Bad Influence

I hate that a lot of my posts this year have been about people that have recently passed, but this week we lost another talent, director Curtis Hanson. Most know his work from L.A. Confidential, The River Wild, and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, but as I always do, I'm going to take a look back at some of his films that have fallen under the radar. First up is my favorite Hanson film, 1990''s Bad Influence.

Shy, awkward Michael, James Spader, is tired of always being a doormat. One night at a bar he has a chance encounter with Alex, Rob Lowe, and the two hit it off instantly. Alex teaches Michael to be more assertive, but in the process also gets him involved in drugs, robberies, and even a murder. Michael's life spins out of control as he tries to figure out a way to get Alex out of his life.

This is a terrific thriller with Lowe and Spader turning in great performances. It's a nice role reversal for the two.Usually Spader would play the heavy and Lowe would be the nice guy. But casting them against type really works, especially for Lowe who turns in one of his best performances. Lowe beat out Nicolas Cage and Kevin Costner for the part. Spader beat out Robert Downey, Jr., Tom Cruise, and Matthew Broderick for his role.

There is a side story in this that involves a sex tape. In real life when this movie came out, and infamous sex tape with Rob Lowe surfaced and brought a little art imitating life aspect to this film.

This is a smart and stylish thriller.It's available on dvd and blu ray.