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Great Film overall

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The Seventies seemed to be a time for film makers to push the envelope by shocking viewers and challenging mainstream perceptions with stylized treatments of sex and violence. Other movies that come to mind are 1971's "Klute" and 1977's "Looking for Mr. Goodbar". I would even throw 1970's "Joe' into that mix with it's take on free love and nudity. What's kind of funny as I watched the picture today on cable, was that the exposed breasts of women in Laura Mars' photos were uncensored, but the ones on the live models were. What's the point of that? There's that other element that gets some treatment from the newspaper reporter in the story speculating on whether the gallery photo exhibit has a desensitizing effect on society, and might possibly be the cause of some deranged killer who gets inspired by the titillation of sex and violence together. There are those, primarily in the position of making these pictures, that think that's all hogwash, but why wouldn't a rational person make the same observation. Sometimes bad ideas get their start in a subliminal way.Anyway, this was a fair enough thriller. Trying to figure out the murderer in a murder mystery can often be a challenging exercise, but this film tried too hard to pin the crimes on Brad Dourif's character, so I had him dismissed right off. That John Neville (Tommy Lee Jones) turned out to be the killer in Laura's visions wasn't a complete surprise, though the picture could have better explored at which point in his life Neville went completely off the rails. The confrontational scene in which Laura realizes in horror that John is a madman was handled well, I was patiently waiting for her to pull the trigger and she didn't let me down. Good job, Laura.

An enjoyable, time-wasting thriller which, if not entirely successful, is still pretty good stuff. Even though most reviews of this film are negative, they fail to mention the fabulous cast, the hilarious dating of the music (sung by Barbara Streisland of all people) and, primarily, of the fashions. This benefits from a strong screenplay by John Carpenter which thankfully never deviates from the story too much, thus staying interesting. Horror fans will be kept entertained by the brief flashes of eyeball violence (always cringe-worthy stuff) and P.O.V. shots from the killer which narrowly predate HALLOWEEN (but of course, are copied from BLACK Christmas) and cleverly break through the "fourth wall" of the camera, thus propelling the viewer into the action - although it's a shame that this second sight is so cloudy and difficult to see through! The film is sufficiently bleak-looking, with the New York locations looking inhuman (hard streets, faceless masses, a mass of industry) and the sets dingy and shadow-filled. Of primary concern are sex and death, which Mars links together in her fashion shoots in a way that would have the BBFC and the moral guardians of the UK seething! Totally lacking in any special effects, this film downplays the supernatural element (which is incidentally never explained or reasoned) in favour of a murder-mystery thriller type plot with copious use of red herrings.Faye Dunaway is the pale, fragile-looking lead, and being a leading actress of her time, as you would expect she is good and a character to root for. Tommy Lee Jones is rather stony-faced (like in most of his films actually) to start off with but his character loosens up later on. Stealing the show is a manic-eyed Brad Dourif - looking extremely shifty in his brown leather jacket, curly hair and stubble - as the chauffeur. Rene Auberjonois hams for all his worth as a highly camp fashion designer (who even dresses in drag in one scene), and is absolutely hilarious. Also appearing briefly is the late Raul Julia as another shifty suspect.The twist ending can be seen a mile off, and it's pretty obvious to spot the identity of the real killer. The explanation behind the murders is a bit trite but good for a laugh, and is pulled off thanks to some good acting from the person playing the murderer (no names here I'm afraid!). Although not a brilliant movie by any means, this is better than a lot of low-budget trash being released at the latter end of the '70s, and I say give it a go to all those who may have been put off by the harsh words of the critics. It's a film which can be watched either seriously or humorously and works both ways - personally I enjoyed both.

The premise presents all sorts of creepy potential—viewing murders through the eyes of the serial killer committing them. In the movie, these visions can strike Laura Mars at the moment they happen regardless of what she happens to be doing. Moreover, the victims are all members of her modeling staff. It's a wonder then that she's not a nervous wreck, an understandable consequence the film too typically ignores.This psychic element makes a heckuva of a movie premise, but its effectiveness also depends on how the story around it is developed. And here I can only say the narrative results are little short of a mess. It's like the five or six screenwriters simply failed to communicate with one another, resulting in a near incoherent narrative— for example, what is the killer's motivation, what is causing Laura's psychic visions, what relevance does Raul Julia's dangling presence have to the plot, etc. None of these are answered, or unless I missed something, even hinted at. Instead the narrative stumbles along in fits and jerks without much relation to what's gone before. Then there's the totally unbelievable ending that by itself is enough to sink the film.No need to go on since other negative aspects are discussed effectively by other reviewers. Instead, let me suggest a direction in which the story could have gone. For example, establish early on some psychic connection between Laura and Neville before they ever meet. Perhaps, she sees his compelling gaze in a photograph and is strangely transfixed by it. Thus a connection is established. This opens also the possibility that the murders are fated to happen, and both characters act not as independent agents, but are in fate's malevolent grip. In such a manner, the psychic world would be expanded and not drowned in a clutter of confusion.Anyway, the premise certainly deserves better treatment than it got from a glut of writers. Too bad.

In this violent, sado-masochistic thriller, then recent Oscar Winner Faye Dunaway ("Network") began her descent into decline with a role that, in spite of its juiciness, is defeated by a rather absurd premise and an even more ridiculous conclusion. Faye does an outstanding job as the Mahogany of photography who can see murders in her mind's eye as they happen, but is helpless to stop them. She plays a totally sympathetic character practically unlike any role she played during this era ("Voyage of the Damned" being possibly the only other role), extremely as far away from her neurotic character in "Chinatown" and the power-hungry executive in "Network". She is as far from her infamous role of "Mommie Dearest" as she can get, although she reminds me a lot of Miss Joan Crawford in a 1952 thriller called "Sudden Fear".Top billed leading male Tommy Lee Jones plays a cop who decides to protect her and eventually falls in love with her. The supporting cast is filled with interesting performances, particularly Rene Auberjonois as a stereotypical gay assistant, obviously modeled on Clifton Webb in "Laura". Raul Julia and Brad Dourif add some creepy performances as well. Stage and soap actress Meg Mundy has a nice brief role as one of the victims. Views of New York City in the late '70s are quite well filmed, and you won't soon forget the shot of Columbus Circle with two women clad only in their scanties and mink coats going at it after a faked car accident while Dunaway snaps away. Add on a spicy Barbra Streisand song ("Prisoner") as well as some disco hits of the day. But a lack of cohesion and the final revelation both dates and destroys the credibility that earlier parts of the film had developed earlier. Try not to compare this to some of Hitchcock's later films and sexual thrillers of the 1980's and 90's like "Fatal Attraction", "Sea of Love", and especially "Basic Instinct".