In a sentenceLinda Fiorentino makes having a conscience look like a disadvantage in a job interview
Bridget Gregory (Linda Fiorentino) pursues her own interests without much concern for anyone caught in the way. Around her are Mike Swale (Peter Berg), Clay Gregory (Bill Pullman), Harlan (Bill Nunn) and Frank Griffith (J. T. Walsh). Sex, calculation and the prospect of getting the upper hand govern this crime thriller, whose central woman gives little reason to expect fair dealing. Bridget’s willingness to exploit other people makes trust a hazardous business, particularly for anyone who mistakes attraction for a promise of affection.
Linda Fiorentino gives this dry, nasty thriller its considerable pleasure. John Dahl handles the noir machinery with assurance, though the plotting asks for more indulgence than Bridget Gregory would ever grant anyone else.
The Last Seduction is a sharp, funny thriller with a central performance strong enough to carry its less convincing calculations. John Dahl understands the pleasure of watching somebody behave appallingly without asking us to diagnose or forgive them. As Bridget Gregory, Linda Fiorentino makes that pleasure slightly uncomfortable, which improves it considerably. We recommend it, with a reservation about a screenplay that sometimes needs its cleverness to go unexamined.
Fiorentino’s chief achievement is to make Bridget’s ruthlessness funny without making it harmless. There is no appeal for affection built into the performance, and no suggestion that approval would interest her much. We laughed at her callousness, then felt slightly ashamed of ourselves: Fiorentino makes the disregard for other people so entertaining that it takes a moment to register its ugliness. That delayed discomfort gives the humour a bite that simple wisecracking would not have.
Steve Barancik’s screenplay gives her the right material, particularly in its hard-edged dialogue. The writing allows an unpleasant thought to remain unpleasant rather than tidying it into something reassuring. Its weakness is plausibility: the intricate plotting occasionally asks us to accept a calculation because the resulting surprise is satisfying. That is a familiar thriller bargain, but the confidence of the writing makes its demands more noticeable when we stop to consider them.
Dahl’s direction is persuasive enough to keep those doubts from becoming the whole evening. His affinity for noir lies in the willingness to let an amoral character command our attention without providing a more respectable companion to explain how we ought to feel. Peter Berg plays Mike Swale and Bill Pullman plays Clay Gregory, but Fiorentino sets the standard by which the surrounding performances register. The film’s balance depends heavily on our appetite for Bridget, and that is both its strength and a genuine limitation.
The craft supports that emphasis without making the film feel like an illustrated lesson in noir. Jeffrey Jur’s cinematography contributes to its hard-boiled appeal, while Linda Pearl’s production design belongs to the same controlled approach. Neither is the principal reason to watch, but the polished presentation helps Dahl sustain the confidence on which this kind of thriller depends. The danger would be a handsome exercise with nobody worth following; Fiorentino prevents that.
Eric L. Beason’s editing has the difficult task of making Barancik’s complicated plotting feel persuasive as it unfolds. The film remains entertaining even when the mechanics become questionable, although pace cannot settle every objection to probability. Joseph Vitarelli’s music likewise forms part of the film’s assurance rather than its chief attraction. The strongest impression remains the performance and the writing, with the supporting craft serving them rather than demanding equal attention.
Within the noir tradition, the distinctive pleasure here is the freedom given to a woman’s unsoftened selfishness. Dahl and Fiorentino trust us to stay interested without being offered much comfort, and that trust largely pays off. Anyone requiring a thriller to withstand patient cross-examination should keep the qualification in mind. Watch it for Fiorentino, and save the objections until she has finished speaking.
Most critics respond warmly to The Last Seduction, with praise concentrated on Linda Fiorentino’s performance as Bridget. The reviews repeatedly single out her ruthlessness, humour and command of an amoral character. John Dahl’s feel for film noir also earns approval, while the screenplay attracts praise for its wit, sharp dialogue and cleverly arranged surprises. The broad agreement is that the film makes its hard-boiled material entertaining through both performance and plotting.
The main reservation concerns how far that plotting stretches credibility: the Los Angeles Times finds the film audacious and entertaining but questions its plausibility. The spread is broadly favourable rather than sharply divided, with seven positive assessments, one mixed and none negative. There is little evidence of a substantial dissenting camp, although incomplete access to some reviews limits what can be said about their reservations.
Newman calls it John Dahl’s best film to date, praising its surprising plot twists and strong performances. He especially singles out Linda Fiorentino’s funny, cynically rendered performance as Bridget.
Read the full review →The critic finds the film a compelling, witty update of film noir. She particularly praises Linda Fiorentino’s riveting performance and the strength of the screenplay.
Read the full review →Stratton praises the film as a polished, cleverly plotted thriller with a compellingly amoral lead. He singles out Linda Fiorentino’s performance as the ruthless Bridget for particular praise.
Read the full review →Lane gives the film a positive verdict, calling Linda Fiorentino’s performance a star turn. He also praises its hard-boiled film-noir style and John Dahl’s affinity for the genre.
Read the full review →Turan finds the film entertaining and audacious despite a plot that strains plausibility. He especially praises Linda Fiorentino’s venomous performance and John Dahl’s feel for film noir.
Read the full review →The headline suggests a positive verdict, presenting the film’s femme fatale as convincing. The accessible page provides no further detail about what the critic praised.
Read the full review →
Double IndemnityDesire and calculation make a persuasive case against trusting either.
Body HeatAnother noir where sexual confidence makes clear thinking increasingly unlikely.
BoundA tightly controlled crime thriller with desire driving the practical decisions.
The GriftersThree accomplished manipulators discover the inconvenience of having personal connections.
La Cérémonie · not on Fi1m yetFor another chilly examination of women whom respectable explanations cannot contain.
