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Bookmark this pageBad Influence (1990)
Director: Curtis Hanson
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Michael Boll (Spader) is up against a rival at work, his fiancée is boring, and he suffers mysterious stomach ailments. So when he meets smoothie Alex (Lowe), a man-about-town of independent means, he's nipping out of his hi-tech flat and into hi-tech discos before you can say 'Faust'. Work improves, sex gets kinkier. Exhausted but satisfied, Michael accepts the fact that his new friend filmed him bonking, but knows things are going too far when he falls over a dead body in his apartment... This vacuous exploration of the perils of greed lacks the intelligence and perspective to work on a subversive level. Hanson indulges in extremely obvious symbolism, and despite attempts to convey Michael's inner conflict, the dangers remain resolutely external. 'I didn't make you do anything that wasn't in you already' says Alex to his protégé. Yawn.Author: CM
Cast & crew
Director: Curtis Hanson
Producer: Steve Tisch
Cast: Rob Lowe, James Spader, Lisa Zane, Tony Maggio, Marcia Cross, Kathleen Wilhoite, Christian Clemenson full cast
Genre(s): Thrillers
Duration: 99 mins
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