Synopsis
Fashion designer Joanna Crane leads a double life. By night she is China Blue, a prostitute who's attracted the attention of a sexually frustrated private detective, and a psychopathic priest in possession of a murderous sex toy.
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Cast
- Kathleen TurnerJoanna Crane / China Blue
- Anthony PerkinsReverend Peter Shayne
- John LaughlinBobby Grady
- Annie PottsAmy Grady
- Bruce DavisonDonny Hopper
- Norman BurtonLou Bateman
- Stephen LeeJerry
- Gordon HuntGroup Leader
- Dan GerrityGroup Member #1
- Terri HoyosGroup Member #2
Recommendations
- 80
Washington Post
It is a gripping adult drama, as erotically violent as it is intellectually satisfying. [9 Nov 1984, p.27] - 75
Slant Magazine
Russell’s wild style and shameless exhibitionism places it on a par with the contemporary work of Brian De Palma in terms of its vicious satire of ‘80s kitsch and repression. - 63
Miami Herald
Turner's performance is intriguing -- now we know that she can play not only a sexpot (Body Heat) but a sexpot hiding in a career woman's suit-and-tie and posing as a fleshpot. This is pretty interesting. [19 Nov 1984, p.C1] - 60
Washington Post
The film is deeply flawed, and sodden with sexual moralism. But amid Hollywood products pasteurized from demographics and screening groups, the idiosyncratic vision of Ken Russell is a refreshing breath of foul air. - 60
Newsweek
This movie is so angrily honest that it's a bit dotty. But the battles between Turner and Perkins have a real ferocity, and Turner's internal battle between sexual pride and fear is poignant and pertinent. [29 Oct 1984, p.134] - 40
The New York Times
FOR all their extravagance, Ken Russell's films have never lacked exuberance or humor, which makes the flat, joyless tone of Crimes of Passion a surprise. Much of this is attributable to a screenplay by Barry Sandler filled with smutty double-entendres and weighty ironies. Only intermittently does Mr. Russell break through with the kind of manic flamboyance that is so singularly and rudely his own. - 38
Chicago Sun-Times
Good performances and an interesting idea are metamorphosed into one of the silliest movies in a long time.
