Many of the key scenes are telegraphed in the style of Friday the 13th.
Faye Dunaway is over-the-top. She's sort of like The Joker in batman. She kind of channeled her character from the movie Network, but it didn't work here as well.
Timothy Hutton is my favorite actor. He makes it look so easy, and has such an appealing presence. Another reviewer said that you want to root for his character, because you identify with him. I agree. That's the case with most of his movies.
Lara Flynn Boyle was great. She nailed it. However, her hair style, and the psychotic look in her eyes were a real turn off. Maura Tierney is meant to look depressed and plain. Therefore, there was no eye-candy in this one for me, although I understand that Boyle was, for most men.
Portland, and Oregon in general looked great. I never thought of skycrapers and big businesses in Portland, but I guess there are some. There is a scene when the characters are traveling down to the state capitol of Salem, via the Coast Highway. That was just thrown in for scenery, because the coast is way west of the road to Salem.
The main character's personal problem from the past is key to the plot. It seems a bit far-fetched, but I liked it. A simple, cheap plot device, but I'll allow it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the physical atmosphere, the buddy aspect, the believable wife, Hutton's persona, and the devilish Boyle. Not a great film, but I will undoubtedly take out my VHS copy again in a few years, or introduce it to a friend.
