IMDb >
In the Cut (2003)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsIn the Cut (2003) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 29 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 9) |
          |
|
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
31 October 2003 (USA)
more
Tagline:
Everything you know about desire is dead wrong.
Plot:
A New York writing professor, Frannie Avery (Ryan), has an erotic affair with a police detective (Ruffalo) investigating a murder in her neighborhood of a beautiful young woman... full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 win
&
2 nominations
more
NewsDesk:
(30 articles)
Queer Birthday Suits
(From FilmExperience. 19 November 2009, 1:55 PM, PST)
In-Depth Interviews with Director Jane Campion and Paul Schneider for "Bright Star"
(From Manny the Movie Guy. 25 September 2009, 11:29 AM, PDT)
(From FilmExperience. 19 November 2009, 1:55 PM, PST)
In-Depth Interviews with Director Jane Campion and Paul Schneider for "Bright Star"
(From Manny the Movie Guy. 25 September 2009, 11:29 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
A Cut Above
more (323 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Jennifer Jason Leigh | ... | Pauline |
 | Meg Ryan | ... | Frannie |
 | Micheal Nuccio | ... | Frannie's Young Father |
| Allison Nega | ... | Young Father's Fiancee (as Alison Nega) |
| Dominick Aries | ... | Attentive Husband |
| Susan Gardner | ... | Perfect Wife |
| Sharrieff Pugh | ... | Cornelius Webb |
 | Nick Damici | ... | Detective Rodriguez |
| Heather Litteer | ... | Angela Sands |
| Daniel T. Booth | ... | Red Turtle Bartender |
 | Yaani King | ... | Frannie's Student |
 | Frank Harts | ... | Frannie's Student |
| Sebastian Sozzi | ... | Frannie's Student |
 | Zach Wegner | ... | Frannie's Student (as Zack Wegner) |
 | Mark Ruffalo | ... | Detective Malloy |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for strong sexuality including explicit dialogue, nudity, graphic crime scenes and language.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
119 min | Canada:113 min (Toronto International Film Festival)
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Brazil:18 |
Iceland:16 |
Portugal:M/16 |
Norway:18 |
South Korea:18 |
Netherlands:16 |
Singapore:R21 (cut) |
Argentina:18 |
Australia:R |
Finland:K-15 |
France:-12 |
Germany:16 |
Ireland:18 |
Italy:VM14 |
Japan:R-18 |
Spain:18 |
UK:18 |
USA:R (original rating) |
USA:Unrated (uncut director's edition) |
Philippines:R-18
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Goofs:
Continuity: When Detective Rodriguez splashes Malloy with his water pistol, a girl with a short skirt and red purse hurries by them. Half a minute later, when Malloy enters the car, the same girl walks by again.
more
Quotes:
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Imagine Me & You (2005)
more
Soundtrack:
Waiting in Vain
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (323 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for In the Cut (2003) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| American Psycho | Basic Instinct | Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh | B. Monkey | Wild at Heart |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Mystery section | IMDb Australia section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
Meg Ryan gives what may well be the breakthrough performance of her career in 'In the Cut,' a violent, erotic thriller from maverick filmmaker Jane Campion. Ryan plays Frannie, a college English instructor who is instinctively drawn to the seamier side of life. When women in her Manhattan neighborhood start falling victim to a grizzly serial killer, Frannie, as a possible witness, becomes a prime source of interest, both professionally and personally, for a homicide detective named Malloy, who has some troubling sexual proclivities of his own to deal with. Attracted by his edgy darkness and smoldering sexuality, Frannie succumbs to his advances, fully cognizant of the possible danger he represents. Is the law enforcement official as much of a threat to this young woman as the psychopath going about town decapitating and dismembering the local ladies? It is this kind of moral ambiguity that informs the entire movie.
From the very outset, Campion makes it clear that we are not in for a conventional police procedural. She is obviously more interested in character and mood than in the niceties of a well-oiled plot and streamlined exposition. Frannie is far from being the helpless victim or plucky heroine one usually finds at the center of such tales; she is a complex, moody, taciturn woman who seems to be drifting passively through life, with little passion, conviction or purpose to make any of it worthwhile. Even when it comes to her sexual obsessions, it often feels as if she is just going through the motions. It is hard for us to get a bead on her, for she is a perfect reflection of the world she inhabits, a world without a clear moral compass - so much so that we often don't know what we are supposed to think of her or the other people with whom she comes in contact. The script plays up the sense of dislocation by having characters appear and disappear seemingly at random throughout the movie, sometimes serving as little more than red herrings for both the story and Frannie's life. This often makes it so that we in the audience feel clueless as to where exactly the film is headed and what the overall purpose of it really is. It's often hard for us to get our bearings, yet, it is this very ambiguity, this sense of being rudderless and confused, that lifts the film above the tired conventions of the genre. In fact, the film is at its weakest when it concentrates on the intricacies of the plot - the resolution is remarkably mundane - and at its strongest when it merely records the eccentricities and passions of its two enigmatic characters.
The sexual content of the film is highly charged but not overtly offensive, with one glaring exception, at least in the 'unrated' version (I assume this does not apply to the version released to theaters). Early in the film, we are treated to a graphic, hard core close-up of an act of fellatio that clearly is not simulated. Consider yourself forewarned.
Ryan has never been better than she is here. She plays Frannie almost as if she were one of the urban walking dead, just right for a modern woman who feels no real emotional connection with the world and the people around her.
Mark Ruffalo is excellent as the cop who may be more of a threat to Frannie than the killer who's terrorizing the area. Almost as an afterthought, Kevin Bacon makes little more than a cameo appearance, overacting in the role of Frannie's stalker ex-boyfriend.
'In the Cut' is a subtle little mood piece that is more about observing behavior than it is about searching for a killer. Those looking for an intensely plotted thriller may not be as intrigued by this film as those searching for a psychosexual character study. It's the atmosphere and the performances that count in this film.