BAD TIMING: DVD

SYNOPSIS:
Alex (Art Garfunkel) is an American psychoanalyst and lecturer in Soviet-era Vienna. He meets and falls in love with Milena (Theresa Russell), a beautiful young American, and the two embark on a passionate affair. She, however, does not want to be confined to one man, and as she becomes increasingly unfaithful, Alex becomes more and more possessive. When Milena is rushed to hospital with a drug overdose, Alex is questioned by the investigating officer, Inspector Netusil (Harvey Keitel), who must decide whether her condition is attempted suicide or something more sinister...

Review by Andrew L. Urban:
Noirish, erotic, chaotic and intense, Bad Timing grows in complexity and emotional power as it progresses, with a wonderful soundtrack and some exceptional cinematography. Art Garfunkel is mesmerising as Alex, a psychoanalyst professor whose obsession with Milena (Theresa Russell) drives him mad ... ooops, that's a word he doesn't like to use. Russell gives a firecracker performance - including one spectacular tantrum - and her beauty radiates off the screen as a sexy, sultry femme fatale.

Harvey Keitel is steely sharp as Inspector Netusil (with a mysterious little accent) and Denholm Elliott (with a so-so East European accent) makes a big impact in his small screen time.

Yale Udoff's screenplay is sometimes perverse for its own sake, but Nicolas Roeg turns it into a helter skelter ride in which we daren't jump off. It's a downbeat film that mixes thriller with a romantic drama about despairing people, one of whom is possessive, the other a free spirit. With its controversial finale that saw it banned (even earning the epithet 'sick' from some), the DVD release is a welcome chance to take this Roeg trip for anyone willing to risk it.

Published: February 28, 2008