Great Film overall

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

"Original Sin" starts with an improbable premise: that a wealthy man would venture to marry a woman he had never met and a beautiful woman would agree to marry a man she had never met. When we first meet Luis Vargas (Antonio Banderas) and Julia Russell (Angelina Jolie), there is the inescapable feeling that neither would have trouble finding a mate. We are half correct.This story has a number of twists in it, twists that I won't divulge so that the viewer's journey is more enjoyable. Luis owns a coffee plantation in Cuba. He falls in love with Julia. Their lives seem idyllic until the young woman disappears. The romance now becomes a mystery. In his efforts to discover what happened to Julia, Luis crosses paths with those of the lower social strata, shall we say, and his love propels him to make choices that he never would have dreamed of in his pre-Julia days.Along the way, the story of "Original Sin" takes a turn near "Vertigo" then continues on its winding way into unforeseen areas. The plot involves mistaken identities, a few red herrings, and some major grifting. In the end, all the piece of this puzzle come together, leaving us with a tale about love, faith and, maybe, redemption.The entire journey is lovingly filmed in some beautiful Mexican settings. The two lovers are beautiful in their own rights and the camera dwells on their images as part of the lush environs. But Banderas and Jolie are more than pretty faces; their acting is convincing. For the most part, the other actors also feel like they inhabit the places and times of "Original Sin".Anything more I might say about this film could reveal some plot lines, so I will just say I give it a score of 7 out of 10.

Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie star in an erotic thriller which is not particularly erotic and certainly not thrilling. Yes, the obligatory Banderas-Jolie sex scene sizzles. But after that the movie fizzles out completely. The heat goes out of this movie very early on. The story relies on myriad plot twists which never really convince or satisfy. The dialogue is awkward throughout, often downright laughable. The acting leaves much to be desired. Banderas and Jolie are not very good. But they're better than Thomas Jane who, in the movie's one key supporting role, hams it up to ridiculous extent. There are a few interesting moments sprinkled throughout. But not nearly enough of them to save what is ultimately a rather bad movie.The movie's story is told in flashback with Jolie's character, Julia, narrating. She does so from a prison where she is awaiting execution. How did she get there? Should be interesting finding out. Should be but really isn't. The story unfolds in 19th century Cuba with the Banderas character, Luis, having sent for a mail-order bride. Julia duly arrives from Delaware but she is not the woman in the photograph she had sent ahead of her arrival. She is not the woman she claimed to be but Luis is not who he claimed to be either, much wealthier than he had let on. But while it becomes apparent that Luis truly has the best of intentions it is just as clear that Julia is a woman with some demons and secrets. What darkness lies beneath the surface? Detective Walter Downs, played by Jane, shows up to help Luis sort out the mess Julia makes. From here the story relies on tricks. But you can see the twists and turns coming a mile away. There's nothing to surprise you. There's really very little of interest at all. The story limps along towards its conclusion. Yes, we find out why Julia's in that prison cell. But by the time we do most in the audience will find they really don't care anymore. The movie has completely lost its hold on us. And then as a final insult the ending is just ludicrously stupid, a tacked-on bit of nonsense which undercuts the whole movie. Not that there was very much worthwhile to be undercut anyway.

I was expecting a good story, good character development, excellent acting from Jolie & Banderas, and some great erotic scenes.What I got was a very implausible story that zigzags from love to murderous revenge and back again, no backstory, unsympathetic characters with erratic behavior, and a weird sadistic bisexual boyfriend/pimp (Thomas Jane's character). The sex scenes seemed passionless and were barely erotic. The acting by Banderas and Jolie was good, as were the sets, locations, and lighting, but it didn't rescue the film.Don't waste your time on this movie.

Very few people seem to know (perhaps apart from Roger Ebert) that this is a remake of a 1969 François Truffaut film called «Mississippi Mermaid» ! Both films are based on a Cornell Woolrich novel -- yes, the very same author whose short story was masterfully enriched and used as the basis of Alfred Hitchcock's «Rear Window». Also a reminder for those who'd want to brush up their knowledge of the French language. As you may (or may not) have noticed, the «C» in François should have a little «tail» under it : in French, it is a «cédille», a punctuation sigh that makes that letter sound like a «S» -- not a «K». And so, as I may say -- in a paraphrase : «Suis-je en train de jeter des perles à des p... ?». This saying seems very appropriate since the little «tail» under the «C» somewhat looks like... a pig's tail, doesn't it ?