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"DIABOLIQUE"
(1996) (Sharon Stone, Isabelle Adjoni) (R)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Minor Moderate Moderate to Heavy Heavy *None
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Mild Heavy Heavy None Moderate
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Heavy Heavy Minor Extreme Heavy


QUICK TAKE:
Suspense: Two women involved with the same man plot his death and then find out he might not be dead after all.
PLOT:
Two women, Nicole Horner (SHARON STONE) and Mia Baran (ISABELLE ADJANI) work at an all boy's school. Mia is the head mistress, Nicole the teacher having an acknowledged affair with Mia's husband, Guy (CHAZZ PALMINTERI). The problem is, the women despise Guy, so they end up killing him, and then try to cover it all up. The bigger problem is, it appears that Guy isn't really dead and the two have to figure out how and why and deal with nosey detective Shirley Vogel (KATHY BATES) who's determined to crack the case.
WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Probably not. Sharon Stone might draw older teens, but younger kids will probably stay away.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
For violence/terror, sexuality and language.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • SHARON STONE plays a manipulative, cigarette puffing, mean spirited character.
  • ISABELLE ADJANI plays a withdrawn, frightened woman.
  • CHAZZ PALMINTERI plays an abusive, adulterous husband.
  • KATHY BATES plays a determined detective going through nicotine withdrawl.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • Guy drinks several glasses of poison-laced whiskey.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • A dead body floats in a bathtub, and is later seen after the water has drained out and its eyes are all hazy blue.
  • A body rolled into a filthy swimming pool.
  • Keys are used to gouge out an eye, resulting in some blood.
  • A metal yard rake is smashed into a man's head, and then pulled out with lots of blood flowing down his face.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • The two woman plot to, and do, kill the husband.
  • Nicole and Guy are having an affair that the wife allows.
  • Guy doesn't treat women well. He calls them bitches and hits them, and treats his wife like a child.
  • When Mia has a heart episode in the bathroom, Guy doesn't try to help, but instead just watches her.
  • FRIGHTENING/TENSE SCENES
  • Mia has a heart episode in a bathroom.
  • A student dives into a mucky swimming pool to look for keys, oblivious to the fact that there may be a dead body in there with him.
  • Detective Vogel searches through a garage -- and there's someone in there with her who eventually attacks her.
  • Mia sees her dead husband in the bathtub again, and this time he stands up. She then he falls to the floor with another heart episode.
  • There are numerous scenes throughout the movie -- from the murder scenes, to getting rid of the body, to poking around looking for clues in dimly lit rooms, to the finale that are filled with lots of tension and violence.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • None in the traditional sense. Instead a set of keys and a garden rake are used as weapons.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • People killing other people and then trying to cover it up as if it never happened.
  • A man hits a women.
  • A workman urinates into a swimming pool.
  • Phrase: "Bitch."
  • JUMP SCENES
  • Nicole suddenly grabs student running through hall.
  • The supposedly dead Guy's eyes open in bathtub and the struggle to drown him continues.
  • The women yank a shower curtain off the tub, suddenly revealing a dead Guy with eyes an eerie blue haze.
  • In garage, Vogel spins around, birds suddenly take flight revealing a silhouetted statue that scares her.
  • Guy suddenly comes up out of pool and grabs Nicole.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • All of the tense scenes are laden with equally tense music.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • 6 "f" words, 2 S.O.B.'s, 1 Bastard, 1 Hell, 1 crap and 2 slang terms for male genitals ("d" and "p" words).
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • There is ull female nudity (front/back) in a brief scene.
  • Nicole and Guy have sex but no nudity is seen.
  • Lots of talk about sex and having an affair.
  • School boys watch a 1950's sex education film in school.
  • A girl shows up and says she's pregnant with Guy's baby (ie. another affair)
  • There is some sexual tension between Nicole and Mia (which is never acted upon) and one character refers to them as "dykes."
  • SMOKING
  • Nicole smokes throughout the movie.
  • A video engineer is seen smoking several times.
  • Detective Vogel smokes once after having tried to stop.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • Just the fact that Mia and Guy are going to get a divorce, but there are no kids involved.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • Murder and trying to cover it up.
  • Sex and adultery.
  • One mention of getting money for an abortion.
  • VIOLENCE
  • The women poison Guy.
  • As he's going under, Guy throws Mia around and tries to strangle her. He then grabs her by her hair and smashes her head into the wall.
  • Nicole slaps and kicks an unconscious Guy.
  • Nicole and Mia drag Guy into bathtub and in a prolonged scene, struggle with him until he drowns.
  • Vogel is hit on the head with a shovel.
  • Guys grabs both women by the throat, and hits Nicole in the stomach.
  • Guy strangles Mia again.
  • Guy's eye is gouged out with a set of keys.
  • Guy is hit in the head with a metal rake which sticks in place. When he pulls it out, blood rushes down his face.
  • Guy attempts to drown Mia in a swimming pool.
  • Nicole and Mia drown Guy in a pool.
  • Vogel hits Mia in the face (so that it looks like Mia was defending herself against Guy).



  • Reviewed March 22, 1996

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