Red Letters

Story Line: Widowed college professor Dennis Burke (Coyote) has a weakness for women, including Lydia (Kinski), a convicted murderer, and Gretchen (Balk), the dean's daughter. When Burke's computer whiz coworker (Piven) helps Lydia escape prison, Burke discovers she's not the innocent woman she claims to be…

Bottom Line: The first half of this engaging yet confounding film is an on-target erotic thriller, with an emphasis on the consequences of the professor's affairs. At the mid-point, however, the sexy mood is interrupted. As the story's murder mystery speeds up, the dramatic aspects give way to farce, nose-diving until they crash into a scene with an uncredited Pauly Shore being threatened by pet snakes--don't ask. Despite the unsuccessful mix of genres, the film remains afloat thanks to energetic performance by Coyote and the presence of the always radiant Kinski. The two performers are a stronger selling point than the film's mix of romance, sex, mystery, intrigue and laughs. --Buzz McClain