Deceived

Adrienne Saunders (Goldie Hawn) has a perfect life, she owns her own business, has a loving husband and a daughter she adores. All is going well until a murder occurs at the museum and her husband Jack (John Heard), along with everyone else, is under suspicion. Being a thriller, it is difficult to give any further information without giving away the story, but this is the type of film where the less you know, the better.

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Having seen this film several years ago, I could remember it was enjoyable, but I had forgotten how good a thriller it really is. It is presented in a way so the viewer knows the majority of the story and sympathises with the victim, however it also contains many twists and turns along the way to keep you interested.

This is one of the better thrillers made in recent times. Goldie Hawn is the driving force and to see her in a dramatic role is probably more impressive due to her being a renowned comedy actress. She suits the role perfectly and portrays the strong female victim extremely well. John Heard is also impressive as the husband and although this isn’t a huge stretch from his previous roles, he is also well cast.

This is one of those films in the good old-fashioned thriller genre. It keeps the viewer interested from start to finish and although you feel you know what the ultimate climax will be, you may be wrong. The acting of Hawn is also a major high point, being her first dramatic role she gives an outstanding performance. This may not be a film that will warrant purchase for everybody because, as is the case with most thrillers, once you know what happens, it takes a lot away from a second viewing. In this case though, with this being my second viewing of the film, I can recommend purchasing it and maybe having a substantial break between viewings to allow you to forget most of the plot.

Deceived is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is 16:9 enhanced. Being made in 1991, it is not up to the standard of recently made films and does suffer from a minor lack of sharpness and grain. The most noticeable problem is film artefacts in the form of white flecks. These are not a constant and take little away from the overall quality, but they are obvious in many scenes. Colours are generally natural, but do become over-saturated in many instances. Overall the only major concern is the softness of image, but this could possibly be intentional in many scenes so it is acceptable. Subtitles viewed were very accurate to what was said on screen.

Audio is supplied in a choice of English and Hungarian Dolby Digital 2.0 surround. Seeing as my Hungarian is a little dodgy I thought it best to sample the English mix. Dialogue is clear at all times with no synch problems. Rear speaker use is constant and subtle, used well for directional effect along with music ambience. The music score used from Thomas Newman is extremely well suited and builds each scene well. There is little subwoofer action via prologic, but this is not the sort of film that requires too much anyway.

There are no extras with this release.

Overall this is a great thriller. The video and audio transfers are acceptable without being outstanding and there are no extras. Most may prefer to view this as a rental and that may be the best option for this genre, but if you decide to purchase it, you shouldn’t be disappointed.