Cherry Crush (2007)

Powerful

Great Film overall

Excellent but underrated film

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Over the last 60 or 70 years or so, quite a few writers and directors have done the feckless guy meets grasping femme fatale flick (with put-upon good girl who has the guy's back, of course).Fred McMurray and Barbara Stanwyck did this much better, in the 1940s. Skip this waste of time and celluloid, and watch the original. Better photography, better dialogue, better performances. And no poorly done voice over from a leading man who is barely fit for an infomercial gig. This guy Tucker makes makes Randall Batinkoff look like Robert DeNiro.If you must see a recent murder movie with the aforementioned bad girl and not quite as feckless guy, watch "The Invisible". At least Levieva and Chatwin put some effort into the proceedings.

Most people will look at this and see a film noir rip off of epic proportions. It is easy enough to make such an argument, no doubt about that. Indeed, Cherry Crush is a collection of all the film noir clichés, but there are two reasons why the film is acceptable despite all this. First of all, It is a b-movie, not a Hollywood production. It should also be noted, that you end up caring for the people in this story. Noir is not usually a sympathetic genre, but Cherry Crush makes it much more mundane and down to Earth. Of course, it's not like they have the money to take the story to New York or Chicago or bring in any names to the cast. This film has a softer touch. It is pacifistic and seductive and for a low budget production, it is well photographed.If I am gonna make a complaint about what bothered me personally (the clichés don't count, I was just pointing that out), I would say that the introduction was a bit uncomfortable. The film's opening twenty minutes are far too rushed, and place greater value on fast cuts and editing tricks than on exposition. Perhaps the makers were afraid that, audience would notice how derivative the story is if it was played out too slowly. It certainly would explain the decision to run the plot at 200 mph for a while, hoping to get the viewer involved as soon as possible before they walk out. Cherry Crush may be amateurish, but it works enough that it entertains if treated as pulp. It pays homage to the art of photography, it presents Nikki Reed in the nude, and it is proof I guess that money is not always needed to make an entertaining feature. In the end, that is enough for me.

Nikki Reed (American Gun, Thirteen, "The O.C."), Jonathan Tucker (In the Valley of Elah, Love Comes to the Executioner, "The Black Donnellys"), and Julie Gonzalo ("Veronica Mars") come together in this indy film that has some interesting twists and fascinating characters.There is nothing you haven't seen before in a film reminiscent of classic noirs of the 40s. People aren't who they seem to be, lying and distrust abound, and the final twist is predictable, but getting there was fun as we follow Jordan (Tucker), a rich kid, and Shay (Reed), as they do their dance, with D (Gonzalo) as the ignored friend who is called upon only when needed, and who comes through as a true friend in the end.Not DiBella's first film, but certainly the first to get any notice. Looking for more in the future.

Here's a different movie. Two murders in an understated plot without the obligatory gore and more. Hmmm....a bit of Hitchcock, but without Grant or Stewart, it relies heavily on cinematography and editing. Good idea. Cherry Crush was terrific and surprising in a number of areas. Beautifully filmed from the photo stills at the beginning to the closing shot. Of course, it didn't hurt to shoot scenes of attractive people in attractive settings. Might have been a 'ten' except..... (I can't believe we're going here).... the lead actor's neck became longer and larger as the movie progresses. OK, shallow shallow me, but you go see the movie and tell me just how distracting the neck is. If you can ignore the neck, you'll find this movie head and shoulders above the usual fare.