Color, R (mature themes, violence, language, sexual situations,), 92 min., VHS rental, DVD $24.99
DVD: no extras
Street: April 8, Prebook: March 18
First Run: L, Int'l., 2002
Cast: Mark Dacascos (The Brotherhood of the Wolf), Melissa Crider (Mulholland Drive), Tim Abell (Viva Las Nowhere), Kadeem Hardison (30 Years to Life)
Director: Gustavo Graef--Marino
FIRST LOOK
Story Line: Abused wife Tess (Crider) helped put her husband Jim (Abell) behind bars after discovering his grisly past. When he breaks out of prison, she hires a trainer (Dacascos) to teach her how to kill.
Bottom Line: At first quick glance, Instinct to Kill seems like a take-off on the recent J-Lo drama Enough, wherein a defenseless and attractive young woman learns how to kick ass, then goes about getting revenge on the man who did her wrong. However, this being a more down-market thriller not starring the ubiquitous Ms. Lopez, things get very nasty--the bad guy is fond of suffocating his female victims using plastic bags, and he even knocks off his own father. That's to say nothing of some very harsh domestic violence scenes, which won't thrill most women. There are only a few carefully choreographed martial arts scenes and a small erotic dash, neither of which will satisfy fans attracted by those respective genres. The best plan of action for this one is to place it next to Enough on the shelf, and hope someone pays attention. --Mayna Bergmann
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