'Last Seduction': Classic Film Noir

Linda Fiorentino has a villainous way about her. With dark eyes, thick black hair and a low voice, the actress is a natural temptress or evildoer. In "The Last Seduction," she plays Bridget Gregory, a sly, greedy woman who goes about her wicked ways with verve and creativity. Bridget tempts and commits evil throughout "The Last Seduction," the most recent arrival at the Americom House of Cinema. For connoisseurs of film noir and anyone else who likes a bit of inventive mischief, this movie provides two hours of good fun. Fans of happy endings and clean living, however, might be disappointed.The plot is fairly straightforward, although director John Dahl does throw in some twists to keep viewers on edge. Bridget's husband Clay (Bill Pullman), a medical student, completes a one-time-only drug deal that nets him $700,000. While he is in the shower, Bridget stuffs all the money in a shopping bag, jumps in her jeep, and skips town. She winds up in Beston, not far from Buffalo, New York, where she decides to hide out for a while. An elegant, street-wise New Yorker, Bridget hates Beston, and tries to figure out a way to escape back to the city. Eventually she decides that Mike (Peter Berg), a handsome insurance adjustor, is her ticket out. She wins him easily and then concocts a plan through which she can keep the money, get out of Beston, and lose both of her men. "The Last Seduction" has all the ingredients of a classic film noir: a conniving, irresistible female lead; an innocent underachiever who will do anything for her; and a crafty, clever foe. With a jazzy score and dark cinematography, you get the impression that Dahl might have preferred to film the movie in black and white.Dahl is clearly trying to make a name for himself as the modern master of film noir. This is his third movie, after "Kill Me Again" (1989) and "Red Rocks West" (1993), both of which were forays into the shadowy world of crime and tragic irony. Although both were fun to watch -- thrillers with teeth, not just blood -- Dahl did not bring much new to the film noir school. "The Last Seduction" does not break any new ground either, but with Hollywood churning out nonsense like "Beverly Hills Cop III," it is a welcome change. More than anything, though, this is Fiorentino's show. She overshadows the wry Pullman and the goofy Berg by a long shot, and in the end, it is hard not to root for Bridget. Sometimes she seems to be imitating Lauren Bacall too much, but there are worse evils, and the smokey voice works here rather well. "It's not easy to find a role like this," Fiorentino said in the production notes. Her other film credits include "Gotcha" (1985) and "The Moderns" (1988), among others. "Usually it's the girlfriend or the wife or the hooker or the bitch. This part is everything rolled into one."Film noir fans will think she pulls it off perfectly. "The Last Seduction" is playing at the Americom House of Cinema. Showtime is at 7:30 P.M. Monday to Thursday; 7:30 and 9:30 P.M. on Friday; 5 P.M., 7:30 P.M. and 9:30 P.M. on Saturday; and 5 P.M. and 7:30 P.M. on Sunday. The cinema is located in the Radisson Slavjanskaya Hotel, 2 Berezhkovskaya Naberezhnaya. Tel. 941-8747. Nearest metro: Kievskaya.