Rating: 
Summary: Passion To Murder
Review: The background of the stormy weather, the mist, and the fog creates the ideal name for the movie, Dark Harbor. Alan Rickman and Polly Walker star as a wealthy couple from Boston who are in a hurry to catch a ferry when they find a man beaten along the road. Alexis Weinberg (Walker) insists they stop and help this man which begins the chain of events of passion, betrayal, and then murder. The movie keeps you guessing about who committed the murder until the end. Dark Harbor is an adult mystery movie. Norman Reeders, plays the young man found by the road. He does an outstanding job in his part bringing trouble for the couple. Polly Walker, as the wife, is an unhappy woman in her marriage and thus she finds herself sexually attracted to the young man. She never has a clue about the poison given to her by the young man nor about her husband's homosexual tendencies. I enjoyed Dark Harbor and I considered the two hours worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: Suspense and Intrigue in Dark Harbor
Review: The film, Dark Harbor released by Artisan Entertainment in 1998 from the direction of Adam Coleman Howard proves to be, in the beginning, suspenseful and intriguing, as the married couple, David and Alexis Weinberg travel along the roadways of Maine in the rain and fog to catch their ferry. The married couple, played by Alan Rickman and Polly Walker is what some people might refer to as an old married couple, with all of the spatting arguments they have throughout the film. Norman Reedus plays the part of the young man lying on the side of some remote road in Maine, which is beautiful, despite the falling rain and thick fog that roll into the scene at the beginning of the film. It seems to me that it is no wonder the Director was awarded the Golden Starfish Award for Best American Independent Film. At first one may think the entire movie will revolve around the couple, as they continually argue throughout the 89-minute film. Thoughts of intrigue develop while watching the film, as the couple backtracks, at the insistence of Alexis, played by Polly Walker where she sees Reedus lying on the roadside. Alan Rickman is of course fabulous in his role as David Weinberg, as he plays the part of a haughty yuppie husband that married into money and wants no part of interacting with the young man they picked up along the roadside, at which time you feel the suspense build. Continually this film proves to be almost mesmerizing in that you want to turn away, but you can't help to know what the next scene will bring to the screen. Again, at her insistence, the young man and Alexis find themselves in search of mushrooms for the meal that is to be prepared by Rickman, as a result of a contest between the two men to see who can cook better than the other. At this point, one realizes there is an underlying effort on the part of Rickman to keep the young man around the house on their private island. The end of the film, of course if filled with a twist, one of which some may find horrifying, although those with open minds would allow such a film into their homes for viewing. I must say I was not prepared for the twisted ending. 3-Stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Dark as the underside of a poisonous mushroom.....
Review: The first thing that attracted me to this film was that it starred Alan Rickman. Generally a character actor, Rickman has a reputation for stealing the limelight from the "stars" in his previous movies, i.e. "Sense and Sensibilities", "Truly,Madly,Deeply", "Quigley Down Under", and even "Die Hard". Until the next to the last scene, this film has only three characters, but I did not find it at all sparsely populated. These are big,strong characters whose personalities take up a lot of space,time, and energy. Rickman and Walker are a couple who never seem to finish the argument in which the movie opens. there is an uneasiness and lack of harmony between them throughout, yet they did not seem to nitpick, nor did i find them annoying. I sensed that they both would have gone on with their low-grade bickering forever until they stopped to help a young man, played by Norman Reedus, lying by the side of the road. From then on, I was certain that their lives had been altered, and NOT for the better. Despite that certainty, this is not a predictable film, nor is it a formulaic one. The acting is superb, the dialogue is real, the setting is perfect. To say that this is a dark movie is an understatement. It IS very dark, but in the best possible way. It is a labyrinth through which I was certain I had found my way until the very last scene. Unlike the Nick Nolte-Jessica Lange version of Cape Fear, it didn't matter whether I liked the characters or not, but it DID matter what happened to them. I wanted to find out and I certainly DID find out. This film was totally enjoyable and I consider it two hours well-spent.
Rating:
Summary: Dark Harbor
Review: The movie Dark Harbor released in 1998 in color runs for 89 minutes was directed by Adam Coleman Howard. The main characters in the movie are Norman Reedus, who plays a youngman, Polly Walker, who plays Alexis Chandler-Weinburg and Alan Rickman, who plays David Weinburg. The setting of the movie is the early 1980's. This is a psychological movie about a married couple who is going to their vacation home that is situated on an island. On their way there they come upon a person on the side of the road that appeared to have been beaten and in need of medical attention. This youngman refuses medical attention, but did take a ride with the couple to the ferry. The couple missed the ferry and ended up taking catching the ferry the next day. The couple arrives at their vacation home and decides to take an adventure to a romantic place and encounters bad weather and ends up on an unknown island and the youngman that they helped on the side of the road was there as well. The plot begins to thicken when the couple invites the youngman to their home to get his clothes dry and as a way to repay him for assisting them with their boat. The wife and the young man got very well acquainted while the husband played golf with a friend. On the husband return he started noticing little things that would make him believe that his wife and the youngman didn't have such a quiet afternoon. The Husband appears to be jealous and tired of the youngman, yet the wife seems to not have a problem with him. In fact, she seems to enjoy having him around.
This movie has some strange things happening that kept the viewer's attnetion throughout the movie. Very unpredictable. This movie keeps you guessing all the way to the end. This movie was given four stars because of its' ability to keep the viewer's attention.
Rating:
Summary: Never Pick Up Strangers
Review: The movie starts out on a cold foggy rainy night with a husband and wife heading for their vacation home and arguing about the driving conditions of the road when the wife Polly Walker "Alexis" sees something on the side of the road. It turns out to be Norman Reedus, who is hurt and doesn't want the police called. Putting this total stranger in the car with them they take off trying to catch a ferry to reach their destination. David is much older than Alexis which causes problems for one. The wife is much younger and the husband seems quite sober. Coming in contact with the young man again while going on a boat ride that does not turn out the way David had planned. They run into the young man again this time David hits him on the head after hearing Alexis scream. When he regains concious he helps them fix their boat and is invited to return home with them. The next morning he has breakfast fixed for them and David makes up a rule that he has to stay for dinner. In the meanwhile Alexis has started dreaming and becoming friends with the young man. David can't see it but he has his concerns. The things David won't do the young man will, he has Alexis's attention and later they get heated up. At the end Alexis is dead David gets slapped by her mother who never liked him in the first place and the young man is jumping off a boat naked into a cold lake.
Dark Harbor is a movie worth seeing.
Rating:
Summary: Some helpful suggestions about 'Dark Harbor'
Review: This is a dark, psychologically-driven film which draws you in, keeps you thinking, offers delicious twists, subtle hints, and surprising secrets, and is never what it seems, not even when you think you know all there is to know. The plot has been well outlined in most of these reviews; sometimes perfectly, sometimes with too much information, and a few times by reviewers who apparently didn't even watch the complete film. Rather than rehashing the plot this review offers simple and hopefully clarifying suggestions. If you are an Alan Rickman film, do not hesitate; BUY this DVD! Forget about worrying about his accent, savor looking forward to his nude scenes, but do NOT skip to the end of the movie to view them. You gamble on missing too much of Rickman's spellbinding performance if you skip even one minute of this small, but very effective film. Previous viewers who saw the movie on VHS will be enlightened by watching it again on DVD. I have been a movie fan for more years than I want to say, but have now discovered that the nuances of many films have sometimes escaped me totally over those decades. If ever there was something to be learned from a commentary this is the film to prove it (along with 'South of Heaven, West of Hell'). Not that the film itself needs to be explained, but the element of how a director presents of a film; the mood attained by the camera angles, the symbols included in every scene, the intricate details of the shooting of the movie, the input of the actors (particularly one as great as Alan Rickman) into their roles, the subtle nuances of looks, glances, and plot building all lend a deeper understanding and enjoyment of 'Dark Harbor'. The wealth of this information provided by director Adam Coleman Howard makes viewing this film only on VHS almost like not watching the same film. On no other commentary I have seen has the director stuck so directly to the point; which is to give his very detailed insights, his specific direction reasoning, the information upon which he draw, the always educational tutorage on the problems of film-making such as the weather, the seasons, the locale, etc., and the final solutions, and basic reasoning used to determine just what we see woven into the finished film. For fans of films seeking entertainment, the information on this commentary add layers of pleasure. For students seeking knowledge concerning construction of a film, the director's comments are to the point, succinct, and very detailed. This DVD would vastly add to your education. There is a problem with renting versus owning the DVD. You will want to watch the film at least three times for true understanding; first for the initial unveiling of the plot, then the film with the commentary, and the third time with the more heightened awareness you will garner from the director's inside information. Then, for lovers of Alan Rickman, you will want to watch the work of this brilliant actor again and again well past the three-time mark because he offers to his craft a level of skill that leaves one in awe. If you were introduced to Alan through 'Sense and Sensibility' (while 'Dark Harbor' certainly does not fall into the same category by the stretch of anyone's imagination) and wanted to see more of the actor and his fine work, you owe it to yourself to take the dive, enter the fog, and buy this DVD. Rickman reveals facets of his skill that are only glimpsed in 'Sense and Sensibility'. This is a two-way street, if you saw 'Dark Harbor' and were impressed with Rickman's talent, to see his performance in 'S&S' will add greatly to your admiration. If you are interested enough to read reviews of this film, but are on the fence about 'should I purchase this DVD' or 'can I pass on this one' maybe one of these suggestions will help you make the decision. More to the point, hopefully you will make the right decision and decide to 'purchase' this intriguing, rich film and enjoy all it has to offer, which is considerable.
Rating: 
Summary: It's fun to be deceived!!!
Review: This is a film you have to buy because you'll need to play it over several times. As with "The Sixth Sense", the ending is so surprising you'll be wondering how on earth they orchestrated it. With repeated review, you'll not only untangle the plot points, but realize the precision artistry of the director, who framed every shot to slowly build the suspense and tension between the main players. This was possible because the writer and director are one in the same. It also deserves repeating that if you are a true Alan Rickman fan, you must have this in your collection...yes, the nude scenes are everything you've imagined.
Rating:
Summary: It's fun to be deceived!!!
Review: This is a film you have to buy because you'll need to play it over several times. As with "The Sixth Sense", the ending is so surprising you'll be wondering how on earth they orchestrated it. With repeated review, you'll not only untangle the plot points, but realize the precision artistry of the director, who framed every shot to slowly build the suspense and tension between the main players. This was possible because the writer and director are one in the same. It also deserves repeating that if you are a true Alan Rickman fan, you must have this in your collection...yes, the nude scenes are everything you've imagined.
Rating:
Summary: Alan Rickman Gem
Review: This is my favourite movie. Three lovely actors, a plot that at first seems like a B movie, but gets very interesting. A quirky dream for Alan Rickman fans to watch over and over!
Rating: 
Summary: Obfuscation in Maine
Review: We just didn't like it .. meandered along without much plot for too long. The ending wasn't worth watching this annoying couple for over an hour.
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