Based on one of those trashy romantic novels single
women read on the train, Original Sin
actually has an interesting script and some unique
twists and turns, but too much bare flesh. The
R-rating is well deserved. Luis Vargas (Antionio
Banderas) is a mild-mannered 19th century Cuban
coffee mogul. He's a highly successful businessman
and has everything a man could want... except a
wife. The solution to this problem is therefore
solved by the nature of a mail-order bride. He
marries a woman young enough to have children
without the "complication" of love. His
soon-to-be-wife is arriving on a boat from America,
but no one disembarking matches the dowdy picture he
was sent. Waiting overnight, the following morning
he is approached by an exquisite beauty (Angeline
Jolie) who confesses that she sent another woman's
picture, because she didn't want a man who only
desired her for beauty alone and not the cleverness
of her mind. Her lies are forgiven in the light of
his own deceptions (he convienently neglected to
mention he's wealthy) and the two are married.
Wanting to show his new bride compassion and
kindness, Luis makes no advances and allows her
access to his bank accounts. After several weeks of
married life with this beautiful woman, they become
intimate and begin to fully fall in love. Julia is a
mystery. She loathes her older sister, who has sent
several frantic letters to inquire if she arrived
safely. She often smells of cigar smoke. Her beloved
little bird unexpectedly dies. She is affectionate,
pleasing, and charming... but has many secrets. Luis
sees her speaking with an actor at a theatre troupe,
but is too much in love to believe anything
dishonest of her. Then an investigator named Walter
Downs (Thomas Jane) begins nosing about. He's been
sent from America to investigate Julia's mysterious
disappearance. Luis is surprised at this development
but not overly concerned. He invites the young man
back to the house to meet Julia... only to find
she's gone. Her clothes have been packed up and sent
away, and the only thing left in his bank account is
a few dollars. His wife has taken him for a ride,
and now Luis wants revenge.
Together
with Walter, he begins to investigate, and learns
Julia is not the woman he thought she was... she's
an imposter who may be responsible for murder. Julia
in the meantime is playing a dangerous game. She now
has a husband on her trail who wants nothing more
than to put a bullet in her brain, and is fleeing
from someone far more dangerous from her past. When
the two lovers meet up again, sparks, tempers, and
romance fly as they attempt to unearth the truth,
shake off pursuers, and find true love amidst a
deadly game of murder, betrayal, corruption, and
blackmail. Most of the critics panned this as rotten
to the core, but Original Sin does have
several things going for it. The script is
believable without becoming overly sensational, and
does involve some interesting twists. The foreign
setting lends an air of exotic romance, while the
mystery unfolds at a reasonable pace with plenty of
malevolent little implications along the way. The
pairing seems unlikely. Jolie is more of a modern
player, but fits into the genre with surprising
grace. Her vixen good looks suit the smoldering
Julia, while Banderas plays an obsessive, infuriated
husband with reasonable believability.
The editing on this film is highly unusual. It's not
bad, but just different. The musical score is also
intriguing, with a distinctly Cuban flavor. With
some editing, it would be well worth watching a few
times just to enjoy the story as it unravels, but
unfortunately I cannot recommend it otherwise. The
production crew seemed to enjoy taking every
opportunity to exploit Angelina. Not only are her
gowns extremely low-cut and immodest, but there are
several instances of upper frontal nudity on her,
along with prostitutes in a local brothel. Her
"partner in crime" sexually harasses her a couple of
times, by putting his hand up her skirt, and
forcibly kissing her. It's implied she's raped by
angry gamblers (nothing shown). Julia and Luis take
a bath together, are shown in bed several times
talking (the sheet is low enough to reveal a little
too much of Julia) and engage in a graphic and
lengthy sex scene. We see Luis' backside several
times in one scene as he stands naked in the doorway
telling off a man who was trying to woo his wife. He
also visits a prostitute after his wife has left
him.
An
evil man makes various remarks about Julia, and
kisses her husband on the lips to infuriate him.
There are a few bad words (two abuses of Christ's
name, mild profanity) and some violence. Gamblers
beat up Luis and throw him down the steps into a
bloody heap before turning on his wife. A man is
shot and killed. Another deliberately drinks poison,
and vomits. Moral issues are also involved. After
killing a man, Luis experiences feelings of guilt,
but Julia tells him to put it behind him. It's done,
and there's no going back. Julia teaches him how to
cheat at Poker. The content really is terrible, even
on fast-forward, and smuts up an otherwise
fascinating movie. Both main characters are severely
flawed and yet likable. We empathize with Julia when
we know the entire truth and hope somehow she can
escape the situation in which she's placed herself.
With a little more restraint, Original Sin
could have been a wonderfully romantic costume
drama. It's more intent on provoking lust in
its viewers rather than exploring the subtle nuances
of its characters.
ORIGINAL
SIN
Together
with Walter, he begins to investigate, and learns
Julia is not the woman he thought she was... she's
an imposter who may be responsible for murder. Julia
in the meantime is playing a dangerous game. She now
has a husband on her trail who wants nothing more
than to put a bullet in her brain, and is fleeing
from someone far more dangerous from her past. When
the two lovers meet up again, sparks, tempers, and
romance fly as they attempt to unearth the truth,
shake off pursuers, and find true love amidst a
deadly game of murder, betrayal, corruption, and
blackmail. Most of the critics panned this as rotten
to the core, but Original Sin does have
several things going for it. The script is
believable without becoming overly sensational, and
does involve some interesting twists. The foreign
setting lends an air of exotic romance, while the
mystery unfolds at a reasonable pace with plenty of
malevolent little implications along the way. The
pairing seems unlikely. Jolie is more of a modern
player, but fits into the genre with surprising
grace. Her vixen good looks suit the smoldering
Julia, while Banderas plays an obsessive, infuriated
husband with reasonable believability.
An
evil man makes various remarks about Julia, and
kisses her husband on the lips to infuriate him.
There are a few bad words (two abuses of Christ's
name, mild profanity) and some violence. Gamblers
beat up Luis and throw him down the steps into a
bloody heap before turning on his wife. A man is
shot and killed. Another deliberately drinks poison,
and vomits. Moral issues are also involved. After
killing a man, Luis experiences feelings of guilt,
but Julia tells him to put it behind him. It's done,
and there's no going back. Julia teaches him how to
cheat at Poker. The content really is terrible, even
on fast-forward, and smuts up an otherwise
fascinating movie. Both main characters are severely
flawed and yet likable. We empathize with Julia when
we know the entire truth and hope somehow she can
escape the situation in which she's placed herself.
With a little more restraint, Original Sin
could have been a wonderfully romantic costume
drama. It's more intent on provoking lust in
its viewers rather than exploring the subtle nuances
of its characters.