Diabolique

I can't help but feel there is a serious cheapness pervading "Diabolique", yet the intelligence of the storyline, the atmospheric direction of Jeremiah S. Chechik and the good cast (which includes a convincing Isabelle Adjani, an uber-cool Kathy Bates and - lo and behold - a fine and very enjoyable Sharon Stone) make it a strong picture overall.

Ms. Stone's over-the-top performance overshadows Ms. Adjani's more demure one, despite the fact that the French star has shed her accent and makes her first appearance naked in a bath scene. As the devout, long-suffering wife of a sadist (Chazz Palminteri), Ms. Adjani clearly has the less interesting role. But Ms. Stone, as the same man's mistress, keeps busy delivering either menacing wisecracks or campy ones.

Not so bad, but as usual with modern remakes fails to recreate the magic of the original.

Lesbian Basic Instinct, basically.

Amazes me how much Kathy Bates in a pants-suit looks like Joe Don Baker. Possibly the worst remake ever; makes Psycho '98 look like Citizen Kane.

Falls to pieces in some places, but in general is a fairly interesting watch - once.

Hate Sharon Stone...

Very Good. I understand this is a re-make but its still good. A headmaster of a boarding school is murdered by his wife and his mistress but he doesn't stay dead.

Good remake with some excellent casting choices. Stone has never been better opposite Palminterri and Isabelle Adjani. Steamy, dramatic and suspenseful, this had me on the edge of my seat even though I loved the original as well. Recommended!

A good watch if you're social distancing.

Clouzot's original gives this movie a 10. I am merely the messenger.

I usually have a fine tolerance of middle-of-the-road '90s remakes, especially if I haven't seen the source, but alas, Diabolique proves too ridiculous to take seriously yet too po-faced to laugh with. The cast overact and the whole thing feels cheap. I didn't care about the characters, I didn't care about the plot, and four days later I can't even remember how it ended, really.