Killing Me Softly

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Killing Me Softly

R

2002

1h 40m

Mystery & Thriller

Romance

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21 Reviews

40%

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5,000+ Ratings

A young American in London begins a passionate and kinky affair with a handsome stranger who may be a killer.

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Critics Consensus

Respected director Chen Kaige's first English-language film is a spectacularly misguided erotic thriller, with ludicrous plot twists and cringe-worthy dialogue.

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Nathan Rabin

AV Club

Aug 3, 2009

As Graham attempts to uncover the truth about his past, the film grows increasingly convoluted, leading to a twist ending that will come as a surprise only to those who've never seen a Shannon Tweed movie.

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David Rooney

Variety

May 21, 2008

A turgid erotic thriller that plays like Zalman King-meets-vintage Brian De Palma without the latter's wit or style.

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Empire Magazine

Dec 30, 2006

1/5

A hilariously bad movie that has to be seen to be believed.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Oct 9, 2020

3/10

More outrageous, perverse, and trivial than plausible or nerve-wracking.

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Total Film

Aug 3, 2009

1/5

The screenplay (based on Nicci French's novel) is cringeworthy, and Kaige's inability to spot when English-speaking thesps are reciting rather than acting produces scenes that vary from lifeless to laughable.

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Robert Pardi

TV Guide

Aug 3, 2009

2/4

Why, you might ask, is master director Chen Kaige wasting his time on such trashy material?

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Clarice F.

@clarice25 Nov 17, 2025

If it could be negative it would be -6. Not sure what we watched.

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Alain E

@AlainE May 17, 2025

Sadly this has the subtlety of bad pulp fiction. At the 34 minute mark the alpiniste boyfriend essentially kills a pickpocket. Before that we were told that he was too distressed when seeing pictures of his dead girlfriend. If I was 11 I would have watched more, for another view of Heather Graham’s breasts and more brutality.

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Dem K

@RT17861668 Jan 6, 2025

Perfect movie I loved it

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Marc Z

@TKDLife Sep 4, 2023

This is an erotic thriller starring Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes. It is seemingly low budget, despite the fact that it has a decent cast. It is sexually exciting and it does build from a romance to something more, in a way that is foreshadowed early on. The Direction is "B" at best. The script is the same. The eroticism is "A", despite it not being designed to be a soft core movie, per se. The strength, quite frankly, is the acting. Heather Graham is always watchable. Jospeh Fiennes, in any role, has gravitas and makes him very compelling to watch. I saw it on free tv, during a holiday weekend-so no complaints.

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Steve D

@RT35616104 Feb 11, 2023

Sexy but not much else.

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Jun 27, 2020

Laughable dialogue and absurd plot. "Flows" just like an XXX rated movie edited for an "R" rating. Awful. Only the sex scenes are worth watching....just like an old, bad porn movie. I have never however, seen an old bad porn movie that wasn't better than this garbage in all respects. Embarrassing for all concerned. I wonder how this disaster escaped from the studio for public consumption. My wife hated it more than I did and she selected it. First time she has HATED a movie in a very long time. Unfortunately it is not so bad that it is funny. It just stinks. A time waster. Sorry if my opinion is somewhat vague.

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Synopsis

A young American in London begins a passionate and kinky affair with a handsome stranger who may be a killer.

Director: Chen Kaige
Producer: Joe Medjuck, Lynda Myles, Michael Chinich
Screenwriter: Kara Lindstrom, Nicci French
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Noelle Entertainment Limited, Montecito Picture Company
Rating: R (Some Violence|Language|Strong Sexuality)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 10, 2002, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Runtime: 1h 40m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, SDDS, DTS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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