and simple trash masquerading as significance.” Wew Gene, I guess I need to give it a look then. Well, it was definitely fun to view, but there is something to what Siskel says. While the premise itself ain’t bad at all, the film gravitates more towards trashy side of things and never fully explores the nature of corporate shenanigans in depth. The whole intrigue constitutes more of a glossy veneer that functions mostly on a purely decorative level rather than comprises a meaningful hub of the story. That is not to imply that it’s not there, but the script never genuinely taps into the potential the initial premise offers, remaining content with Moore gallivanting around and giving Douglas dirty looks. The flick is likewise somewhat anti-climatic in the way it’s structured which also introduces several problems: the final revelation of the collusion lacks punch and the corporate connivance feels more like an afterthought rather than an irreplaceable heart of the tale. The motion picture also lacks a firm narration that could underpin the intrigue. The showdown featuring a VR with some amusingly cheesy CGI is hilarious and clearly denotes the time when it was made.
Cohen and Tate (1988) - Director: Eric Red - 4/10 - It’s got a very interesting concept at the center of its story, however, the script doesn’t really take it anywhere. It’s more of a meandering kind of drama that regrettably suffers from both the irritating-kid syndrome and all kinds of asinine action truisms. If you’re in a mood for this kind of film, you’re better off viewing or re-watching Cani arrabbiati instead. Scheider is the best thing about the whole venture, but even he can’t redeem this uninspired piece of shite.
Deceived (1990) - Director: Damian Harris - 5/10 - The only thing that makes this one stand out is Heard’s electrifying performance. It’s easy to predict what’s going to happen next and its shocks are too conspicuous for anyone who has seen more than two or three movies of this kind. Regardless of its predictability, the execution is perfectly adequate and that paired with the excellent acting by Heard makes the movie worth a look in my estimation.
Descending Angel (1990) - Director: Jeremy Kagan - 5/10 - Instead of trying to make the most of the dramatic potential this sort of script offers and depict the struggle to atone for one’s atrocious misdeeds, it unfortunately veers in the conspiratorial direction with predictable results. The Parallax View it ain’t and most of the time, whenever the director tries hard to endue the whole affair with this conspiracy thriller edge, it all falls flat and looks quite pitiful to be perfectly honest, which makes itself painfully apparent particularly during the denouement. With that being said, the movie remains moderately engrossing by virtue of its somewhat unusual cultural setting which sets it off from the rest of similar movies. The cast is nothing to sniff at either and the acting is another feature that makes it enjoyable in a very perfunctory fashion.
A Kiss Before Dying (1991) - Director: James Dearden - 5/10 - Dillon’s acting flair is probably the only component that prevents the movie from sucking big time. Okay, the execution in and of itself isn’t too bad either, but it’s nothing exceptional at the same time. The most evident issue here is Sean Young’s acting. Not sure what went wrong, as she’s not that much of a terrible actress, but her performance here is way too stiff and way off for some odd reason. Also, let me quote Ebert, he is spot on here: “her character seems to know too much of the story; she has a detachment that’s not appropriate, a way of seeming to know, like we do, what the real outcome is going to be. It undermines the concern we feel for her.” Likewise, the way it slavishly enshrines and flaunts its Hitchcockian influences is both amusing and exasperating. Yes, we get it, you’re well-versed in classic films, whoo, so classy.
. There does seem to be a modern push for chimpanzee “personhood” 
