Synopsis
A period drama/thriller about a surveyor and his fiancée who arrive in a remote Malaysian trading post and encounter a closed-fisted ivory trader and her ill-meaning family.
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Cast
- Janet McTeerSarah Morris
- Olympia DukakisErina
- Brenda FrickerMrs. Jones
- Tony MaudsleyWilliam Jones
- JJ FeildHamish Winslow
- David BradleyThe Priest
- Philip JacksonNorton
- Robert PughLe Blanc
Recommendations
- 75
Christian Science Monitor
Imagine a sexually charged "Heart of Darkness" by way of Denmark's bare-bones Dogme 95 and you'll have an idea of what this dark, moody melodrama is like. - 50
Village Voice
A taut noirish thriller that unfolds in a fever of firelit ambience. - 50
Variety
Another ferocious perf by Janet McTeer and an atmospheric Malaysian jungle location are nearly lost in the DV muddiness of period drama The Intended. - 50
TV Guide Magazine
Although phenomenally well-acted, the film's leisurely pace ultimately makes it feel as oppressive as the tropical heat and humidity that gradually turn the characters into slow-moving heaps of damp, dirty rags. - 50
San Francisco Chronicle
Sweaty, filthy, miserable and well acted. - 40
The Hollywood Reporter
Contributions of the accomplished cast notwithstanding, this period drama takes a few too many spins around the downward spiral, making it hard to believe as well as unpleasant. - 40
L.A. Weekly
The Intended is unintentionally risible from frame one to last. But don't just blame Levring: The script was co-authored by none other than McTeer herself, and the result suggests the sort of self-flagellating, anti-vanity project that can occur when perfectly capable actors start taking themselves way too seriously. - 40
The New York Times
The performances are so skillful that the actors almost carry it off. But as the shocks come thicker and faster, the credibility of The Intended, wears away.