Hollywood filmmakers in 1990s missed plenty of opportunities for truly great films when they decided to stick to the formula and simplify plots and characters as much as possible. However, there are some occasions when simplicity can be a virtue, and when attempts to spice up films for the sake of originality can be counterproductive. One of examples of simplicity that works could be found in Untamed Heart, 1993 melodrama directed by Tony Bill.
The protagonist of the film is Caroline (played by Marisa Tomei), waitress in Minneapolis diner. She is beautiful young woman, but her search for "Mr. Right" is fruitless - each of her romantic relationships ends with disappointment. One night, on her way home, she gets attacked by rapists, but Adam (played by Christian Slater), her introverted colleague, comes to the rescue. This incident marks the beginning of the romantic liaison between Caroline and her rescuer. Two of them are very happy, but one thing casts a shadow on their bliss - Adam was born with a heart disease and his condition can be fatal unless he gets another heart. Adam nevertheless refuses to go to surgery, convinced that his heart is part of his identity.
At first glance, Tom Sierchio's melodramatic script looks terribly old-fashioned and almost ridiculous in its attempts to manipulate viewers' feelings. However, two things rescue Untamed Heart from turning into disaster. One of them is blue collar setting of Minneapolis - it represents something of a refreshment compared to the majority of similar films that usually take place in New York or Los Angeles; and it also brings realism necessary for us to forget that we are being manipulated. The other great asset of this film is in the cast. Marisa Tomei excels in the role so different from the one that brought her "Oscar" in My Cousin Vinny, while Christian Slater obviously works very hard in order to show people that he can play shy, introvert and almost retarded people - so different from the characters that brought him fame. Because of that and Tony Bill's professional direction, Untamed Heart is a nice example of Hollywood craftsmanship that could be recommended to audience hungry for good old tearjerkers in these cynical times.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on October 1st 2001)
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Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/26333-untamed-heart?language=en-US Critic: AA
