Good concept, poorly executed.

Admirable film.

Absolutely Brilliant!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Kathleen plays Joanna Crane. By day she's a man-hating fashion designer. At night she dons a blonde wig and becomes prostitute China Blue. She soon becomes involved with Bobby Grady (John Laughlin) an unhappily married man and the "Preacher" (Anthony Perkins) who wants to save her. It all culminates in a violent climax.Great but VERY adult movie full of sex, frank sexual talk and some truly funny dialogue ("Whores and metaphors don't mix"). There's also some truly thought-provoking dialogue about gender, sex roles and marriage. There was a big controversy over this when it was released in 1984. In the US a full 5 minutes had to be cut out to secure the film an R rating. I saw it in 1984 and loved it. I was 22 and it was great to see an adult film. The uncut version is available on DVD. The acting wavers. Turner and Perkins are both great in their roles--especially Turner. Some of her sex scenes are shocking (especially one involving a policeman and his night stick) but she gives them her all. Laughlin is not that good in his role but seriously--the script gives him nothing to work with. Even worse is Annie Potts as his frigid wife. Still this is well worth seeing but for adults only. Highly recommended.

Crimes of Passion (1984) ** 1/2 (out of 4) China Blue (Kathleen Turner) is a prostitute who works the streets at night turning tricks for $50. Bobby Grady (John Laughlin) is a married father of two who finds his wife (Annie Potts) losing interest in him. Reverend Shayne (Anthony Perkins) is a cocaine snorting "man of God" who spends most of his time at a nudie booth. Pretty soon the three of them are going to be introduced to one another as their stories play out.Ken Russell's CRIMES OF PASSION is a rather interesting failure. When the film was originally released it was savaged by critics and pretty much ignored at the box office. We then learned that the studio pretty much had to cut the picture down and other scenes were re-arranged. Then an uncut version was released and the film's reputation grew somewhat but this here is still seen as middle-tier Russell.It's really too bad that the film didn't come together better because there are some excellent things hiding throughout the picture. We can start off with the terrific cinematography, which perfectly captures the mood and atmosphere of the city. I really loved the blue and red tints and especially during the first sex scene between China Blue and Bobby. The entire sequence was beautiful to look at and the colors just leaped off the screen. The images and music score perfectly blend together and it really makes for a memorable visual experience.Another great thing are the performances by the three leads. Turner pretty much plays two roles here and I thought she was extremely good in each. There's no question that the China Blue character is the more memorable one and I really thought Turner brought some flare to the part and especially with the various sex scenes that she had to perform. Laughlin was the weakest of the leads but I thought his low-key performance perfectly suited the character he was playing. Then there's Perkins who has played a number a nuts in his career. He's actually very effective and creepy here and the screenplay offers him some great moments to really shine.With that said, CRIMES OF PASSION held my interest for the first hour. We're never quite sure where the movie is going or what it's trying to do. The look of the film and the performances are so great that you stick with the movie but before long everything pretty much crashes down. You lose interest in what you're watching and you really don't care what the film is trying to say or how it's going to end. Russell's direction is just fine but I think the screenplay just lets everyone down because you've got this weird sexual drama going on but I never really found it overly erotic and it certainly wasn't all that thrilling.

Ken Russell+ music score by Rick Wakeman=brilliant film. Throw in the talents of Kathleen Turner, Anthony Perkins, John Laughlin and Annie Potts and you have a winner.A fashion designer by day and a prostitute by night, Joanna Crane, who goes by the name of China Blue when she is turning tricks, is suspected of stealing designs is being followed by an unhappily married Bobby Grady.China Blue aka Joanna is also being stalked by a street preacher, the Reverend Peter Shayne who develops an unhealthy obsession with being able to 'save' her.As a relationship starts to bud between Bobby and Joanna, Peter Shayne becomes more and more frenzied in his attempts to convert Joanna.Crimes Of Passion is a striking movie. The music which is perfect, adds to the sexually charged atmosphere as does the setting and lighting.A thriller that does not fear to cross any boundary and is still able to include genuinely touching scenes, such as one where China Blue is hired to have sex with a man who is terminally ill.The scenes between Bobby and his wife Amy are also tinged with sadness as you can see how very unhappy they both are together.Despite the fine performances from the cast, this is definitely Anthony Perkin's movie. His portrayal of Peter Shayne is both comical and terrifying as the menacing and deranged preacher who is desperate to find salvation in saving China Blue, no matter what the cost.Kathleen Turner also puts in a great performance as the tormented woman who leads two lives. My only gripe with Crimes Of Passion is that Joanna's backstory was never really explored. But that would be a gripping film within itself.Ken Russell's film really explores the darker side of sexual attraction and obsession.It does end on a lighter note though which gives the film a more optimistic feel that gives the film a bit of a lift.Crimes Of Passion is not for everyone, some of the scenes are explicit, but it is worth checking out.

This is the film which demonstrated what a great actress Turner is and why she should still be a bigger star today than perhaps she is. She has such a wonderful voice and figure in this film - it's as if the part was written especially for her; perhaps it was! It also shows you how good Perkins was in a role where he could let himself go as over the top as Russell would like him to. He (Perkins) must have loved it. The musical score is supposedly written by Rick Wakeman, but is, of course, derived from Dvorak's New World Symphony. Wakeman does a great job and the music adds to the gloss of the film. The saxophone playing in the lovemaking scene is sensual in the extreme. Anthony Perkins has several monologues that serve as a narrative for the audience. Not for the wowserish, nor is it pornographic (using clever imagery to allude to what is occurring), it is full of very witty, memorable one-liners.This is easily Kathleen's best film work and really no other American actress has ever shown such intimacy and duality in the sexuality of her character, it is compelling, enthralling and heart breaking. Plus you feel a connection to her because of her vulnerability that she develops as the movie unfolds. Finally her comedic timing is hilarious, yes there are plenty of laugh out scenes in this film too. Perkins is simply brilliant in this role, it seems to be a far cousin of the disturbed mind of Norman Bates, but having grown up in major crimes of the soul and the good manners. Once more, let' s remind the ineffable statement of Nicholas Machiaveli: "The half of the sin is the scandal."Overall rating: 8 out of 10.