4/5 Love is War?
  by C. Rocklein
Movie redeems itself in the last 20 minutes almost making you forgive the first hour and a half that you must suffer through.

Namely you will suffer through Malkovich's gaudy American accent as he goes around deflowering virgins in his flowery French turn-of-the-19th-century attire. Perhaps this movie would have been better enjoyed with the French voice-over and subtitles. At least it would have lent some credibility to the detailed costumes and sets.

Second, most of the seducing and getting seducted that seems to be most of this movie comes off somewhat forced. It's hard to beleive any woman could be seduced by Malkovich's character. His overlong, lingering looks are enough to turn your stomach.

In Dangerous Liasons, you get to see a lot of Hollywood stars back in their prime. You get to see "a lot" of Uma Thurman, almost worth the price of admission alone. In spite of this, much of the acting is kind of wooden - bland accents not helping matters and the story is rather boring as well up until nearly the end of movie when everything is finally put into perspective, and some of the acting actually gets pretty good (Close in particular). It takes a long time to generate much suspense or interest. Or beleivablility! A man who goes through the task of deflowering both Uma Thurman AND Michelle Pfeifer for the sole purpose of getting a roll in the hay with Glenn Close?! Come on!! OK, I'm joking. By the end of the movie we have a deeper understanding of the characters (and certainly more than enough time invested in them) and can all the more savor the final ironies. It still gives me chills to think of the closing scene with Glenn close wiping off her make-up.

Let me just say that prior to the ending of this movie I was ready to give it a whopping 3 stars. The movie ends so well however that I nearly forgot all the gripes I'd been compiling the first long hour and a half.

A little background prior to seeing this movie would have helped. From the footnotes in the special features:

"France was under the rule of King Louis XVI when Choderlos de Laclos wrote 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses' in 1782. Marie Antoinette was queen."

5/5 Dangerous Liasions
  by Geraldine Mcentegart (New Jersey)
Dangerous Liaisons I have seen this movie before and decided to buy it for my library. I like historic movies that have bite and this one has it. First of all, the actors are superb in the roles they play. Everyone romanticizes the 17th, early 18th century. An era of fancy dressed men and pompadour women of the elite class. The ideaology of the time, the mind-set, and philosphy of those times is starkly portrayed. Not so romantic in the reality of false and rediculous etiquette and values.

4/5 3 stars out of 4
  by One-Line Film Reviews (Easton, MD)
The Bottom Line:

Far better than Cruel Intentions, the recent remake, Dangerous Liaisons is a biting costume drama that portrays pre-revolutionary France as just about the most decadent place on earth; with good performances by the always-reliable Malkovich and a suprisingly villainous Glenn Close, it's an effective film.

5/5 A great adaptation of a great story...
  by Adam (SC)
DANGEROUS LIAISONS is the PERFECT good vs. evil story. The two main characters just so happen to be the sleaziest people to ever grace the big screen - or the literary world, for that matter!

You all know the basic plot of the film. It's an intense game of seduce and destroy that keeps you on the edge of your seat. At moments, it is actually quite disturbing. Glenn Close and John Malkovich were the perfect people to portray the evil duo. The best thing about them is that they allow their characters to be multi-dimensional, rather than the cardboard cut out villians of CRUEL INTENTIONS, another film based on this material. You also have the satisfaction of seeing the bad guys get it in the end, yet the film never lets you forget that the innocent end up suffering as well. It's not a happy ending.

If you haven't been introduced to this story yet, see this film. You won't regret it! It's amazing.

Nominated for several Oscars, including Best Actress - Michelle Pfeiffer, as you've never seen her before! Amazing performance. Also, be on the lookout for a young Uma Thurman. Keanu Reeves is also makes an appearance.

3/5 Troublemaker.
  by ADRIENNE MILLER (TENNESSEE)
Dangerous Liaisons starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich, and Michelle Pfeiffer star in this classic film. All three stars bring excitement, strength, and charmisa to their roles. Keanu Reeves and Uma Thurman also star as supporting and naive characters. Close is no stranger to playing an unappealing dame. I like this film but the language and costumes are too distracting to fully enjoy this old-fashioned film.