Reviews

I watched this movie because I heard that the screen-writer had used a unique structure--the story is told backwards in time. Every succeeding scene occurs chronologically before the previous one. I wanted to see if the screen-writer was just using a gimmick, or if the structure actually added to the telling of the story. I was overjoyed to find out it was the latter! The magic of this movie is that Pinter makes the time sequence seem natural. By the end of the movie, the viewer is convinced this is the only way the story could have been told effectively. I highly recommend this movie to all who love cinema.

I won't try to describe the plot, others can do that better than I. I just want to encourage others to watch this amazing movie. In France, the movie received a great reception, but in the US it appears to have been largely ignored. I keep hoping this movie will be revived, but it has not found a champion yet. If you liked Manon of the Spring, you will love One Deadly Summer!

Too bad the NC17 controversy caused many people to miss an excellent movie. This is a movie about human emotions, not sex. The movie works well on two levels. First, showing Bill (Tom Cruise), trying to cope with the discovery that his wife once was willing to leave him for another man. Second, the movie compares and contrasts "the ideal," "the real," and "the worst possible result." At both levels, the viewer will feel he has had a very (please excuse this poor word-play) eye-opening experience.