Jade

Plot synopsis:
San Francisco Assistant District Attorney David Corelli (Caruso) is called to the murder scene of prominent businessman Kyle Medford, found bludgeoned to death in his home by an antique hatchet. Police detectives Bob Hargrove and Petey Vesko find photographs in Medford's safe of Governor Lew Edwards (Crenna) having sex with a prostitute, later identified as Patrice Jacinto. During questioning, Patrice reveals that she and other women were paid by Medford to have sex with wealthy men at his beach house in Pacifica. She also informs them that the most desired prostitute among the clients was a woman known only as "Jade."
In a private meeting with Governor Edwards and aide Bill Barrett, Corelli is warned not to make the photographs public. Corelli is then almost killed when his brake line is deliberately cut and his vehicle goes out of control while driving down a steep hill.
The detectives find fingerprints on the hatchet belonging to Katrina Gavin, a clinical psychologist and former lover of Corelli's who eventually married his close friend, defense attorney Matt Gavin. When interviewed, Katrina explains that Medford gave her a tour of his antique collection on the day in question, but claims to have nothing to do with his death.
At Medford's beach house, Corelli and the detectives find various drugs, alcohol, and sex toys as well as hidden video cameras. They conclude Medford was recording the sex sessions in order to blackmail the men. Corelli is shocked to discover Katrina on one of the tapes; the revelation renews the detectives interest in her as a suspect.
Patrice arranges to meet Corelli at a restaurant to discuss Jade's identity, but she is killed in a hit-and-run accident by an unknown assailant driving a black 1993 Ford Thunderbird. Corelli, witnessing the murder first-hand, chases the assailants' vehicle in vain. The detectives discover the Gavins own a similar Thunderbird and therefore suspect Katrina of killing Patrice, but when they find the actual vehicle used in the hit-and-run abandoned, it appears someone may be trying to frame Katrina.
Katrina is again brought in for questioning and this time is shown the sex tape. Matt, in his capacity as her attorney, ends the interrogation before she fully explains her involvement. When confronted at their home, Katrina admits to her husband that she did have sex with the man on the tape, due in part to her knowledge of Matt's many affairs.
Katrina visits Corelli at his apartment and tries unsuccessfully to seduce him. She admits having felt sexually liberated by sleeping with several men at the beach house. Meanwhile, the only witness to identify Katrina at the Pacifica beach house, a man named Henderson, is found murdered. Corelli informs the detectives at the crime scene that Katrina couldn't have killed him because she and Corelli were together at the time.
Back at his apartment, Corelli is met by Matt, who holds him at gunpoint and angrily accuses him of having sex with Katrina. He denies it and persuades Matt that his wife's life is in danger. They hurry to the Gavin home, where Det. Hargrove and Governor's aide Barrett have come to search for the incriminating photos of the Governor. Katrina interrupts their search and Hargrove tries to kill her, but Corelli and Matt arrive and Hargrove is shot by Matt.
Corelli goes to the Governor for a guarantee of Katrina's safety by leveraging his possession of the photographs. The Governor denies any knowledge of Hargrove's or Barrett's actions, but insinuates they were both acting on his behalf. As she gets ready for bed at home, Katrina finds photographs laid out in her bathroom of her having sex at the beach house. Matt admits to Katrina that he killed Medford, certain that Medford eventually would blackmail them both. He then tells Katrina to "introduce me to Jade" the next time they "make love".

Tags: psychological, mystery, neo noir, murder, violence, suspenseful

Review:
This film is great, obviously written before Showgirls was released (when the screenwriter's ego was still intact.) Between Joe's deliriously entertaining B-movie dialogue and Friedkin's rock-solid direction, I find this movie fascinating and fun, the only downpoint being the lackluster ending.
Jade has the greatest car chase I've seen in any film since the last time this director tackled one, and it's full of cute little references to the rest of his career.
While Paul Verhoeven filled "Basic Instinct" chock full of the sleaze he had become renowned for, Friedkin's films are notable for primarily dealing with male characters, and are subsequently about as erotic as as a bowl of cereal.
"Jade" is an enjoyable film, with delightfully silly twists and over-the-top violence (come on, you know you want to see Angie Everhart get run over again), and is given some class from it's cast and director, but, in the end, proves itself to be a guilty pleasure that makes one feel more guilt than pleasure..
I think the main reason I enjoyed it was the actors involved - Caruso and Palminteri were both very skilled (and surprisingly sexy - I hadn't found either to be that way in any roles I had seen them in previously, including NYPD Blue).
And as far as the comparisons to Basic Instinct, I see it as being about equal, suffering from the opposite problems as Jade; while the story was far more interesting the acting was pendantic at best.
There is a hung jury on whether or not I wasted my money!Two of the leading players, David Caruso "David Corelli" and Linda Fiorentino "Trina Gavin" look uncomfortable in every scene they do.
When David Caruso left east coast cop TV to make movies in Hollywood I imagine this by the numbers effort wasn't the sort of thing he had in mind.
"Body Count" also provides an opportunity to see David Caruso doing much better work.Perhaps fortunately, Chazz Palminteri and Richard Crenna seem completely at home with their roles of "Matt Gavin" and " Lew Edwards" respectively.
And it doesn't overstay it's welcome at a short hour-and-a- half.There are some stunning action scenes with cars hitting people, cars hitting cars and a long, wild car chase through a parade in San Francisco's Chinatown.My only complaint is the normal Liberal in-your-face bias that Hollywood always seems to show.
I've just come to except these modern-day film clichés and not let it interfere with my enjoyment of the film.Speaking of actors and characters, David Caruso and Chazz Palminteri are the two male leads I referred to in the previous paragraph.
It's a crude story at times (there was a NC-version available of this, as well), but it's very interesting start-to-finish, has some memorable scenes, nice San Francisco scenery and a nice soundtrack from Celtic singer Loreena McKennitt..
But now he's old and where he tries to be different here, he is instead just plainly bad...Tight close ups for no reasons, boring set scenes, saturated photography...the cast is decent but with such a trite script...the dialog is worse than trivial.Its only saving grace is an unintended one, and maybe with that meditation in mind this can actually become a good film: Because the grotesqueness, blandness and stupidity in the realisation and script of this film reflects the world of powerless unsexual morons acting all powerful and sexual.
Certainly this is a movie that seems to have been produced with the same market trend for erotic thrillers that were being made at the time , with the worst one being that one with Madonna and Willem Defoe The plot revolves around a murder and a senior DA is brought in and the main suspect is a femme fatale with dubious sexual tastes .
And being the sort of guy who makes notes of who the director is I couldn't help noticing that William Friedkin is the guy who made THE FRENCH CONNECTION a film famous for a car chase .
The first is that Linda Fiorentino is very well cast as Trina Gavin who just oozes an understated smouldering sexuality , she's far better than than Sharon Stone in BASIC INSTINCT and a million miles better than Madonna in BODY OF EVIDENCE .
San Francisco ADA David Corelli (David Caruso) is attending a ball with friend Matt Gavin (Chazz Palminteri) and his wife, David's former love, Trina (Linda Fiorentino).
He shows the usual skill with car chase scenes, but doesn't make this story coherent.***** Jade (10/13/95) William Friedkin ~ David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino, Chazz Palminteri, Richard Crenna.
The only problem is, William Friedkin is not Paul Verhoeven, Linda Fiorentino is not Sharon Stone, David Caruso is not Michael Douglas and Jade is a very bad clone of Basic Instinct.
I'm not one of those people that thinks that Caruso is a bad actor, but I certainly don't think that he is big enough from a TV show to open a film, and if I, as a casual film fan can figure that out for myself, then why can't powerful movie executives?
Of course there is the "surprise" ending that will just "shock" you as much as Sixth Sense ( yeah right!!!!!!!!)  Jade is a really bad film and it is not worth your time.
The film does have an impressive pedigree, having been directed by William Friedkin, and starring Chazz Palminteri, Linda Fiorentino as well as a pre-CSI: Miami David Caruso.
Another bright spot was a well-filmed (but ridiculous) car chase through San Francisco, but it wears out its welcome once they hit Chinatown and the movie almost literally comes to a halt.
Director William Friedkin is on auto-pilot with this silly retread of "Basic Instinct", however the dynamics of the plot tend to draw you in against your better judgment.
Friedkin's porny scenes (which played havoc with the film's rating) walk that cinematic line between being necessary and just being exploitive (see "Lipstick"...and just about every movie written by this film's screenwriter, Joe Eszterhaus).
It's like Joe Eszterhas picked up his old "Basic Instinct" script and simply started changing some of the characters names and added or changed just some few situations.
The car chases and crashes are really spectacular like you could expect from director William Friedkin, the guy who brought us "The French Connection".
Given that this film came out around the same time as Showgirls, I still wonder why people are so surprised that it more or less killed David Caruso's career.
The only reasons why Basic Instinct is as tolerable as it is are because Eszterhas kept his ego and his misogyny somewhat under wraps, and the direction of Paul Verhoeven, who had already done a much better version of that story in the form of De Vierde Man. Without the first of these elements, Showgirls was unsalvageable (you have to wonder how can a writer this obsessed with sex hate women that much).
But without both elements, Sliver and Jade somehow managed to make most X-rated porn films look like works of art.I thought the point of a sex thriller was to entertain by teasing the sexual appetite of the audience.
David Caruso's character seemed more suited to a career as a pimp or porn film director, because he certainly didn't seem to give a damn about the case he was working on or who was affected by it.
And even the Mad Max films had better-simulated car chase scenes than that!
Jade was very jumbled and difficult to follow but I will say that it does have one of the most imaginative car chases ever film, a la William Friedkin.
***SPOILERS*** Overly plotted and totally confusing thriller that has assistant D.A David Carelli, David Caruso, on the hunt for those who brutally sliced up and murdered a serial blackmailer who got way over his head in those he was blackmailing.Found cut to shreds in his mansion among his very expensive antiques, mostly from the Orient, Kyle Medford, Ron Ulsatd, sleazy and secret life as a master blackmailer hit the front pages of the local as well as national newspapers.
This doesn't sit well with Trina's husband high powered defense attorney Matt Gavin, Chazz Palminteri,who feels that Corelli is using Medford's murder in making a play for his wife.
Getting the goods on the unsuspecting John's Medford would film them in action and use the photos and video tapes to blackmail them.The movies disjointed storyline has Corelli uncover a plot to blackmail the states top executive Governor Gov. Lew Edwards, Richard Crenna, by having him photographed in action with a hooker at Medford's beach house.
And it's Corelli, by sticking his nose into the matter, who's next on the killer or killer's hit list!The film "Jade" was so badly mishandled by its director William Friedkin that its screenwriter Joe Eszterhas tried to get his name off the movie's credits.
As for the film's star David Caruso it ended his promising, after the far more superior "Kiss of Death", movie career and had him slip back into where he came from doing TV police shows.The movie did have an exciting car chase all over the streets docks and at one point smashing through a Chinese Parade in the Chinatown Section of San Francisco that reminded me of that legendary car cases that Friedkin directed in "The French Connection".
Being set in San Francisco, it is of course obligatory for a film to have at least one scene which involves a car chase in some context.
The one that is an actual car chase, is a very exciting scene - with some very good filmmaking showing quick decision making by the character.If there is one place that Jade doesn't deliver the goods it is in the ending (and that's not a good place to not deliver the goods).
Unknowing to the person who at work might bring violence to the job without knowing it.Thus creating a non-cautionary behavioral attitude as one who does not stand out but just as a ordinary worker.But the violence that this person may manifest would be slated as Hysterical Blindness in it's True Form.I found this Movie not to be another "Basic Instinct" but different in many ways.
I have seen this movie many times as Linda Fiorintino in a spellbinding of her superb acting ability as that of a Leading Actress and that her Performance Up-staged the Leading Man played by Actor David Caruso.I would rate this as William Friedkin Directed Film Upwards of "The Exorcist' I rate this film as an 8.4.
A brilliant Directing from the Master behind The Exorcist.As a newcomer to the movies from T.V. David Caruso plays the Cool but sensitive assistant D.A. Donna Murphy plays David's Love Interest as the Actress that delivers her talents as being next to the leading lady but does not take away the charm from leading actress Linda Fiorintino, well cast as the leading actress who relays the two views of a woman.i found the movie with its theme music by Loreena McKenett as fitting to follow the plot as a blackmailers life ends the murder mystery begins.
Who actually killed this mysterious man, the movie has good actors and a quite believable Plot.
Jade maintains enough coherency to keep us involved, and director William Friedkin avoids overselling the sex factor (which was the mistake Paul Verhoeven made when adapting Joe Eszterhas' previous script, Basic Instinct, and also Showgirls).
Jade just happens to be the darker end of the street.I liked Basic Instinct on a real simple level.
There's nudity abound and the flick features the mandatory car chase sequence, but caught between Caruso's mug and an oral sex scene we get a rather flimsy story.
Caruso does alright, but it seems leaving NYPD Blue might not have been the plum career move he thought it was and I felt bad for Richard Crenna and Michael Biehn who would be better off doing a sequel to Rambo or Navy Seals, respectively.If you want to take in a viewing of Jade go ahead and do so.
The story is lame, Caruso's character is not developed at all, and Fiorentino is a monotonous mope throughout.If you go back and watch Basic Instinct, you will be appalled at how similar the plots are in these two films.
Another thriller which borrows from "basic instinct" -af if there were something to borrow there- ,wich accumulates cardboard characters ,clichés,show off and a lot of "risqué" scenes.I've never liked Friedkin's films ,not even the so-called masterpieces such as "l'exorciste" -I had a good laugh watching it.He even remade Clouzot's "le Salaire de la Peur" !One must take risks!
An exotic atmosphere in a desirable mansion is the main asset of a movie which blends sex galore,cars chase (in the "Bullitt " tradition" ),politics,animals' rights ,lectures on the basic instinct (by Linda Fiorentino),and the de rigueur "ambiguous" ending..
Jade was made, I'm assuming, to cash in on Basic Instinct's success , they are after all similar movies by the same people.
In it, a cop (David Caruso) investigates the brutal, ritualistic murder of an art dealer, and finds the murder weapon has the fingerprints of his former lover (Linda Fiorentino), a beautiful psychiatrist who is married to his friend, a powerful, corrupt lawyer.
William Friedkin is a great director and makes up for Eszterhas's poor writing with the stylish direction which made him famous with The Exorcist and French Connection.
Friedkin excels at building up suspense and whilst Jade is not the best film in the world, it certainly has the audience biting their nails at some points throughout.Linda Fiorentino also puts in a tremendous effort to raise the standard of the film.
Like Fiorentino, Biehn makes up for bad dialogue with his physical acting and upstages Caruso every time they share the screen.The car chase scene starts off fantastically in pure Friedkin style but is then halted to an almost standstill by a Mardi Gras festival.
The actors involved are all at their most intense during this scene and the sense of desperation is overwhelming.William Friedkin and the cast could not save this film from mediocrity.
I bought this movie because it features Linda Fiorentino's infamous sex scenes.
But "Jade" is more of a Thriller with brains and lots of action.The car chase scene is truly great and is one of the most memorable moments of the movie.
"Jade", written by Joe Eszterhas and directed by William Friedkin, is a supremely sexy and intense murder mystery soft-core porno.
But it all surprisingly works thanks to fine actors and a well thought out script."Jade" is UNRATED for strong aberrant sexuality, nudity, graphic violence and gore, and for profanity.NOTE:  Jade is available in an R Rated cut that omits some sex, nudity, and plot structure, and in an UNRATED versions that runs twelve minutes longer..
Jade rides high on style, that I so much appreciated, with powerful performances by all, and a tight script, a puzzle if you will, you'd like to dissect, again open ended like Instinct, followed by a shock admittance, but may'be it's the sleazy elements, over the top/sick if stylish violence, and some unsavoury characters that bring it down.
I can't find myself to rate it higher than the score I've given it, although deep down, as a fan of Eszterhas's writing, (I love every movie I've seen, that he's written) Jade is a guilty pleasure.
Despite being directed by William Friedkin, who here reprises his knack for car chases, and being a detective thriller full of very edgy scenes of kinky sex, Jade is a dud at its core.
The second car chase of the film, wherein Caruso is desperately tailing a mysterious and murderous black car, is a very stressful little set piece, and keeps the audience's attention better than it was before.You see, I think where the problem lies is in the writing.
David Caruso didn't do a bad job and Linda Fiorentino was nice to watch, but that isn't enough to save this movie.
The characters are shallow and unlikable, the plot makes no sense, the chase scenes are well done but contribute nothing to the story.
Old pro director William Friedkin did the best he could to turn this gobbledygook script into a movie.
A polished, sleazy tale(..did you expect anything less from writer Joe Eszterhas)about an assistant to the District Attorney with the Homicide division, David Corelli(David Caruso, who isn't the weak link here), who finds that the number one suspect of a hideous hatchet murder{to a very wealthy man, Kyle Medford)is a friend of his.
I feel Friedkin should've used a different actor to play the real killer, but can see why this person was cast..there's an animal in him that is often showcased in other films that needs to be driven home in this movie.
The acting is excellent by all the actors, the car chase scene was great, the creepy / dark ending back in the house from the very beginning of the movie was great as well.
Both films are mainly set in San Francisco and are scripted by Joe Eszterhas; his story this time is partly predictable (there is one famous actor who doesn't appear to have much of a role, so you can tell they're saving him for something big at the end) but still sufficiently twisty-turny.
As far as the governor is concerned, "Jade really rocked his world".Pictures found at Medford's beach house show Trina Gavin, played by Linda Fiorentino, having sex with a man.
Corelli is troubled by these revelations as he has had a previous relationship with Trina before she married his friend, Matt Gavin played by Chazz Palmintiri.Like currents in a pudding, car chases and sex scenes are studded throughout the story.
Go away.It was nice to see Donna Murphy and Angie 'I really wanna Direct!' Everheart in a movie together I suppose, but overall-you can really do without this.Jade is said to have killed David Caruso's career.