Can someone tell me what happened to Christian Slater? I mean the dude was never a gigantic star but he had some really decent roles and even shined in a lot of them. Then if you’re done trying to figure out that question, please advise me as to where the hell Cuba Gooding Jr. disappeared to. The guy had phenomenal roles in Jerry Maguire, Men of Honor, and plenty of other films. Both of these guys are overly entertaining and could light up the screen whenever their characters spoke or merely sat there. Their signature voices were easy to recognize even if your back was to the television screen, but then they faded off into obscurity and crappy movie hell. So maybe putting them together in a film would amount to something. Sadly, no…not it wouldn’t.
Wes Wilson (Slater) believes in relationships lasting off of trust, companionship, and total honesty. He believes in those mottoes so much that he has become a best-selling author on the very subject. His wife Sam, though, doesn’t seem to be so very truthful with Wes and that all comes about after she goes missing and Wes’ life takes an odd turn. Now being pursued to great lengths by a gangster named Isaac (Gooding Jr.) that insists Sam had taken things that “belonged to him.” Wes does whatever he can to figure out the truth so that his wife can be kept safe, but little does he realize that he may need to investigate Sam a bit too because she may be keeping a lot more from him.
There truly isn’t much that can be said about Lies and Illusions because I find no sense in talking a lot about something that is complete and utter garbage. The film is sloppy and almost unbearable from the very beginning. Cuba Gooding Jr. seems to have lost any talent he once had and it shows as he bumbles about as the boring gangster Isaac. Christian Slater is solidly boring as Wes, making it torturous to have him on screen throughout almost the entire film. It’s almost as if both of them knew this was the best they could get and the filmmakers couldn’t find anyone else to play the roles so why even try?
Lies and Illusions has an interesting idea even though the whole “relationships expert” bit seems a bit far fetched. It could have been even a decent film had it been given better writing, good direction, and a cast of actors that gave a damn. The tag line on the front of the Blu-ray case states that “nothing is what it seems.” I’d say that has to ring true for the careers of both Slater, Gooding, and anyone else in this worthlessness.
The film is shown in 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen format and it really is not a true example of the great quality Blu-ray has to offer. A lot of grain, scenes being way too dark, and just overall poor showing make this not one of the better releases for the format of the future.
The film is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and it even fails to rise up to the quality it should be at. With a decent soundtrack that comes through just fine and powerful, the volume still constantly needs to be adjusted thanks to dialogue being very hard to hear.
The Making Of Lies and Illusions – Why can’t anyone be original with these featurettes? A few interviews thrown in with a lot of footage from the film is all we get here as they go over the plot of the film and not much else. (11:04)
Trailer
Do not bother with a purchase, a rental, borrowing it, or even catching it on television one bored night. There is nothing worthwhile about this film because the plot is there but everything else makes it come off incredibly shoddy. Just stay away from Lies and Illusions as it seems Gooding and Slater have made it a point to stay away from any work that might make them look talented.
Starz/Anchor Bay presents Lies and Illusions. Directed by: Tibor Takacs. Starring: Christian Slater, Cuba Gooding Jr. Sarah Ann Schultz, Christa Campbell, Robert Giardina, R. Lochlyn Munro, Al Madrigal. Written by: Eric James. Running time: 93 minutes. Rating: R. Released on DVD: September 15, 2009. Available at Amazon.com.
