Movie Review: Tempted (2001)

Genre: Neo-Noir  

Director: Bill Bennett  

Starring: Burt Reynolds, Saffron Burrows, Peter Facinelli  
Running Time: 95 minutes  

Synopsis: In New Orleans, construction magnate Charlie LeBlanc (Burt Reynolds) wants to test the loyalty of his much younger wife Lilly (Saffron Burrows). He hires carpenter and aspiring law student Jimmy Mulate (Peter Facinelli) to seduce her in exchange for $50,000. Charlie also retains a private investigator to spy on Lilly and Jimmy. The loyalty test spirals into murderous intentions, resulting in violence.

What Works Well: Saffron Burrows does her best to try and create a mysterious, alluring, and scheming femme fatale, while the sex scenes between Lilly and Jimmy carry some heat.

What Does Not Work As Well: The attempt to create a modern noir in a steamy New Orleans milieu is appreciated, but almost nothing here works. The problems start early with cheap-looking production values and barely coherent motivations for Charlie, suffering from a vague ailment and wanting to "test" his wife, and quickly disintegrate into inexplicable desires for murder. Director and writer Bill Bennett skips key context scenes and character-building essentials, and throws in a dumbfoundingly unrelated high profile and barely investigated murder subplot, complete with throw-the-body-in-the-river-and-hope-for-the-best improvisation.

Key Quote:

Charlie (to Jimmy): Now what I'd like you to do...is I'd like you to take a run at my wife.

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