Defenseless

Irrelevant but amusing: I read somewhere that during the filming of this movie Sam Shepard would whine every time he had to do anything involving the least bit of action. (Jackie Chan heroics are not involved, you understand.) What a wussy!


She protected others but could not protect herself   September 6, 2000
Peter Shelley (Marrickville, New South Wales Australia)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

The title of this thriller is both a pun on Barbara Hershey playing a lawyer and the fact that she is being stalked, though the stalking is dropped halfway. Hershey is perceived as a flake, partly because she dresses "unprofessionally", wears wavy hair, and tends to talk to herself. However luckily for us, this perception gives Hershey a "defensive" atttitude (ho ho) and her acting has a bit more edge than usual. Director Martin Campbell keeps her moving here, rather than letting the camera settle on her, which ironically makes her look all the more beautiful. Hershey's lawyer finds herself in a bind when she is involved in the death of her married lover, who is also a client she is defending for his association with a porno racket. The porno film that opens this film actually looks pretty tame, and it seems odd to have the female as the aggressor, though I suppose this is a male fantasy. When we are told that the father of the actress seeks to punish all those involved (and this includes Hershey by association) because the girl is underage, something is off since the girl seems most willing in the footage. By having Hershey fight with her lover and attack him, the idea that she has killed him is raised, though surprisingly this is dropped quickly, all the more surprising considering how savage her attack is. What's more of a surprise is having Hershey represent Mary Beth Hurt as her lover's wife. Hershey herself says this is not possible after she reports the death, and thereby makes herself a material witness. Hurt pleads guilty to the murder, and at one point Hershey challenges her by telling her she was always a bad actress, recalling their shared college play. This line is particularly unfortunate coming from Hershey, since Hurt is so much the stronger performer. Even saddled with a ridiculous southern accent and drag-queen fly-away hair (what was the hair-stylist thinking?!), she is the best thing about the entire film, though not even she can save the pseudo-Fatal Attraction ending. In spite of the schizophrenic treatment, Campbell maintains our interest all the way through, though I could have done without Hershey spilling red wine on Mary Beth's white carpet. Even though she doesn't make much of an impression, it's still interesting to see Sheree North in the supporting cast, as a reminder of what Marilyn Monroe's later roles may have been if she had lived. Oh, and Sam Shepard's in it too, and seems very bored.