An Occasional Hell

This is not a stellar performance by Tom Berenger. This obvious low-budget movie does not make an impression. The plot seems to have many holes and the story line never really comes together. Berenger, a former cop, and now college professor is lured into finding the killer of a woman's husband and also tries to find the husband's lover. The movie's flashbacks are confusing and never make things that clear. The movie jumps around too much and it never gives the viewer a chance to get comfortable with any one character or situation. This movie falls short of expectations and is one of Berenger's saddest roles and performances. He never seems to be comfortable with his character and it seems way too obvious in this movie.

Tom Berenger portrays a college professor who returns to his former line of duty as a detective when Valeria Golino hires him to investigate her husband's death. Berenger's character suffers from old wounds which inhibit his abilities and also induce some weird hallucinations.

So so mystery-thriller benefits heavily from Tom Berenger's outstanding performance as the tragic lead character. Too bad the script and bland direction couldn't do better, this is standard mediocre fare all the way. Robert Davi does a good supporting job, as does Valeria Golino. They all deserve better.

As the opening credits roll, there is a montage of Civil War photographs flashing on the screen. This is a definite reminder of two facts. the movie you are about to see takes place in the deep South ( as if that needed explaining), and that two Confederate Officers from the fabulous film "Gettysburg" are in "An Occasional Hell". So you get Tom Berenger and Stephen Lang, with Berenger given very little to work with, and Lang barely in the movie. Suspects abound but with little logic as to why they might commit a murder. I found this film to be confusing, unsatisfying, with a rushed conclusion, that makes little sense. Throw in the unending flashbacks, and what you are left with is a mess of a movie. Avoid. - MERK

film is aptly named because once in a while you come across a film which provides an occasional hell to have to watch...actually this one would be highly recommended for viewing by an arborist- wooden plot, wooden script, wooden acting, etc, etc, etc....I like tom berenger, but this is the equivalent of painting by numbers on steroids...and not even the nude scenes can help this turkey, but I can highly recommend it if you want to have a nice nap mid-movie, then wake up not feeling as though you missed anything...berenger's imaginary visits by the female missing from the crime scene are particularly annoying and ridiculous and add absolutely nothing to the plot...all in all such drivel that I was compelled to stop watching a little over halfway through, which after reading the reviews, turned out to be a wise move...the people advocating this disaster as a triumph are in need of god knows what, but taste comes forefront to my mind

The plot of An Occasional Hell can be summarized as follows:

Dewalt is a former police detective and has, after an arrest gone wrong, become a crime novelist and university guest professor. Just before Christmass, he's asked Italian-American Mrs Laughton to investigate the murder of her husband and the disappearance of his mistress. He soon discovers that the murder weapon is a stolen Civil War musket. But who is the perpetrator and what is the motive?

In the local thrift store I could buy An Occasional Hell from 1996 for EUR 1.50. A film with only a score of 4.8/10 and mostly negative reviews. Is it really a bad movie?

To be honest, no. Although I follow most of the criticisms of other reviews (the plot is a bit weak, the acting is a bit mediocre, there are continuity errors such as cars changing color, holes in the story...) I still have to say that I think the film is a success as a mystery thriller. Find. Yes, this direct to video low budget film rightly didn't win any awards, but I did like it! Now I admit that 90s movies have reached a point where they evoke nostalgia, which certainly helps to soften my mood. But without contradiction, this film is beautifully filmed (especially for the limited budget!), the Southern atmosphere comes into its own, the characters are interesting and everything is sufficiently deep not to become too cliché. The ending is satisfying, though a bit out of the blue.

In short, if you like 90s TV thrillers, An Occasional Hell is a fun movie.