China Moon

10/22/2017

The porcelain prince and princess. China Moon is directed by John Bailey and written by Roy Carlson. It stars Ed Harris, Madeleine Stowe, Benicio del Toro, Charles Dance and Patricia Healy. Music is by George Fenton and cinematography by Willy Kurant. To be kind since China Moon is a very good film in its own right, that is for lovers of film noir and its off shoot neo-noir, it's a film where its only crime is not being as great as previous instalments of noirs classic era and neo. Story treads deliciously familiar ground, where Harris' intrepid cop falls deep for Stowe's sultry babe and before he can say " I would do anything for you", he's in it up to his neck. In true noir fashion there's a twisty road to be navigated, nothing is as it at first seems, with hidden agendas, shift

5/29/2024

**_Neo-noir in the heart of Florida with Ed Harris, Madeleine Stowe and Benicio Del Toro_** A good detective in the Tampa Bay area (Harris) trains his greenhorn partner (Del Toro) while starting a relationship with an alluring woman (Stowe). It turns out she’s in an abusive marriage with a pompous banker (Charles Dance). Havoc ensues. “China Moon” (1994) is a crime drama/thriller similar to “Body Heat” from over a dozen years earlier; even the setting is similar. The difference is that “Body Heat” was a hit at the box office while this one failed to acquire an audience and basically went into obscurity. Regardless, it’s a well-done ‘modern’ film noir that’s more conventional than highly stylized, but includes some brooding rainy night sequences. The acting is great, but the forced