April 2000

Cruel Intentions: Collector's Edition
Reviewed by Doug Schneider
DVD Format

Overall Enjoyment:
Picture Quality:
Sound Quality:
Packaged Extras:

Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillipe, Selma Blair

Directed by Roger Kumble

Theatrical Release: 1999
DVD Release: 1999
Dolby Digital 5.1
Full Screen/Widescreen (Anamorphic)

It’s an impressive feat when one can take a well-worn story and make it fresh again -- well, almost fresh again. The story of Cruel Intentions has been put to film twice before: In 1988 Stephen Frears directed Dangerous Liaisons, and in 1989 Milos Foreman made Valmont. It was Dangerous Liaisons that made the box-office splash with great storytelling and outstanding performances by John Malkovich, Glenn Close and Michelle Pfeiffer. Some tens years later Cruel Intentions comes to the screen as a teenage-sex drama. Does it work? I never saw Valmot, but I loved Dangerous Liaisons. Dangerous Liasons is a better film, quite a bit better in fact, but this one is surprisingly good and much better than I imagined it would be.

The story is simple. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Kathryn Merteuil. Ryan Phillipe is Sebastian Valmont. Sebastian is Kathryn’s stepbrother. He schemes for the sole purpose of conquering woman. The bigger the challenge the better for him. Despite their extreme wealth and the abundance of the sex they enjoy, Kathryn and Sebastian’s existence is meaningless and empty. So, to pass time they play games, cruel games, designed to harm others. It is likely that in their own minds these games demonstrate their superiority.

Sebastian can have almost everyone, and he usually does. However, there are two people he has not yet had the pleasure of experiencing. First, there is the virginal Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon), a person whose chastity he reads about in a teenage magazine. Annette, he finds out, will be (very conveniently) moving in with his aunt (or, as the wealthy like to say, "awwwnt"). And secondly, there is his stepsister, Kathryn. He lusts for her and she knows it. Since she relishes in others’ miseries, she takes advantage of Sebastian’s desire for her in order to punish him. She makes him a bet: Should he be able to seduce Annette, she will willingly sleep with him. Should he lose, she gets his valuable antique car. Although she likes the car, more important to her is how much he will miss it if he loses it.

Ryan Phillipe does an admirable job of Valmont. He brings his own style to the role, yet effectively mimics Malkovich’s outstanding performance at just the right times. Witherspoon is good too. However, the surprise standout is Gellar. She’s a television actress best known for the lead role in Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. She’s done a number of films in the past but has shown nothing beyond being an average talent. Here, though, she plays the mean-spirited Kathryn perfectly with just the right amount of smug arrogance.

First-time director Roger Kumble does an admirable job in his initial outing and will likely be a talent to watch out for in the future. It is also notable that he wrote this film. He keeps the storytelling tight and never lets it get bogged down with meaningless or stretched-out scenes. Cruel Intentions also has exceptional cinematography and fine visual flair. There is a lavish, lush look to the picture that perfectly matches the tone of the story and its characters.

The fine look they achieved does not go to waste. The video transfer is outstanding. There is a bright, rich, vibrant look that looks beautiful on DVD. While the sound does not get as high of marks, it is really not through any fault of what’s here. This is simply not the type of film that shows off sound effects. The dialogue sounds clean, is easily discernible and there is the subtle use of surround effects. Music is well recorded, but there is nothing really outstanding to note. On the other hand, there is nothing in particular to criticize either. The DVD extras get very high marks. There is director’s commentary, music videos, talent bios, but most importantly, a bunch of deleted scenes. Kumble introduces each one and gives the reasoning for taking it out. Just like the excellent DVD releases of Go and Boogie Nights, the inclusion of this section gives tremendous insight into the filmmaking process. Watching the deleted scenes in each of these films will also likely spur some debate among viewers about whether it was better to leave them in or not. Sometimes it is obvious that a scene, or part of a scene, should be cut, but sometimes it is not so clear.

Cruel Intentions was criticized, perhaps justly, for its rather tasteless portrayal of over-sexed teenagers. Admittedly, this film will likely offend many people and is, perhaps, not suitable viewing for some. It’s definitely not for younger people. However, what I did like is that these people are not depicted as average teenagers. Their extreme wealth and indulgent lifestyle make them almost like characters in a fantasy world. Had the same story been used with the teenagers in a film like Go, which gets closer to what teenagers today are like, it would likely have been more offensive. In the end, this is a film best suited for adult viewing. It also comes highly recommended. It’s not necessarily worth buying, since I doubt that most viewers will watch this more than once, but is definitely worth renting.  

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