Forever Mine

From Taxi Driver and Raging Bull screenwriter Paul Schrader comes this over-the-top film noir of obsession and revenge. Joseph Fiennes stars as Alan, a soulful cabana boy in 1973 Miami Beach. Gretchen Mol, who never fulfilled the hype that attended her premature Vanity Fair cover story, co-stars as Ella, Alan's soul mate who, unfortunately, is married to Mark (Ray Liotta), a corrupt politician. Alan follows the couple to New York to continue their affair. Big mistake. The lovers tell Mark about it. Bigger mistake. Mark arranges to dispose of Alan. This is the biggest mistake, as the botched murder leaves Alan with a scarred face and a vengeful heart. Fourteen years later, Alan returns under a new guise to reclaim Ella, who is still unaccountably married to Mark, and for a little payback. The sex scenes between Alan and Ella give this film a Viagra-like pop, but the bland Mol is not up to the role, and the actors are ill served by the script's lame dialogue ("you lovesick nobody," Mark screams at one point). The equivalent of a paperback you take to the beach, this is an optional purchase, at best. (K. Lee Benson)