This entertaining little mini-noir won't win any awards, but it managed to keep me interested and diverted from a rather nasty day so I'm not really complaining too much about its somewhat predictable plot and not-so-mysterious twists and turns. An appealing trio of top notch actors bring us the tale of nose-to-the-grindstone accountant Jonathan McQuarry (Ewan McGregor) who inadvertently stumbles onto an exclusive sex club through his passing acquaintance with slick lawyer Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman). What follows is a series of encounters with high powered women (Natasha Henstridge, Maggie Q and Charlotte Rampling among them) who set up anonymous hotel trysts with the eager Jonathan. These ladies aren't prostitutes, and there are strict rules for the club members: no names, no conversation, no complications. When Jonathan spots the alluring Michelle Williams, first at a subway station and then as a surprise sex club contact, the 'no complications' rule goes right out the window. Although the smitten accountant knows only the first letter of his lady love's name ("S"), he falls more and more under her spell with disastrous results. They begin meeting at cozy dinners in Chinatown, gazing into each others' eyes and exchanging sweet little gifts. Then "S" goes missing from a hotel room, leaving a trace of blood on the bed and setting Jonathan on a desperate course of action to locate and save her before it's too late.
The movie doesn't quite know whether it wants to be a true noir thriller or a routine movie-of-the-week. It winds up being a little less than the first option and a little more than the second. It's obvious from the beginning that Bose is not what he seems, McQuarry is doomed as a gullible fool and "S" is bait for a rather convoluted set-up of McQuarry. What makes the story work, though, is good acting (for the most part) and the intriguing idea of the sex club. Watching the other predictable elements of the story made me wish the filmmakers had punched up the noir and toned down the false identities. McGregor seems a little miscast as the bumbling accountant, but Williams does an amazing job with her mesmerizing, slightly offbeat take on the classic femme fatale. Lisa Gay Hamilton offers an excellent performance as a detective and Charlotte Rampling brings a delightful wry amusement to her cameo appearance. The usually fabulous Jackman didn't quite work for me in the role of the wicked Bose, but I'll still watch him any day just because he's so gorgeous. Although there's nothing particularly original or even surprising about this movie, I enjoyed it for some reason. It's like a concoction that turns out to be a little more than the sum of its parts, tastier than expected and strangely satisfying despite its faults.
Things to love about this movie: Some cool scenes set in lovely Madrid and funky Chinatown; just enough noir to overcome its derivative plot; a couple of good twists that worked even if I did see them coming
Things to hate about this movie: A few too many VERY obvious clues
Pleasant surprises: Michelle Williams really rocks the classic, noir femme fatale; a brief song from the melodiously gifted Jackman
Unpleasant surprises: The usually charismatic Jackman could use a bit more pop in his performance
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