Meg Ryan is far removed from her more familiar romantic comedy roles in this deep sexual thriller.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7613 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-03-01
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 112 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Based on Susanna Moore's novel, In the Cut centres on Frannie (Meg Ryan), an emotionally stifled English teacher who gets steamy with sultry Malloy (Mark Ruffalo), a cop who's investigating a series of brutal murders--but Frannie soon suspects that Malloy may be the killer. As a psychological thriller, In the Cut is heavier on psychology than thrills; the story is a skeleton that director Jane Campion cloaks in one of the most nightmarish visions of urban life since Taxi Driver or Seven, accompanied by lots of explicit sex. The movie's dark tone will put some viewers off, but Ruffalo's effortless magnetism serves him well; no woman in the audience will question how quickly Ryan falls into bed with him. It also features Jennifer Jason Leigh and Kevin Bacon (uncredited). --Bret Fetzer

DVD Description
Frannie (Meg Ryan) is a lonely but determined woman living alone in Manhattan, who becomes involved in a murder investigation following the gruesome slaying of a young woman in her neighbourhood. It soon appears that she may know more about the murderer than she thinks, after witnessing what could have been the prelude to the crime. Drawn to the homicide detective investigating the case, she discovers the dark side of passion when she embarks on a risky and turbulent affair with him. But as the death toll rises, each victim getting closer to Frannie, she begins to wonder if her new lover is hiding a deadly secret.

Special Features

• Commentary by director Jane Campion and producer Laurie Parker
  
• Deleted scenes
  
• Making of … featurette
  
• US theatrical trailer
  
• UK Theatrical trailer

DVD Technical Information:

• Running Time: 112 mins
  
• Region Code: 2
  
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen/2.35 Wide Screen
  
• Subtitles: English for the hearing impaired
  
• Language: English
  
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1

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Customer Reviews

For steaminess - 5 stars; for murder mystery - 1 star...
I rented this film for the sole reason that I find Mark Ruffalo incredibly sexy and I adore Meg Ryan, and I thought having the two together in a sexual tryst was far too tempting to pass up. From that point of view I was not disappointed. The film, set in the seedy side of town, has very strong undercurrents of passionate sensuality, repressed violence and an intense longing mixed with a certain innocence and naivity, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment Meg and Mark were together or thinking about each other. Aside from that, the relationship between Meg and her half sister was very interesting and ran deep, though annoyingly we were tempted with many titbits about their past without really getting to know much at all in the end. I was also convinced that there was a certain sexual undercurrent in the relationship between them, which was never explored and instead just very subtley hinted at. Meg Ryan does a great job of breaking away from her typical role (as expressed in Sleepless in Seattle), and Mark Ruffalo does equally well in breaking his good-man role as a hard-core, rough talking policeman that in my opinion even beats Harvey Keitel's performance as the same. What was disappointing however, was the murder-mystery side, which was very thin and flimsy and a poor cover excuse for what the film was really about. The director would have been much better off just forgetting that side and instead doing a full-blown steamy 9 1/2 weeks on this film. Now THAT's a film I would give five stars for!

"Everything you knew about desire is dead wrong"
Pay attention to the fact that this is the "unrated and uncut director's edition" of "In the Cut," because when you get to the part that merits this distinction you will either do a double-take or your jaw will just drop (or both). Actually, there are two scenes with added footage, but the first one is much more noticeable (and graphic). I can just imagine some Meg Ryan fan is going to pop this into the DVD player with the kiddies in the room and suddenly find themselves wishing they were watching something safe like the halftime show at the Super Bowl. You were warned.

"In the Cut" is the movie where Meg Ryan gets naked, which is apparently the easiest way to refer to this 2003 film, which is directed by Jane Champion and adapted from by the director and the writer from the novel by Susanna Moore. The nudity is appropriate because Meg Ryan's character, Frannie Avery, is a sexual creature and the motivation for most of which she does in this film is sexual in nature. Besides, Frannie looks and acts differently enough from her other roles that I had no problem thinking this was Frannie naked and not Meg Ryan. You can argue that her nudity should have been in the service of a much better film (i.e., something on the level of "The Piano"), but I do not think you can fault its honesty in this film.

At its core "In the Cut" is a slasher flick, but one that pays little attention to the slasher when they are doing their evil deeds. The focus is on Frannie and the way that she insists on treading into dangerous waters because apparently that is where there is really great sex. After a woman is brutally murdered and "dearticulated," Frannie meets homicide detective James Malloy (Mark Ruffalo), who is investigating the case. She thinks she has seen him and he is interested in her. He is rather crude, but it turns out he can deliver in the bedroom and the fact that Frannie is suspicious about who he really is does not matter anymore, even as the killings start coming closer to home for her. Apparently great sex or even the possibility of great sex is worth dying for in the world in which Frannie lives. The most real relationship Frannie has is with her half-sister Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and while they have some realistic and earnest talks about their sex lives, her sister only serves to enable Pauline to walk on the wild side.

The relationship between Frannie and Malloy (the term "romance" does not apply) might be strange and weird but it at least feels real. The problem with "In the Cut" is in the thriller part of the equation, because the obvious answer is so obviously wrong that figuring out the mystery part is not that difficult. Fortunately the slasher part of the equation is ultimately the less important part of the story, which is a strange and weird statement to make, but watch the movie and it will make sense.

Actually, the part at which I thought the film went too far was, oddly enough, a pivotal scene set at the Little Red Lighthouse beneath the George Washington Bridge. When Captain Kangaroo died I reviewed that book, because of the strong association I had with it and the beloved Captain, so seeing it as a setting in this movie was one of those things that inspired sudden visions of grave spinning. Of course, if I had seen this film a month earlier I would not have had that reaction.

Compelling
This is a beautifully dark and atmospheric thriller from the exceptionally talented director Jane Campion that manages to combine a gripping sense of tension with lush and poetic imagery. One of the most miraculous things about the film is Meg Ryan's performance (as the lost English teacher Frannie Avery) - it could simply be down to the fact that this is such a departure from the roles she usually takes on but I was genuinely riveted by her presence on screen. It was a brave decision to cast someone as 'pigeon-holed' as Ryan in this sort of picture but Campion's courage paid off - Ryan provides an appealing combination of intelligence, fragility and world-weariness.

Frannie explores her boundaries with the tough and passionate cop Molloy (played by Mark Ruffalo) who she met while he was investigating a series of horrific murders that took place in Frannie's neighbourhood. Campion deals with Frannie's split instincts of suspicion and desire beautifully, the air of restraint and mystery are most admirable contrasting the fierce intensity of the sexual scenes. I was equally impressed by Campion's trademark sepia-drenched dream/nostalgia sequences that are at first presented innocently and after a few interjections throughout the film suddenly translate into something deeply menacing. It was, however, the stunning final sequence that I felt packed the most potent mesmeric punch.