User reviews

China Moon was unexpectedly good. Whodunits usually aren't my favorites, but this one held my interest. The story has enough going for it to make for a solid mystery. Even though you know who killed whom, you're left second-guessing yourself as to motives and alliances until the very end.

There are enough twists and turns to keep you off-balance, but without the story confusion that often accompanies that kind of plot complexity. A surprise final scene provides a satisfying closure. The murder and resulting forensics are on the bloody side, but it's not out of place in the story line. Harris and Stowe turn in believable performances, making for an overall rating of 7 out of 10 stars.

A nice little thriller with a twist. Charles Dance wasted again, this time with the most ridiculous Southern accent. I like Ed Harris in just about anything, so he got me through this one. Stowe is good; I have also liked her in other movies where you have to pay attention to the dialog. I have lately discovered that del Toro has been around much longer than I realized - it is nice to see his early work as an indication of the presence he has on-screen. The comparisons to "Body Heat" are understandable - but I think this one stands on its own as one way to spend an evening with a movie that you actually watch to see what happens.

"China Moon" is a throwback to the old film noirs, so it has the necessarily sleazy storyline featuring an abused wife having an affair with a lonely cop. He meets her at a bar and promptly gets sucked into her drama, a common scenario. But it soon turns deadly with the husband shot. What will he do, his job or help her? A rather bleak film but features great acting performances from Ed Harris, Benecio Del Toro, and Madeleine Stowe. I rate it a 6/10. Worth watching on tv once a decade if you come across it.

Although I'm a film buff I had never heard of this film, but found it surprisingly good. The plot isn't particularly startling but there are some neat twists. Above all, there is a terrific performance from Ed Harris as Kyle. You can see from the way the other cops react to him just how good he is at his job, and how much they respect him, and his fall from grace is heart-rending. By the end of the film, he looks about ten years older than he did at the beginning. His romance with Rachel is totally convincing - just the way he looks at her says it all. All in all, an interesting film which didn't deserve to sink without trace.

There are elements of Body Heat and No Way Out in this tale of"l'amour fou".Florida cop ,played by the ever reliable Ed Harris,is skilled at his job and dismissive of criminals who he feels usually foul up somewhere along the line He crosses paths with femme fatale Rachel(Madelaine Stowe) ,married to the abusive and philandering Rupert Munro(Charles Dance)and a relationship develops He finds himself drawn into covering up when she kills her husband but he soon becomes the prime suspect in the case.There is a twist ending I openly acknowledge I did not see coming

On the plus side are a clutch of strong performances,although Dance is quite dreadful,with an American accent that strays all over the place and goes missing altogether at times.I still shudder at the memory of his sheer woodenness as "Coriolanus "at Stratford some while back,and he should not be allowed within a country mile of a movie camera ever again.Harris subtly conveys the gradual coming apart of a cool,and proficient pro when in thrall to lust,and Stowe is never less than compelling even when as here the dialogue is a little cliche ridden.Del Toro shows why he has since gone on to better things The movie sat on the shelf a while and I guess was disinterred following Stowe's higher profile after The Last of the Mohicans and Blink I am glad they revived it since it is watchable and intriguing but Dance and a slight flatness in direction by John Bailey,whose work as cinematographer I admire plus the egregious Mr Dance see it marked down a tad in my estimation

John Bailey probably knew what he was getting into, when he read Roy Carlson's screen play, otherwise it doesn't make much sense to go ahead with a film that has been done better before. That said, "China Moon" is not a total disappointment.

If you haven't seen the movie, please stop reading here.

There are a few things that indicate that Rachel wanted to use Kyle from the beginning. There are also hints that Lamar, Kyle's detective partner, is into something. How could a good detective like Kyle fall prey to the exchange of the the bullet that is extracted from Rupert Monro's body? The filmmakers take a chance in presenting a half baked pie to the viewers, many of whom are into mysteries, and think the plot will be taken at face value, when in reality, our minds are going in different directions. The fans of this genre solve the puzzle before the movie's conclusion.

That said, the movie is easy to watch. Ed Harris, makes a credible Kyle. This actor is one of the best working in movies today, and even if it's not a good picture, Mr. Harris can be counted to give an excellent performance. His detective offers a good character study of a professional man that makes a fatal judgment when he gets involved with Rachel.

Madeleine Stowe is a beautiful woman. In this movie she plays Rachel with conviction; her scenes with Ed Harris shows clearly she can hold her own against anyone. Benicio Del Toro's Lamar, as Lamar, offers an interesting performance, something we expect from him as a matter of course. Charles Dance, as the rich husband who likes to fool around, is only seen too short.

This is a movie to watch when the weather is bad outside. It will please anyone who doesn't expect too much.

Good actors, surprising seductive, romantic (and evil) story about a woman, who is stuck in a violent marriage, until that day she meets the charming cop played by Ed Harris. Things spiral out of control soon...with many surprising plot turns.

Best suited for those who love to watch dangerous seductive gorgeous women having secret affairs.

"China Moon" is a very good movie...at least if you've never seen "Body Heat". If you have, then you'll likely notice that the two films are practically the same in so many ways...too many. Both films involve a femme fatale getting their lover to help them kill their rich husbands. Both films are set in Florida. Both involve a lover who works with the court (in "Body Heat", he's a lawyer and in "China Moon", he's a cop). Both end up leaving the lover as the fall guy. And, both have nudity and violence so they probably aren't great films to show your kids.

For the most part, "Body Heat" is a better film. However, I did really like Ed Harris in "China Moon" as the lover...he did a great job, as you'd expect.

I watched this film today. Really liked it except in the last nine minutes where the whole effort unravels and becomes saccharine, syrupy and quite frankly not noir! When Rachel sees Bodine being shot she cries out, runs out and then shoots Lamarre. That scene simply reduced the film to the ranks of the ordinary when it could so easily have been great. It spoiled the noir effect. If that last scene was to be true to her character, she would not have cared. That scene to my mind spoiled the whole picture. If it were me, I would have her smile quietly, to herself, and then turn quickly and slip out of scene to enjoy her millions with whomsoever she wanted to. That last scene was not at all good, right, and should have been left on the cutting floor.

Spoiled what was a good good movie!

Body Heat did it right.

This picture that seems to have escaped the notice of the movie-going public is a stylish, murky thriller that has interesting twists and turns and good performances by Ed Harris and Madeleine Stowe. The premise of the story has been done before in several noir films of the past but Harris brings credibility to his role as a smitten cop. A crack detective who solves crimes with the best of them, Harris is a lonely man who is ripe for the picking by Stowe who is not all as she seems. The sexy brunette ranks right up there with Phyllis Deitrichson and Matty Tyler Walker as the genre's classic femme fatales. The supporting cast is good, among them are Benecio del Toro and Charles Dance in key roles. The music score is soft and sultry, very similar to John Barry's theme in "Body Heat".

Caught this on late night TV recently, and only watched because I admired Stowe's work in "Playing by Hearts." The constant use of lighting to make everyone's eyes look luminescent, apparently intended to add to the film noir mood, just made you wonder if there was some kind of "aliens are among us" subplot coming up, and disguised Stowe so thoroughly that she was virtually unrecognizable through whole sections of the film. Others have commented on the plot holes, and there are many, not the least of which occur in the climactic scene, where some fine work by Stowe is ruined by the extreme unlikelihood that things could have gone down that way.

When homicide detective Kyle Brodine starts seeing the wife of businessman Rupert Monro he finds himself falling in love with her. When her relationship gets violent with her husband he begs her to leave him, however she doesn't but when she accidentally kills him with an illegal gun she turns to him for help. Unable to go to the police he helps her cover it up. However later the police suspect foul play and Kyle and his partner are put on the case. As they investigate more evidence begins to point to Kyle and it appears that Rachel has not been totally honest with him.

Proof that good noir still exists. This film never saw the inside of an UK cinema – it went straight to video on release. However the plot is a good tangled web of murder, mystery and deceit. It manages to be twisty despite the fact that this sort of thing has been done many times before. The plot unfolds late and very quickly, managing to be believable and gripping.

The main reason for this is a great performance from Ed Harris. The feeling of him being sucking into something is written all over his face – and the way he goes from cop in control of all the details into a hunted animal is really good. Stowe is also really good and the support cast also has quality – whether it be Charles Dance or a young looking Del Toro.

Overall this may not break box office records but as a thriller it is twisty, contains plenty of good lines and has a great lead performance from Harris.

China Moon is directed by John Bailey and written by Roy Carlson. It stars Ed Harris, Madeleine Stowe, Benicio del Toro, Charles Dance and Patricia Healy. Music is by George Fenton and cinematography by Willy Kurant.

To be kind since China Moon is a very good film in its own right, that is for lovers of film noir and its off shoot neo-noir, it's a film where its only crime is not being as great as previous instalments of noirs classic era and neo. Story treads deliciously familiar ground, where Harris' intrepid cop falls deep for Stowe's sultry babe and before he can say " I would do anything for you", he's in it up to his neck.

In true noir fashion there's a twisty road to be navigated, nothing is as it at first seems, with hidden agendas, shifty shenanigans and emotional turmoil all playing a hand. The police procedural aspect intrigues greatly, with the devilish kicker of Harris investigating himself, while the intricacies of crime investigation - such as bullet science - is not given short shrift.

As a mood piece it scores high, the sweaty Florida settings ripe for Bailey (a cinematographer by trade) to mix a bit of poetic ambiance with misty shimmers, rainy bleakness and colour coded criminality that's not detrimental to true noir essence. Perfs are from the higher end of the scale, and the makers add enough original touches of their own so as to not let this become a pointless retread.

Closing superbly with a double whammy finale, China Moon is one that film noir lovers should sample. 7/10

Kyle Bodine (Ed Harris) is the lead detective teaching less experienced Lamar Dickey (Benicio del Toro). Kyle is taken with Rachel Munro (Madeleine Stowe). She had hired a private eye to take pictures of her wealthy banker husband Rupert Munro (Charles Dance) cheating. Rachel buys a gun and starts a romance with Kyle. Kyle and Lamar are called in on a domestic abuse at the Munros. While Kyle is helping her leave her abusive husband, she shoots him in self-defense. She fears the perception of her unregistered gun and no witnesses. She convinces Kyle to help her cover up the killing. Kyle and Lamar investigate the missing Monro. Lamar finds surprising new evidences seeming to point to Kyle.

This is very much by the book hard-boiled thriller. The movie moves a bit too slowly for the first half. It needs to start with Kyle and Rachel already in a heated romance. There's no need to waste time developing the chemistry. These are great actors able to sell an already heated romance. They need to get to the killing faster. The tension is all in the cover-up. It's basically a 40 minute setup. This is a bit slow and the tension is not high until the second half. However it has great actors and they keep the movie going.

A Strong Trio of Actors, Ed Harris, Madeleine Stowe, and Benicio Del Toro are the Force Behind This Fairly Conventional Neo-Noir. What is Lacking is Style. Film Noir and its Modern Evolution Neo-Noir are at Their Best When They Contain an Amount of High-Style to Punch the Plot of Deception, Lust, Etc.

In This One , the Story is Pedestrian and the Movie is Virtually Without Much Beyond a Few Night and Rainy Shots that are Certainly Noir's Template. But the Acting is So Strong it Involves from the Beginning and the Audience is Engaged with These Characters.

A Twisted Ending is a Bit Heavy Handed and Some of the Important Plot Points Involving Switcheroos are Glossed Over Too Hurriedly and Lose Some Impact.

But Overall the Movie is Worth a Watch for the Always Interesting Noir Sensibilities and the Magnetic Actors. It's Mid-Range Neo-Noir, Neither One of the Best Nor One of the Worst.

Good movie but has a terrible ending.. but not to bad

A good detective in the Tampa Bay area (Harris) trains his greenhorn partner (Del Toro) while starting a relationship with an alluring woman (Stowe). It turns out she's in an abusive marriage with a pompous banker (Charles Dance). Havoc ensues.

"China Moon" (1994) is a crime drama/thriller similar to "Body Heat" from over a dozen years earlier; even the setting is similar. The difference is that "Body Heat" was a hit at the box office while this one failed to acquire an audience and basically went into obscurity.

Regardless, it's a well-done 'modern' film noir that's more conventional than highly stylized, but includes some brooding rainy night sequences. The acting is great, but the forced ending is ridiculous. It wasn't necessary. Kyle (Harris) finding himself in an ironic role while his rookie pal suddenly discovers how to be a detective was interesting enough. Then it gets eye-rolling. Why Sure!

Still, if you like neo-noir and the actors, it's worth checking out.

The movie runs 1 hour, 39 minutes, and was shot in the Greater Tampa Bay area, including Lakeland and Bartow, which are an hour's drive east of Tampa; and St. Pete's Beach.

GRADE: B-

Anyone seeing this will recognize it as a variation on "Body Heat." In some ways it's better, but in most it's not as good. "Body Heat" had several things going for it that "China Moon" does not. Its sultry score was distinctive. This score is generically blue. So's the photography. In "Body Heat," the images actually looked hot. In the café scenes you could almost smell the humidity and the fat molecules hanging in the air, although in fact they were probably shot through a Vaseline-coated lens. Here, instead of heat, we get a harsh icy blue tint to many of the scenes. When we are out of doors, in the rain and mud, under the blue lights, it seems positively chilly. (And the director was a photographer himself!) The acting in both films is mixed. Kathleen Turner sounds breathless but doesn't exude a particularly high level of heat energy, whereas Bill Hurt is excellent as a dumb lawyer. Ed Harris here is less inventive that Hurt but does a solid job.

As for Madeleine Stowe. It isn't easy to measure physical beauty accurately. Lately psychologists have been fiddling around with various mathematical ratios based on the idea that facial symmetry per se is attractive, but the results so far have been mostly good for laughs. A more reliable, if rougher, way to get at it is to filter one person's appearance through someone else's perception of it. Build an ordinal scale of ranks. You can get a pretty good idea of how attractive a face looks if you ask 100 members of the opposite sex to rank it from one to ten, ten being highest. Stowe, I should think, would come out pretty high on such a scale, although symmetry would have absolutely nothing to do with it, anymore than it would with Nastassja Kinsky or Gwyneth Paltrow. Not a bit of it. Stowe's anthracite irises are slightly crossed under their long black lashes, and her lips are appealingly askew. She may not be symmetrical, but man she could play a Franklin stove and get away with it.

The plot, such as it is, isn't as filled with the kind of intrigue and uncertainties of the original model. It has a certain familiar mechanical quality to it. Much more stuff about switched and hidden guns. And it ends in a kind of tragic shootout, instead of a full-throated blast of irony. It's also a bit hard to follow, in a way the original was not. Until the shooting of Stowe's husband, I could understand all of it. Stowe genuinely loved Harris. After that, when the frame begins to take shape, I became confused about when the sinister plot was planned and hatched. And why and when did Stowe's emotion toggle from love to exploitation? The story no longer made sense, having lost its continuity with the first half. And, surprisingly, it lacks evocative touches and local color. No tinkling wind chimes. No humor to speak of. And Florida? It could as easily have been Nebraska.

This is definitely an homage to the noir films of the 1940s, thus has more melodrama than I typically like in movies. I like the 1981 movie "Body Heat." and there is a similarity in both plot and direction.

Both of the lead actors Madeleine Stowe and Ed Harris do a good job of bringing the story to the screen.

The weakness in the movie is ultimately the plot. It is okay, until the movie reaches its conclusion, as it gets less and less likely, ultimately pegging the BS meter.

My advice is to skip this one and watch, or rewatch "Body Heat."

Here we have a police officer with a nice little life who just can't leave well enough alone. He is sucked into a crime which involves more than is apparent at first glance. Greed and lust were the motivating factors for all in this sordid look at the uglier side of human nature. Thumbs up.

It was obvious early on that this was not going to be a masterpiece, but I had nothing else to watch, so I gave it a go. Through the early setup, I was hopeful for a suitably complex thriller with a twisty ending. Boy, did that not happen. Some pretty awful editing throughout, and then a rushed makes-no-sense ending, where a seasoned cop makes countless errors trying to trap the real villain(s). It was all disappointing, but the kind of disappointing where I just asked myself, "well, what did you expect?".

I'll just close with a bit of misogyny by saying, "Madeline, nice body".