Sunday, April 21, 2002

Def by Temptation (1990)

Uneven, yes -- such are the perils of ambitious low-budget filmmaking. But ambitious it is, and intelligent too. James Bond III isn't much of an actor (he's a little too awkward, even for the sheltered minister-to-be he's playing), but he's a pretty darn good writer and director. (I wonder why he hasn't done anything since this film's completion.) He also gets a major assist from cinematographer Ernest Dickerson, Spike Lee's former go-to guy. Speaking of Spike: Samuel L. Jackson and Bill Nunn, both of whom appeared in Do the Right Thing, reunite for this film. Fun Fact: In both films, the two well-regarded actors share approximately zero minutes of screen time. Has probably the coolest killer TV outside of Videodrome.

Grade: B