Someone to Watch Over Me

I saw this movie when I was younger and for some reason it always stuck with me. I'll always remember the music (the title song as well as the classical pieces used throughout), the vestibule of Mimi Roger's apartment palace, the scene of Tom Berenger having breakfast with his family, Lorraine Bracco's fiery performance as his wife, and the haunting opening aerial shots of NYC lit up at night. I watched it again for the first time in probably nine or ten years and it was like visiting with an old friend or curling up with a good book you had read before. You knew the story, but it was all fascinatingly interesting. The plot here is pretty basic: working class cop has to babysit upper class babe who witnesses heinous murder. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how it all ends, but director Ridley Scott somehow manages to keep it compelling thanks to some great direction and wonderful performances from the cast. Somewhere I saw this billed as an erotic thriller, which is way off base. Scott keeps everything here extremely classy. It's more of a romantic thriller and throwback to the noir films of the 1940's. This may not be the best film you'll ever see, but it's one of the better thrillers of the 1980's, and a worthy testament to Ridley Scott's versatility as a director. It's also nice to see Jerry Orbach in a supporting role that probably paved the way for his part in the never ending "Law and Order" TV series.

Brooklyn Detective Tom Berenger is assigned to watch over socialite Mimi Rogers after she witnesses a brutal murder where a high profile Mafioso is involved. Berenger gets caught between two worlds; the upper class one he takes a liking to and the normal one (with a wife and kid) in the slums of Queens which he seems to be tiring of.

Highly stylish drama/thriller courtesy of Ridley Scott, who directs with his usual visual flair and examines the world of the wealthy seen through the eyes of a middle class voyeur and mixes in some solid suspense to boot. The drama aspect is well handled, pitting Berenger in a dire situation where he must ultimately choose between a life he's already made for himself and a life that can seem very tempting from his perspective.

Suspense is also plenty with some fantastic sequences, particularly one inside Mimi Rogers' apartment, not too unlike Dario Argento's Opera in some respects (and even beat it by a year, I think).

Tom Berenger does well in the lead, displaying easily the conflicts his character is facing, Rogers is a stunner and gives a subdued and convincing performance. The usually intolerable Lorraine Bracco gives a forceful performance, and one the whole her relationship with Berenger is not only well played out but wholly believable.

Recommended.

As other reviewers have noted, the story is none too special, quite generic. But even a generic story can be made memorable by good writing, good acting, and good directing; this movie has all three of those. Tom Berenger as the somewhat naive and vulnerable work-class junior detective. Mimi Rogers (who I did not even recognize initially, with the 80's hairstyle), as the upper-class murder witness. And even the supporting cast were all great. Nobody overacted, and no cliches. I credit the director, Ridley Scott, for keeping it low-key and believable.

I came across this one while looking up Ridley Scott's movies, and this one looked like one of his weaker ones, so I didnt expect much, but I was surprised. The action was great, the music was cool, and the actors had great chemestry, Lorraine Bracco gave the best performance. After seeing this, I think this is one of Ridley Scott's better movies, the ones that were supposed to be his best(Blade Runner and Gladiator) bored the hell out of me. If you like a good action/thriller, give this one a try. 8.5 out of 10.

This has been one of my favorite movies. I admit that this is not something that might be recognized by academy people. There is nothing new and original about the story and situation and it is rather easy to guess what would happen next. But somehow it is an attractive movie (to me?) and I keep watching it over and over (I have a video). Actors are good and the view of New York is wonderful in every part of the movie. Most of all music is superb! Ever since I first saw this movie, "Someone to watch over me" has been my favorite jazz standard. One more thing. If somebody else directed this it might have been VERY boring. Great touch by Ridley Scott.