Malice (1993)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Blistering performances.

This underrated movie remains on my top 100 list of all time. It may seem an unlikely candidate if you judge it by the cover. My list includes the Terminator, the Matrix, Shawshank Redemption, The Princess Bride, The edge of Tomorrow, My Cousin Vinny. So there's a mix of broad appeal and some that are less known. This movie, while less know, should appeal to anyone interested at all in suspense and intrigue.The scene with Anne Bancroft and Bill Pullman still gives me an adrenaline rush when I think about it. I think it is one of the best scenes in all of movie-dom. It's nearly worth the whole movie, just to get the context of that scene so you can get the full weight of what is happening there. Not to mention a lifetime of acting experience from Anne Bancroft all poured into about 5 minutes of acting that will punch you in the face and make you ask for more :)

A tale about a happily married couple who would like to have children. Tracy teaches art, Andy's a college dean. Things are never the same after she is taken to a hospital and operated upon by Jed, a "know all" doctor.Roger Ebert called the film "one of the busiest movies I've ever seen, a film jampacked with characters and incidents and blind alleys and red herrings." Many critics mention the red herrings and this has led to the film being critically downplayed, getting mixed reviews. In fact, this was a large part of what I enjoyed -- finding out every so often that things I thought were important really made no difference.The best thing about films like this is that they make you (or at least me) want to watch them again to see what was missed. Surely knowing some outcomes will make the second viewing all the more interesting.

Andy Safian (Bill Pullman) is the Associate Dean at a local college. A serial rapist attacks a student and the new hot-shot brash doctor Jed Hill (Alec Baldwin) saves her life. Andy realizes that Jed is a popular former high school classmate. Andy's wife Tracy (Nicole Kidman) is a children school teacher and his former student. Andy rents out their third floor to Jed but he's a bad tenant. Andy finds the dead body of student Paula Bell (Gwyneth Paltrow) and detective Dana Harris (Bebe Neuwirth) sees him as a suspect despite being his friend. Tracy suffers a rupture of an ovarian cyst. A drunk Jed operates and mistakenly takes out both ovaries as well as causing a miscarriage. Tracy blames Andy for allowing it to happen as she sues Jed.The movie is overloaded with red herring, blind twist and subplots where a serial killer actually dead ends to nothing but a random guy. At some point, I wonder what this movie is really about. It has so much plot that it sinks under its own weight. It may hurt Aaron Sorkin physically but he needed to simplify the story. Alec Baldwin is chewing up the dialog and is a full-on arrogant douche. In a simple story about Jed, that would be a powerful scene. However it becomes just another big writing scene in a movie full of wild writing.

In Massachusetts, there is a rapist attacking young women and Detective Dana (Bebe Neuwirth) is investigating the cases. The college professor Andy Safian (Bill Pullman) and his former student and presently school teacher Tracy (Nicole Kidman) are happily married and are trying to have a baby. When the last victim of the rapist that studies at Andy's college is sent to the Saint Agnes Hospital, the surgeon Dr. Jed Hill (Alec Baldwin) saves her life. Andy recognizes Jed that had studied with him and they become close to each other. Soon Andy invites Jed to rent a room in his house to help him in the expenses despite Tracy's protest. When Tracy has a miscarriage, Jed takes the decision of removing her ovary with the support of Andy to save her life without waiting for the results from the laboratory. Soon he leans that Tracy's ovary was healthy and she decides to sue the hospital in US$ 20 million, using her friend, the lawyer Dennis Riley (Peter Gallagher). Tracy leaves Andy and accuses Jed of God Complex. When another student of Andy's college is murdered by the rapist, Andy becomes a suspect and has to donate sperm to prove his innocence. When Detective Dana shows Andy the laboratory result that clears him, he finds that he is sterile. Now Andy decides to investigate his wife deeper and finds hidden secrets about her. "Malice" is a great thriller from the 90's, with a plot with many twists. Alec Baldwin has a magnificent performance in the role of an ambitious doctor with God Complex. The twists lead the viewer to different directions and the truth about Tracy is totally unpredictable. Last but not the least, it is great to see the young cast with Alec Baldwin, Nicole Kidman, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher and Gwyneth Paltrow working with the veterans George C. Scott and Anne Bancroft. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Malícia" ("Malice")