Beautiful Creatures
Hell hath no fury like a woman victimized by her boyfriend, as this black comic thriller set in Glasgow, Scotland, shows.
Story
Dorothy (Susan Lynch) is an ex-junkie living with her violent druggie boyfriend Tony (Iain Glen). Across town, trophy girlfriend Petula (Rachel Weisz) is being beaten up by the equally volatile (but wealthy) guy she's with, Brian (Tom Mannion). The two women might never have met, except for a chance encounter one night when Dorothy, on the run from crackpot Tony, sees Brian beating Petula in a deserted alley. Rushing to Petula's defense, Dorothy accidentally does Brian in. Frantic, the women hatch a bizarre scheme involving an make-believe kidnapping, a million pounds (or two) and a corrupt cop (Alex Norton) who wants a cut of the ransom dough.
Acting
The chemistry between the women is the saving grace of this film, which otherwise falls apart at the seams thanks to the clumsy lines, a lack of character development and an absurdly implausible story. Weisz is a ditzy, platinum blond sexpot who thankfully doesn't play the Marilyn Monroe thing to extremes--she's a dingbat with depth. Smart, spirited Lynch is the apparent brains behind the operation--she does what she can with her Dorothy, but some of it doesn't ring true (she's sure no junkie). In a part written especially for him, Glen as despicable Tony is as hateful a villain as you can ever imagine, and Norton's cop is appalling. Problem is, these characters are painted with way too broad a brush--every man is a leering, loathsome individual with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
Direction
This movie had some great potential--the opening sequence grabs your attention, and the scene where Dorothy's faithful dog gets hold of one of dead Brian's fingers is absolutely priceless. But for the most part, the Thelma & Louise-meets-Bound story goes nowhere and its ill-conceived plot is so hard to believe it's distracting (you're left thinking, 'Oh, come on' for over an hour.) Ample opportunity for humor is left untouched even as the characters' actions and circumstances become more and more out-there; situations escalate to outrageously shocking levels but nothing about them is even darkly funny.
Bottom line
The only remotely beautiful things about this movie are its leading ladies…and Rachel Weisz is wearing a wig.