Second Skin (2000)

Natasha Henstridge smokes a cigarette and hides her eyes behind dark glasses while coolly sizing up her next assignment, and then launches into action. Is she a femme fatale, or merely a hard-boiled fiction fan looking for a job in Angus MacFadyen's musty, messy bookstore? Before we can find out, she's clipped in a hit and run and wakes up with amnesia. Or is it just a ruse, and if so, why? Of course nothing is as it seems in this sleek, slick, modern film noir. MacFadyen has an awful lot of money for a man who actively dissuades browsers and buyers from his store; Henstridge is shadowed by a couple of menacing-looking characters; and somewhere in the back of it all a creepy Peter Fonda is pulling the strings as a calmly meticulous and coldly ruthless crime boss. Darrell James Roodt directs this twisting tale of secret identities, double crosses, hidden pasts, and concealed loyalties with all the grit and depth of a fashion layout: it's handsome but hollow. Thankfully there's the criminally underrated Henstridge at the center of all the mysteries, a sexy, assured, riveting presence who gives weight to the film's most enigmatic character. Perhaps it's not so hard after all to understand loner MacFadyen risking his present for a future with the fiery, dangerous Henstridge. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

You see something new every time you view it

Having never heard of the movie before it was suggested on Netflix, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by outstanding performances all around.

Angus Macfadyen, who has taken a few hits for his performance, gives a masterfully subtle, nuanced performance as Sam. To compare him to other actors is to compare Baroque to Romance periods of classical music; Romance composers had more wild flair, but Baroque is appreciated in the precision, control and details. Like a Baroque composer, Angus Macfadyen shines in the details. He can show a vast range of emotion simply by raising a brow, tilting his chin, getting a hard look in his eyes. If you aren't accustomed to watching people for these changes and reading those small subtleties of their mannerisms, you miss some of his greatness. A great performance isn't always handed to you. Sometimes you have to be invested in it but a talented actor like Angus Macfadyen makes it well worth the effort. In the end, you find yourself identifying with his character even though he is flawed and has brought much of this on himself with his questionable former life. He takes a character we may not like under other circumstances and makes him someone you are rooting for in the end.

It was a thoroughly engaging movie and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good thriller to add to their DVD library. January 13, 2007

Top-notch Noir Film!

When you have talent, a good script and remarkable cast, it is almost impossible for you not to triumph, even you make a low budget picture without great and spectacular effects that just only mesmerize to the new generation of teenagers.
There is solid story behind this plot.As you know one of the classical premises of the Noir Films is that nobody is absolutely innocent. That is why many people are beaten by this circumstance.
The presence of the captivating and seductive Natasha Henstridge from the intial shots, coming to the Used Books Tent will open Pandora' box.
Through a very well articulated mechanism of dark loyalties and hard to believe solidarities, the viewer will be engaged progressively in this drama.
A personal tragedy, a love affair, several stolen millions, betrayal and passionate and complex web of facts and events will make of this film one of the most interesting movies in years that I 've seen.
Highly recommended. June 17, 2005

I flat out loved it!

What more can I say? Buy the movie; you'll want to watch it over and over! April 28, 2004

Joins the film noir greats

A small low budget film with little or no publicity could join the noir greats. It has all the classic ingredients - an ice cool blonde, a bad bad gangster, and a savage twist at the end. some really interesting effects from the director with cross and jump cutting. Liked every bit of it.

I have not enjoyed a film noir so much since Blood Simple. November 21, 2002

Stylish, twisty noir

Second Skin is a very nicely realized contemporary noir tale that is considerably elevated above the usual "cable noir" junk by its beautiful photography, icy score, and the remarkable beauty and underrated acting of Natasha Henstridge, who has never been sexier or more controlled in her performance. The director makes the most of his Cape Town locations, which look enough like the California coast to make you forget this was shot anywhere else. The plot doesn't break much new ground, but it delivers a very surprising final twist. Fans of Henstridge and the genre wont be disappointed. February 26, 2002

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