Lies and Illusions
starring Christian Slater, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Sarah Ann Schultz, Christa Campbell, Robert Giardina and Al Madrigal
written by Eric James
directed by Tibor Takacs
Rating: ◊◊◊◊◊
Called “Cross Game” in Japan Lies and Illusions is another spy double-cross plot. It’s the worst film I’ve seen recently. I’ve see some bad movies that still had something redeeming about them, like being funny. But this film wasn’t even that. Slater’s character reached for humor, but the disappointing effort. The thing about Christian Slater’s acting is that he is never believable. Ever. I guess what I mean to say is that I don’t think much of his acting. Lies and Illusions is badly edited, badly written, badly acted and just plain dumb. The two leading female characters look and act like soft porn actresses who have managed to get into a mainstream commercial picture - you know, the dumb kind of porn that tries to present a story rather than just straightforward fornication. Of course, I might be being too hard. After all, what do I know about acting, screenwriting and filming? I’m sure it’s tough. But I know what I like, and I can spot cheap production.
Cuba Gooding Jr. was this film’s best feature, and I rented it mostly because of him. Gooding plays a smuggler who is stalking a former female employee who embezzled $10 million worth of his diamonds. The woman is the fiancé of Wes Miller (Slater) a writer who knows nothing of her secret life. She fakes her own death and then returns after a year, still trying to recover the diamonds she stole. Wes doesn’t have a clue what’s going on. I don’t blame him.