Lying in Wait (2001)

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Six months after Babee Gordon's mother Sue died, Mr. Horn recommends he sell the house because the trust fund is running out and Babee doesn't seem capable of making a living, though he does like to paint. Sue was a wealthy and reclusive actress who apparently had a popular TV series. She was also a talented artist, though it's not clear if she made any money other than from her acting career. Babee was a prop man's poodle, though Sue acted like it was hers, and what she did when her son was born was unbelievably cruel. We never learn about Babee's father.Keith and Vera are Babee's new neighbors. Vera flirts with Babee, and Keith seems to enjoy spending time with Babee's pretty, perky and selfish aspiring dancer girlfriend El. At a party, Keith wants to fix Babee up with Lois--which makes no sense because Keith wants her too. Lois didn't care for Sue's TV series. Keith and Vera are obviously not happy in their marriage, but Keith is unwilling to get a divorce.Keith enjoys living on the edge (no, I won't make a 'Smallville' joke here). He makes his living gambling, having become discouraged working in the film industry. Apparently he's very good at it, because he has a nice house. He doesn't believe in insurance, but his wife does. She has a life insurance policy which will pay her well if Keith dies. Fortunately, she also seems to have health insurance which covers Keith.George wants to exhibit Babee's art work at the Fletcher Gallery. Apparently Babee inherited his mother's talent.Several murders and attempted murders take place, and the person we believe committed the murders has a perfect alibi.The ending made no sense--at first. The movie was progressing in a certain way, and it seemed like the writers defied logic to rush the movie to its conclusion when they ran out of time. Or did they? Rutger Hauer does a fine job here. At the horse track, Keith's passion is clear. And there's another dimension to Hauer's performance which I don't want to give away.I thought Shannon Whirry was Elizabeth Berkley at first, but she's too good an actress--deliciously evil is a good way to describe her performance. And she's quite pretty.Ian Buchanan also had a nasty side, also reminiscent of the campy soaps such as 'Dallas' and 'Dynasty'.In my opinion, most of the leading actors did a good job. I'm not sure, though, about Vanessa Dorman, who narrated the movie at times.This is not a movie for kids. The characters seem to have no morals, except possibly Babee, El, and the detective. And even Babee wasn't that moral.I didn't like most of the music (not counting background music, which I don't really recall). For example, there is the alternative rock 'Black Sleep' used with the closing credits, which is a style so many people enjoy these days. But Keith did play the accordion several times, and for me that was enjoyable. This is certainly not the high-quality production that a series like 'Desperate Housewives' is, but at times it achieves at least some of the campy feeling. There are some good moments.

I read this page before watching the movie so I expected a pretty bad movie. Now I can say that is not true. The story doesn't make much sense and the ending is far fetched, but it's very amusing. Hauer plays a excellent role, a psycho who uses Babee Gordon as a hand puppet. You can see Hauer really enjoys his role and he shows he can do better then the roles he usually gets (offered). Without Hauer this movie would be just another B thriller, perhaps a even a C thriller. Madsen shows she isn't only a nice woman to look at but she can also act. Thomas Newton is okay but the real fireworks come from Hauer..

This is another boring film done by Rutger Huger. His career has been on the down slide for many years. I think he should just call it quits. He played a good weirdo but the story was lacking. The rest of the cast were no names and desperately needed acting lessons. Do yourself a favor and bypass this one. 5/10

This is an abysmal film, totally lacking in suspense and peopled by characters I couldn't give a flying fig about. The actors move and speak like marionettes, as if they can't wait to get off-camera. Not surprising really, since you can hardly see them in the murky photography. Add insipid music and silly plot development and you have the kind of movie experience it's well worth the trouble of avoiding. Rating: 1/10