Movies
“Jade” Doesn’t Deliver The Spice Its Poster Presents
“A bright assistant D.A. investigates a gruesome hatchet murder and hides a clue he found at the crime scene. Under professional threats and an attempt on his life, he goes […]
“A bright assistant D.A. investigates a gruesome hatchet murder and hides a clue he found at the crime scene. Under professional threats and an attempt on his life, he goes on heartbroken because evidence point to the woman he still loves.”
Director: William Friedkin
Writer: Joe Eszterhas
Staring: David Caruso, Linda Florentino, CHazz Palminteri, Richard Crenna, Michael Biehn, Holt McCallany
Release Date: October 13, 1995
IMDB
William Friedkin passed away on August 7 and during that same time frame I listened to The Rewtachables podcast episode on Body Heat (1981). So I had the director of The Exorcist (1973) and the idea of a sexy noir murder mystery whirling around in my brain. You put those two things together and you get Jade (1995).
David Corelli (David Caruso) is an assistant district attorney in San Francisco who is juggling complex emotions and life events. Corelli is in love with Trina Gavin (Linda Florentino), but she is married to David’s frenemy Matt Gavin (Chazz Palminteri).
Corelli is navigating a reelection year and admiration suppression, but his attention becomes diverted when a wealthy man is murdered in ruthless fashion. The investigation into the passion-filled slaying leads to an underground world of sex-charged blackmail, prostitution, and assassinations. Corelli discovers hidden truths about his coworkers, the governor and his nearest friends, resulting in instinctual line-in-the-sand decisions that must be made.
The murder is important, but the most intriguing part of the story is the incredibly strange dynamic between David, Trina and Matt. The movie starts with David stealing Trina for a dance from Matt but the tension is one of mutual respect. Matt holds and protects Trina like a trophy over David, knowing it kills him that he lost her in the past. It is this domineering quality that forces Trina out of her shell and results in her being shoved straight into the spotlight.
The acting between the three of them is nothing stellar. None of the performances in Jade are truly worth writing home about. Michael Beihn really hams it up as Bob Hargrove, and Richard Crenna is good as Governor Edwards, but those are secondary roles. None of the major characters bring the houtsma that makes you look up at the screen.
Linda Fiorentino has the dubious task of being the main character underneath the microscope. It takes a ton of courage to take on a role like this. We know how Dakota Johnson struggled to come to grips with it with the 50 Shades Of Grey Season. Fiorentino does her best to encapsulate the vibes of 90s eroticism, but the movie screenplay does her no favors. She doesn’t get to appear like she has command of a room, which is a betrayal of her motivations. She literally tells David that she loves to feel in control while trying to seduce him at once, but we rarely see her carrying herself with immense confidence. We never see the character of Trina command a room and get what she wants. Perhaps the floor is set too high with performances like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct (1992), Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut (1999), or Kathleen Turner in Body Heat (1981). I wanted more from Fiorentino, but I still respect what she did.
I am also here to say that David Caruso is not a very good actor. He is a CSI lifer; he is known for his one-liners and dramatic sunglass wearing ability. I do not think he fits the mold of male heart throb. He does not have the domineering “look at me” presence that Chazz Palminteri has. It is an instinctual thing and Caruso struggles with being a sexy mother fucker.
Now is the time where I have to talk badly about the recently deceased Friedkin. His casting of Caruso may have been the first mistake, but compounding missteps led to Jade being a miss. According to Joe Esterhas’s autobiography, this screenplay and movie ended up being one of his least favorite projects. He said that Friedken rewrote everything he did and by the end his story was dissected into nothing familiar.
That was probably a mistake for Friedkin because Eszterhas had a ton of experience writing memorable erotic thrillers. He is the one who penned Basic Instinct and returned to Sharon Stone with Sliver in 1993.
There are moments of Jade where Friedkin embraces such horror quick cut tactics. The framing of the fertility masks and haunting music at the house post initial murder are attempts to bring a more thrilling tone to the mystery, but the film doesn’t have enough of a base for the frills to make a difference.
And then there is the chase sequence. A very bad chase sequence. Knowing that Friedkin conducted the chase sequence that was in The French Connection (1971) makes the Jade vehicular pursuit seem childish. The bit where the assailant and Corelli get stuck in the parade and are driving like five miles per hour…where are we supposed to feel tension there?
Jade is a misstep. The thrills aren’t there. The mystery isn’t great. The acting is all over the place and the direction is flawed. Jade is for sure a stumble but it’s not one where you break your ankle after watching. You simply dust yourself off and live with having said you watched it.
But you know what does slap? The movies poster. Jade has an outstanding poster. It will immediately draw your attention.
As of late August 2023, Jade is streaming on Paramount+.
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