Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Body of Evidence Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf June 27, 2018

The influence of European cinema crept into Hollywood during the 1980s, emerging in the form of the erotic thriller, which blended harsher elements of violence with softer bedroom appetites, giving audiences a sampling of chills and titillation. A good portion of these productions were built for the burgeoning VHS rental market and late night cable programming, giving viewers a chance to enjoy the product without the discomfort of sitting in a theater with strangers. Theatrical forays were rare, but they managed to burst forth on occasion, and certainly 1992’s “Basic Instinct” turned the subgenre into a potential gold mine, giving producers the foolhardy idea that they could replicate Paul Verhoeven’s specialized, Euro-stained madness. While 1993’s “Body of Evidence” isn’t a direct response to “Basic Instinct,” it certainly aspires to find the same audience, offering its own take on murder, kink, and suspicion with decidedly lower voltage. While helmer Uli Edel is no stranger to the ways of lustful behavior, previously guiding 1989’s “Last Exit to Brooklyn,” his vision isn’t as distinct for this studio assignment, unable to rise above the crummy raw materials he’s been handed and transform painful mediocrity into riveting cinema.

In Portland, Oregon, Andrew Marsh is dead, having passed away while watching a homemade sex tape made with his lover, Rebecca (Madonna). The police arrest Rebecca for murder, sniffing around evidence that she was at the scene when the old man with a bad heart was killed, giving lawyer Frank (Willem Dafoe) a chance to offer his services, representing her while prosecutor Robert (Joe Mantegna) builds a convincing case. As the pair spends time together, Frank suddenly finds himself attracted to Rebecca, learning more about her past lovers and fondness for kinky sexual gamesmanship, matching well with Andrew’s bedroom interests. While Frank has a home life with wife Sharon (Julianne Moore) and a son, he loses control around his client, and the two commence a torrid affair that smashes his professionalism and challenges the limits of his sexual experience, finding Rebecca’s forward nature arousing. As the case progresses, Franks works diligently to establish doubt, but the more he digs into his client’s past, the stronger his obsession grows, with their union threatening to destroy everything he’s worked for.

Screenwriter Brad Mirman probably went into “Body of Evidence” with the hope that he was creating something sensual and secretive, competing with regal studio projects while tending to kinky encounters that could be enticing enough to energize what’s largely a courtroom-based tale. Rebecca is scripted as a question mark, and while she maintains her innocence, the picture never quite believes it, focusing less on the twists and turns of her trial and more on Frank’s growing obsession with his client, pulled into her orbit without much of a second thought. There’s a murder, a suspect, a crafty prosecutor, and a string of witnesses, but “Body of Evidence” doesn’t dig into to the case with both hands, missing a critical need for suspicion to mix in with all the bared skin and strange eroticism, finding Rebecca a big fan of bondage and pain-based pleasures, also getting off on control.

There’s no middle ground for Frank in “Body of Evidence.” He’s in Rebecca’s control from the start, and his legal hustle is seriously lacking, finding his client sharper and more knowledgeable about courtroom maneuvering than he is, which doesn’t help the dramatic pull of the film. There’s a spouse in Sharon, but she’s barely a character in the movie, popping up only a few times to represent Frank’s domestic reality, and her presence is sorely missed. Without her perspective, the feature is left to Frank and Rebecca’s affair, which fumbles to find heat in distress, watching the man- eater introduce the suburban square to the pleasures of burning candle wax dripped on his chest and genitals. They also enjoy a tryst inside a parking garage, grinding away on top of broken glass, and eventually, predictably, the line of consent is blurred, with Frank getting carried away while trying to play Rebecca’s games, giving Edel a chance to add a layer of ickiness to an already half-baked endeavor. The helmer is prepared to smash taboos and give “Body of Evidence” identity through extremity, but dramatic management is lacking, finding the softcore sex scenes about as unresponsive as the court case, which rolls through its own ridiculous assembly of absurdities as witnesses clearly hide ulterior motives while being grilled on the stand.

Body of Evidence Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation delivers an older master of "Body of Evidence," but it's a serviceable viewing experience. There's softness inherent to the original cinematography, and it's communicated here without much in the way of bloom, while detail remains to a satisfactory degree. Sex scenes keep their macabre particulars, with bodily harm on view, along with more sensual sequences, maintaining skin textures on exposed bodies. Locations are reasonably dimensional, along with cavernous courtroom interiors. Costuming secures some fibrous and sheer qualities. Colors maintain their warmth, with candlelit encounters offering an amber glow to set the seductive scene. More forceful, red-drenched encounters are emphasized without bleed. Greenery is lively, and skintones are natural. Delineation is acceptable. Speckling is detected, along with mild judder and a few jumpy frames.

Body of Evidence Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix captures the thriller highs and lows of "Body of Evidence," offering a wider front stage presence that blends elements with care. Some hiss is detected, but clarity is generally strong, securing dialogue exchanges, which range from hushed moments of intimacy to fiery, echoed courtroom outbursts. Scoring selections are supportive, with appealing instrumentation and position, swelling when the mood calls for emphasis. Sound effects, including rain, are evocative, and moans of ecstasy and pain are pronounced to expectation.

Body of Evidence Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• R-Rated Version (98:59, SD) is offered.

• "Love or Murder?" (5:42, SD) is an EPK featurette that provides a brief overview of the "Body of Evidence" filming experience, offering interviews with cast and crew. Topics include the storyline, characterizations, director Uli Edel and his vision, Madonna's comfort in front of a camera vs. a sea of fans, and, most candidly, the production's difficulties shooting in Olympia, Washington, where local politicians wanted nothing to do with such graphic material.

• Still Gallery (5:58) includes poster art, publicity snaps, and a few BTS photos.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:59, HD) is included.

Body of Evidence Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

When "Body of Evidence" was originally released, Madonna took a lot of heat for her dreadful performance, cast more for her willingness to be nude than her acting abilities. Truth is, nobody is good in the movie, with Dafoe straining himself to compete with kink, while supporting actors like Jurgen Prochnow, Frank Langella, Anne Archer, and Moore are terrible, unable to master Mirman's clumsy dialogue and smoke screen the film's obvious conclusion. "Body of Evidence" struggles with a basics in legal juggling and thespian chemistry, and Edel has nothing to offer it besides some lovely northwest vistas. It's a mess of intentions that plays like a project that was intended to be something else before "Basic Instinct" steamrolled into view, collecting headlines and a box office fortune. I'm sure it was never destined for greatness (where's Shannon Tweed and Andrew Stevens when you need them?), but there could've been something agreeably arresting with this combination of grabby acting and sensorial agony.