Testigo

Directed by future phenom Curtis (L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys) Hanson, THE BEDROOM WINDOW is an elegant Hitchcock homage, and an example of good 1980s moviemaking. Its got a certain vibe, thanks to terrific cinematography by the great Gilbert Taylor, production design by Ron Foreman, and expert direction by Hanson. REAR WINDOW it ain't, but this jazzy film is still worth a look. Lighten up folks!

This thriller would have made a great Hitchcock movie. As it stands, it's not too bad but it could have been so much better. However, any film that can engage the attention for nearly two hours must have something going for it and this does have an intriguing story line. It also has the advantage of a good cast, Steve Guttenberg is his usual affable self doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, Elizabeth McGovern brings a wonderful hard edge to her performance and Isabelle Huppert is beautiful but nasty. Brad Greenquist manages to imbue his role with a sinister quality without saying barely a word. The plot doesn't really hold up unfortunately and there are plenty of scenes that stretch credulity just too far. However if you are prepared to accept the film on just a surface level you will find yourself nicely entertained.

Sometimes, people do the wrong thing, for a good reason. This isn't always right, but it's understandable. I think this is the premise for The Bedroom Window. People are human, and sometimes irrational behavior leads to something that can get more serious than originally anticipated.

That is exactly what happens in this movie. Terry Lambert, played by Steve Guttenberg in what may just be his best performance, is a good man whose judgment isn't always the greatest. Terry is a business executive who makes the unwise decision of having an affair with his boss's wife, a beautiful french woman named Sylvia. One night at his apartment, she witnesses a young man assaulting a female. Obviously, she cannot go forward. Later, after learning of a different female being murdered near the scene that same night, he decides he'll go forward and report that he was the witness. "It's my apartment, my bedroom window," he says in an attempt to justify the dishonesty.

The only problem, which proves to be a damaging blow, is that nothing can be proved about the murder. So, the only chance to convict the assailant is to prosecute on the assault case. The logic being it at least gives the authorities a chance to put the killer away to prevent him from hurting anyone else, while still hoping to find evidence connecting him to the murder. So Terry must testify during the trial that he witnessed the assault. In a brilliant scene, the defendant's attorney carves him up like an overcooked turkey, making it very clear that Terry is lying, but not why.

As the authorities become suspicious of Terry, he begins to bond, through shared experience, with Denise, the woman who was assaulted outside his apartment. She later figures out that Sylvia, and not Terry, saw the murder. "The question isn't What am I going to do? It's what are you going to do? And what is she going to do?," she says harshly and angrily, but not at all incorrectly. They both later discover, at least partially, the killer's motives, and agree that the only way to implicate him, and clear Terry, is to trap him and catch him in the act.

Steve Guttenberg is magnificent as the scared, confused, and conscientious Terry. Elizabeth McGovern and Isabelle Huppert are equally as good as the women who care about him, but are unsure how to figure him out, or what to do. McGovern shows her very good acting ability with non-verbals that demonstrate clearly that she knows something isn't right about Terry through her facial expressions and the looks in her eyes. The cast of this movie work together like a well-oiled machine, and the story may not have been as compelling had it not been for the convincing actors.

This is writing at its best, top notch acting, and filmmaking on a master scale. The movie is so well-made that we love the story, understand the characters and their situations, and just can't wait to see what happens next. This movie is a classic, and also a great thriller. Watch it!

Steve Guttenberg is a real surprise here, playing the innocent suspected of being a killer. His transformation to hero type is not always believable, but his performance is earnest. If you throw out the somewhat of a stretch ending, you are left with a twisty thriller that delivers strong entertainment value. The movie is quite tense at times, and the Baltimore filming location works. I put this film in the same category as movies like "Red Rock West" and "Clay Pigeons". All three have a mostly believable script, competent acting, and most importantly, all three are very entertaining. "The Bedroom Window" is recommended of it's type. - MERK

The Bedroom Window is one of those films you can just stick on to blow the cobwebs away when you're tired. It's not life-affirming or magnificent; but it's well constructed and a lot of fun to watch. The film is often compared to Hitchcock, and that's mostly owing to the central plot which clearly takes influence from Rear Window, although director Curtis Hanson does occasionally implement a Hitchcock-like style during the rest of the film. It is not, however, comparable to the films Brian De Palma made in the seventies and eighties. The film focuses on a man named Terry Lambert. Terry is having an affair with Sylvia; his boss' wife. Whilst at his apartment one night, Sylvia spots a man being attacked out of the window. The next morning, another girl turns up dead and Terry, thinking the two incidents may be related, decides to go to the police and tell them that he witnessed the attack. However, things soon start to spiral out of control when Sylvia will have nothing to do with it for fear of the affair being exposed, and the police begin suspecting Terry.

Steve Guttenberg; an actor often not taken seriously because of his ties to the Police Academy series, takes the lead role and does surprisingly well with it. Guttenberg cuts a likable figure who is easy to root for, and that is important in a film like this. The story moves well throughout; and although I initially felt that almost two hours was too long for a film like this; the time is well used and the film flies by. The Bedroom Window is based on a novel by Anne Holden; and directed by Curtis Hanson; the talented director of the 1997 masterpiece L.A. Confidential. Hanson's direction is assured and he does a good job of telling the story. The support cast is decent too; the casting of Isabelle Hupert is a bit of a surprise considering most of her previous films were made in her native France; but Elizabeth McGovern is a good choice as the victim of the attack towards the start. The first two thirds of the film are rather subdued; and so it's a bit of a surprise when the film explodes into life for the final half hour. However, the change works well and the payoff is worth it.