Erotic thriller not worth a Ruffalo Nickel

Oscar winner Jane Campion's indie-style film is an attempt at an erotic thriller. Sadly, it falls short.\nThe filmmaker's list of cohorts, which includes Nicole Kidman, is composed entirely of women. They have experimented by portraying the female sexual condition through the eyes of women. This idea has the potential for success, but Ryan's sexual exploits are extremely overdone. It may be erotic, but seriously, enough already. \nCampion should have concentrated on reaching the heart of the film much quicker. The thriller is paced way too slowly, and the buzz about the film is sure to be about the erotic scenes rather than on the admirable elements of the film. The director should be noted for having the golden touch when it comes to casting. Ryan should be commended on her ability to reel the audience in by bringing her character's inner psychological problems to the screen. Famous for her charm as the queen of romantic comedies, she took a risk with this film and luckily she shines. \nCampion takes the audience on a tantalizing journey of a lonely writer's (Meg Ryan) quest to find a psychopathic killer while discovering herself in the process. The film showcases her stalker ex-boyfriend (Kevin Bacon), her student, a homicide detective (Mark Ruffalo) and his partner as possible suspects. Ryan is torn after clues lead her to believe the object of her desire, Ruffalo, may be the murderer. Her suspicions grow stronger after the brutal death of her overly dramatic sister (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Like all thrillers, an abrupt twist happens at the very end leading the murder mystery in a different direction. \nThe film does successfully disturb the audience. The graphic scene of the mangled remains of a victim after she has been thrown into a washing machine ranks as a 10 on the level of disturbance. Campion also successfully utilizes a different side of New York as her backdrop and beautifully composes each of her shots seen through Ryan's eyes. \nCampion took on a hard task by attempting to make a character-driven thriller where dialogue instead of action drives most of the plot. She does this well in the sense that the audience is completely surprised at who the killer is at the end of the film. She could have done this better by making this film more of a thriller and less of a dramatized exploration in Freudian sexual behavior.