Lady Beware

1987 "When fantasy leads to terror..."
Lady Beware
5.8| 1h52m| R| en| More Info
Released: 14 August 1987 Released
Producted By: Scotti Brothers Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Young and good looking Katya, a window dresser for a big department store in Pittsburgh, begins a love story with a journalist, Mac Odell. She is however stalked by Jack, a married man who has a fixation with her.

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Danii Disaster Not sure why this is labelled as "thriller"; there are hardly any thrills. The lead actress is not convincing in her role, and is rather unlikeable to boot. Some Carrie Bradshaw wannabe that you have no interest in and no desire to root for. Bad character development plus the acting is mediocre at best. Disaster. The "bad guy" is not convincing, either. Not menacing at all. His supposed obsession doesn't seem real at all. In fact, he gives out the vibe that he intensely dislikes the broad rather than is obsessed with her.This movie is highly unrealistic. I'm not sure who's supposed to be the target audience. No one really likes a movie they can't relate to in any way, right? And the only way for the audience to know when they are "supposed to" be "thrilled" (or scared) is the sound effects. In fact, they were the most "threatening" thing about this movie.Waste of time, basically.
craig1666 I actually saw this film as a kid in the Wakulla Motel, while waiting for a space shuttle blast. We all learned to bodyboard and watched this film late at night while our minders went to bed. Having searched for 25 years for this film, I can honestly say that it is FREAKING AWESOME!!! It's the adult version of the Kim Cattrall film "Mannequin". No, Really, it is. The story is that a hot girl dresses up windows, complete with "Hollywood" as played by Meshach Taylor and a boyriend as played by John Cusack. This film represents everything that was awesome about the 1980's. Diane Lane is hot without being gratuitous. Lots of ridiculous panty shots (Diane gets home after getting her job and strips down to a satin teddy) but you so buy the character that it dosen't seem outlandish. Believe me, I have actually known girls in Austin that behave exactly this way. The whole film is a warning to women who feel liberated enough to display their sexuality in public. You may very well pick up a guy like this.
Spectre-general I just watched this film for the first time because I'm a fan of B-grade schlock that never so much as made a blip on the radar, and this film seemed to fit right into that category what with the straight to video release and the fact that no DVD has been made to date. Boy was I happily surprised instead to find a genuinely thrilling film with some acting that could put a ton of more successful (and higher budget) films to shame.This is a stalker tale, starring Katya, a headstrong young woman (Diane Lane was 22 at the time and we've no reason to believe she's any older in the film) who's just moved away from her country home to the city to find work as a window-dresser. Her assertiveness gets her the job, and she somehow has the funds to afford as an apartment a single floor of a warehouse, which provides a unusual and somewhat dark setting for the film, and helps it's creepy nighttime atmosphere. Katya excels at her window dressing job by creating provocative and somewhat risqué displays which attract tons of attention for her store. As it turns out not all attention is positive as she also quickly gains a stalker in Jack (Michael Woods) and an admirer in Mac (Cotter Smith) a reporter who interviews her and writes an article on her work. Katya is far too empowered and independent to concern herself with the obscene phone calls she receives from a mysterious stranger (Jack) until he proves to be a legit stalker complete with all the sinister wiles necessary to successfully entrap her, both in mind and ever more threateningly, body. Jack spins his nefarious web, as the two characters whose worlds have been submerged in chaos vie for control in a dangerous sortie.Though this is no novel concept, indeed it's a rather common one, the acting in this film, and the subtleties within make it far more striking and memorable than any like film I've ever seen. I'll also mention that this film though being in a specific sub-genre that has a reputation for being formulaic deliciously breaks from that formula, which is a reason to watch it in and of itself. The actor's abilities to express things subtly really makes the film more "real" if you will, and both Diane Lane and Michael Woods excel in their respective roles. Much like her window displays, Lane simply oozes eroticism just by being on camera, and Woods portrays hands-down the creepiest yet still believable stalker I've ever seen in a movie, which is erotic too in it's own perverse way. It's a shame this film didn't have more exposure or Woods might've been able to land roles more accrediting than Red Shoe Diaries though this film does showcase his forte for that type of role. Another thing I can vouch for; after seeing this film I am a Diane Lane fan for life. An actor's job is to make sure you don't know they're acting, and either Diane Lane IS Katya, or she's one of the best actresses I've ever had the pleasure of being fooled by. In either event she was amazing in this movie, completely perfect for the role, and I truly hope Diane Lane is proud of her performance. I dare say it might be the best I've seen from her, and I can only hope some contemporaries at the time saw it and thought as I did which may have helped her toward the greater fame she now possesses and deserves. Although, the straight to video release and somewhat seedy premise make it more likely that this film truly is just a hidden treasure still waiting to be discovered. Lady Beware was probably the best surprise I've had all year, and if you so much as have the gumption to even find and read this review, this is a must-see film for you, I doubt you'll regret it.
moonspinner55 Diane Lane finally gets a solid part in a pretty good picture; so often, Lane is stuck in unsuitable parts in rather lousy movies ("The Cotton Club", "Streets Of Fire"), so much so that her career nearly evaporated after a promising start. She's first-rate here playing big-city career girl dressing windows for a department store, intriguing a married man who becomes obsessed with her. Surprisingly subtle B-movie overcomes the minimal budget with smart writing and direction, good performances by all in the cast. Lane's converted warehouse digs uncomfortably reminds one of "Flashdance", but the revenge-angle in the second-half is clever and well-done; nicely attuned climax too, making its point without going over-the-top. **1/2 from ****