The erotic thriller was a staple of big studio filmmaking in the early-to-mid-1990s. Such films were already quite prevalent in low budget (and generally superior) form on cable TV, but that didn’t stop Hollywood from churning out BASIC INSTINCT, WHISPERS IN THE DARK, SLIVER, BODY OF EVIDENCE, DREAM LOVER and JADE, a pretty sorry lot for the most part. I wish I could report that COLOR OF NIGHT (1994), the final film directed by filmmaker extraordinaire Richard Rush (1929-2021), was a superior example of the format, but I’m afraid that’s not the case.
The film’s basis was an allegedly tight and contained spec script by Billy Ray (of THE HUNGER GAMES and CAPTAIN PHILLIPS) that in the hands of mega-mogul Andrew Vajna, star Bruce Willis and Rush emerged as the bloated misfire it is. The screenplay revisions by the British writer-director Matthew Chapman (STRANGER’S KISS) were a further drawback, offering Rush and his collaborators very little to work with.
Willis plays Bill Capa, a NYC psychoanalyst who has one of his nuttier female patients (Kathleen Wilhoite) leap to her death during a session. Upon seeing her blood-spattered corpse Bill falls into a depression, and develops an inability to see the color red. He travels to Los Angeles, where he moves into the Malibu home of fellow shrink Bob Moore (Scott Bakula). The latter presides over a coalition of loons, all of whom become murder suspects after Bob is massacred in his office.
Bill takes over Bob’s group therapy sessions and commences an affair with the alluring and mysterious Rose (Jane March). Another murder occurs, with the victim being the S&M obsessed Casey (Kevin J. O’Connor), resulting in Bill facing harassment from the still-unknown killer and the eccentric detective (Ruben Blades) investigating the case. Some sleuthing by Bill uncovers the alarming fact that nearly all his patients were amorously involved with Rose, who it seems is directly involved in both the therapy group and the killings.
COLOR OF NIGHT was Richard Rush’s first film in fourteen years (having been preceded by THE STUNT MAN in 1980). This, in addition to the fact that Rush feuded mightily with Vajna, may explain the absurdly over-stylized staging and visual design, which demonstrate a lack of directorial judgement. That’s also evident in the tone, which places the proceedings on a comic book level more appropriate to a Tim Burton movie than the sleek thriller Rush intended, and the ultra-garish Dario Argento-esque murder sequences. The vastly overwrought 121 minute (stretched to 139 minutes in the Director’s Cut version) runtime is a further miscalculation.
The copious soft-core sex scenes, at least, are eye-opening. The MPAA did its usual number on those scenes for the theatrical version, but they were restored on most of the home video (where the film has proven quite popular) releases. No less an authority than MAXIM magazine proclaimed those sex scenes the “best in film history.”
The cast is stocked with familiar supporting players—Scott Bakula, Leslie Ann Warren, Lance Henriksen, Shirley Knight, Brad Dourif, Kevin J. O’Connor and Ruben Blades (who fares best)—in addition to the comparatively untested Alissa Milano lookalike Jane March. Coming off 1992’s THE LOVER, March was a hot commodity in 1994, but dropped off the radar following COLOR OF NIGHT’S unsuccessful theatrical bow. Precisely why that happened I don’t know, but March has a mighty compelling screen presence (not least because she spends a great deal of her screen time unclothed).
Perhaps the film’s biggest problem emerges from the fact that Rush has three separate roles played by a performer whose acting chops were, frankly, not up to the challenge. For that matter, Bruce Willis isn’t at his best in the lead, seemingly working on the spacey mannerisms that would come to characterize his SIXTH SENSE role (where, as well all know, he played a ghost), but which don’t quite work here.
Vital Statistics
COLOR OF NIGHT
Hollywood Pictures
Director: Richard Rush
Producers: Buzz Feitshans, David Matalon
Screenplay: Matthew Chapman, Billy Ray
Cinematography: Dietrich Lohmann
Editing: Jack Hofstra
Cast: Bruce Willis, Jane March, Ruben Blades, Lesley Ann Warren, Scott Bakula, Brad Dourif, Lance Henriksen, Kevin J. O’Connor, Andrew Lowery, Eriq LaSalle, Jeff Corey, Kathleen Wilhoite, Shirley Knight