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Dirty Weekend

1993, Movie, NR, 102 mins

Dirty Weekend: Review

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Based on the novel by Helen Zahavi, which caused a sensation when it was published in the UK, and given the ham-fisted Michael Winner treatment, this scurrilous film never received US distribution but circulated on bootleg tape. Tired of being belittled and humiliated by her boorish boyfriend, meek Bella (Lia Williams) decides to pull up stakes and start a new life. She leaves London for seaside Brighton, and quickly finds a small ground floor flat and a temporary job. Things seem to be looking up (newspaper reports of a serial sex killer who may be making his way to Brighton notwithstanding) until Bella starts getting obscene and threatening phone calls. She quickly identifies the caller as Tim (Rufus Sewell), who lives in a neighboring building, but is shocked to find that the police can do nothing about his harassment until he actually harms her. Bella's only friend in Brighton grows tired of her neediness, a security consultant tells her there's no way she can make her flat secure and a policeman she consults makes an ugly and aggressive pass. An impulsive visit to a seaside psychic (Ian Richardson) changes everything: He advises Bella to stop cowering and stand up for herself. When she protests that she's not physically strong enough, he coyly suggests that a weapon might level the playing field. Emboldened, she first toys with Tim on the phone, then sneaks into his apartment and murders him in his sleep with a hammer. Once Bella's had a taste of revenge against swinish men, there's no stopping her. In the tradition of rape-revenge pictures like I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978), SUDDEN DEATH (1985) and MS. 45 (1981), this film makes female empowerment a matter of murder and — in true Michael Winner DEATH WISH fashion — stacks the deck against Bella's victims in the most grotesque and un-PC fashion imaginable. It's an exceptionally ugly piece of work all around, right down to the bright, flat, TV-style lighting. leave a comment --Maitland McDonagh
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