Shining Through (1992)

Ludicrous wartime thriller written and directed by David Seltzer, and based on a novel by Susan Isaacs. 

A secretary with a major law firm (Melanie Griffith) falls in love with a spy (Michael Douglas) and takes on her own spy mission in Berlin. Her only qualification is that she speaks fluent German (although, unlike the other actors, she doesn’t even try to put on a German accent) and has learned about intelligence work from enjoying films at the cinema. On this ridiculous premise, the film wobbles along in a highly entertaining manner. 

Liam Neeson isn’t too bad as the Nazi officer General Franze-Otto Dietrich. John Gielgud isn’t very well used as the agent “Sunflower”. And Joely Richardson is fairly watchable as the double agent Margrete von Eberstein. 

There are plenty of implausible moments but the film does have a few things in its favour. There are a few exciting sequences and Douglas and Griffith both have charm. But it’s so far-fetched and silly (with several unintentionally funny moments) that you wonder if it would’ve been better played as a comedy.

The Cutting Edge (1992)

A sort of romantic comedy, although there could have been a lot more comedy, directed by Paul Michael Glaser. 

Prima-donna figure-skater Kate (Moira Kelly) rejects a series of male partners until she gets paired-up with a former ice hockey player named Doug (D. B. Sweeney). Kate ’n’ Doug aim to compete at the Olympics, but tensions run high between them. She’s wealthy. He’s not. Inevitably, they begin to fall in love…

The low budget is evident but that cannot explain the strangeness of the locations and the script. Their coach is a “comedic” Russian (Roy Dotrice, with a dodgy accent). Kate’s father Jack (Terry O’Quinn) doesn’t have much to do and is a complete void in terms of character. 

There’s a lot of music crammed into the film and used at every opportunity. And there’s a strange “misty” quality to the ice-skating scenes – either in the name of “atmosphere” or to disguise the fact that the actors aren’t the ones doing the skating. Even the main couple seem strange. Kate, low on charm, isn’t good at the expressive scenes. And yet despite all this, there’s lots to enjoy about The Cutting Edge. It’s a simple story that gets you rooting for the young couple, however preposterous they might seem.

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

Adapted by David Mamet from his own 1984 play, this is a remarkable film that transfers amazingly well to the screen. 

The plot deals with four real estate salesmen engaged in conning their clients. Although the details of the con are never fully explained, the real point is the relationships between the characters and the way they talk to each other as their situation intensifies across two days. These dynamics are explored with unusual intelligence. 

I’ve never known so much swearing in a film. Also, there is a huge amount of dialogue with machine-gun-fire speech between the characters as they interact. Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Ed Harris and Alan Arkin are all superb, in their own ways, reflecting the tension that goes with their illegal work. And Alec Baldwin is more powerful than usual, playing a motivational salesman sent to inspire the others.

Howards End (1992)

Brilliant adaptation of E.M. Forster’s so-so classic novel. Directed by James Ivory, it seems more nuanced and subtle than the book. The actors are skilled enough to bring out a sense of humanity that is rarely evident in Forster’s rather cold prose. 

The plot is thus summarised by Google: “Helen Schlegel falls for Paul Wilcox, but is rebuffed. Her sister Margaret becomes friends with his mother, who promises her the family house, Howards End. Unfortunately, after her death, the will disappears and it appears the inheritance will disappear. Until the widower, Henry Wilcox, becomes attracted to Margaret.”

It’s a tale about class and prejudice. 

Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham-Carter and Anthony Hopkins are superb as the primary characters, with Thompson in particular delivering an astounding performance. She also acted alongside Hopkins in Remains of the Day (1993), and the two seem made to work together. There are also roles for Vanessa Redgrave, Jemma Redgrave and Prunella Scales.

There are some slightly odd cuts and edits, but these actually work to punctuate the story and provide narrative focus.

Scent of a Woman (1992)

A masterpiece quite unlike anything else I’ve ever seen. It’s the very blackest comedy, an extremely moving drama and a fascinating character study. 

A New England preparatory school student Charlie Simms (Chris O’Donnell) is in trouble, after witnessing a rule-breaking prank, and also in need of money. He takes on a curious job: looking after a retired lieutenant colonel (Al Pacino) while his niece is away for the weekend. The colonel is not only blind but also volatile and difficult, and he takes Charles to New York with a somewhat different plan in mind.

Al Pacino is at his very best as the seemingly deranged colonel. His various outbursts are funny and terrifying at the same time. There are some superb scenes, including a tango in a restaurant and a high-speed test-drive of a Ferrari. 

The film surprises with its structure, too. After one emotional peak regarding the colonel’s death wish, there’s another one as Charlie’s future is addressed. This could all have been terribly uneven, but it’s so well done that it works perfectly. 

The script is spot on. The soundtrack by Thomas Newman is appropriate and matches the narrative. Pacino’s presence is incredible.

A Few Good Men (1992)

Directed by Rob Reiner (adapted from a play by Aaron Sorkin), but not up to his usual standards. 

Tom Cruise plays a military lawyer who has to defend a pair of US marines accused of killing a soldier at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. He spends a lot of time fiddling with his baseball bat. Demi Moore plays Lieutenant Commander Joanne Galloway. Jack Nicholson is a suspicious colonel. Kiefer Sutherland and Kevin Bacon also feature. 

It’s a little like a TV movie in places, and the music seems generic. Tom Cruise is exactly like he is in all his other films – cocky, fast-talking and apparently good at everything. Demi Moore struggles with a role that’s not really fleshed out. Only Jack Nicholson holds your attention, and even he isn’t given much to go on. Unless you’re keen on Cruise and his standard range of tics, it’s oddly unfulfilling.

The Crying Game (1992)

Unusual, original and adventurous thriller directed by Neil Jordan. 

Stephen Rea plays Fergus, an IRA soldier who grows attached to a hostage named Jody (Forest Whitaker) he is ultimately expected to kill. After events turn even more nasty for the unit, Fergus flees and ends up making a new life for himself in London. He seeks out Jody’s romantic partner, and everything he does is guided by having had that intense relationship with him. Before long, his old life starts to come back to him. 

It’s a tense drama with welcome moments of humour and whimsy. 

Miranda Richardson is excellent as the oddly terrifying Jude, an IRA member who is used to snare the hostage. It’s also good to see Tony Slattery and Jim Broadbent in the cast.

I like the way The Crying Game manages to subvert all expectations by turning into a different kind of film about halfway through but then ultimately bringing the two threads back together. Race, gender, sexuality, nationality and morality are all considered, but never in a heavy-handed way. Instead, these themes grow naturally from the engrossing plot and convincing characters.

The Bodyguard (1992)

Surprisingly poor and amateurish thriller. It earned millions, but it has a "made for TV" quality about it.

Kevin Costner plays an ex-Secret Service agent hired to protect a singer named Rachel (Whitney Houston). 

Unfortunately the plot is full of holes, the characters lack motivations for their actions, and the acting is mostly terrible. Gary Kemp is particularly awkward as Whitney’s brash English publicist. Houston is oddly unlikeable throughout. The film would have worked better if you could relate to her. Only Costner impresses. 

The plotting is leaden and you can see the twists before they arrive. I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about but I couldn’t. And to add insult to injury you have to hear Whitney murdering Dolly Parton’s once-beautiful “I Will Always Love You”.

Unforgiven (1992)

Western. 

Clint Eastwood plays William Munny, who was once a dangerous outlaw but who has now cleaned up and settled down to lead a quieter life. His wife has died but he's looking after his young children and working on his small farm. When he decides to take on one last job he finds himself back in trouble, and before long he’s drinking and killing again. 

In some ways this is a film designed to appeal to old people, with ageing actors and ageing tropes. Eastwood plays alongside Morgan Freeman (his partner), Gene Hackman (a slightly crazy sheriff) and Richard Harris ("English Bob"). It cleverly examines the myth of the cowboy while also showing the grim reality of the truth behind it, i.e., bullets actually hurt and there’s no glory in taking a man’s life. There’s a certain irony in Clint Eastwood presenting that message after making so many cowboy films, but you hope he was aware of that.

Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)

John Carpenter's clever, funny adaptation of the excellent novel by H.F. Saint is a real treat. Chevy Chase plays a man accidentally turned invisible by an accident in a scientific research institute. Instead of wanting to help him, the people responsible attempt to capture and exploit him for his unusual condition.

Some of the “invisible” scenes are ingenious, such as when the invisible man holds a gun against the head of the villain (played by Sam Neill). You see Neill dragged across a room with the weapon apparently stuck to his head.

Daryl Hannah offers an above-par performance as the girlfriend, seeming more engaged than she usually does. 

The film received generally poor reviews but I can’t understand why. It’s hugely entertaining. Maybe people didn’t like the fact that it so effortlessly crosses and combines genres (crime thriller, romance, sci-fi, comedy). That sort of freedom doesn’t seem to be encouraged: maybe films can’t be marketed as easily if they evade a simplistic genre categorisation. But it makes for something very refreshing to watch.