Red is the color of blood. This is also the hardest color to see in "Color of Night," a new film starring Bruce Willis as a shrink, Bill Capa, who is trying to get over the death of a patient.
The movie begins with one botched suicide attempt by Willis' patient. Then during one of their sessions, she takes a flying leap out of Willis' office window and dies. The patient's suicide sets the tone for what is to follow.
Willis complains that after watching the suicide, he has become blind to the color red. Willis also becomes disappointed in his practice and quits. He leaves his city, New York, and flies across the country for the companionship of his best friend and fellow shrink, Bob Moore (Scott Bakula).
Upon arrival, Willis meets Bakula's greatly neurotic Monday night group, which includes an artist who is into S and M, a nymphomaniac who has a personal trainer for purely sexual purposes and a sociopath who has been sexually molested by a past therapist. The scenes that take place with the group bring out the worst fears and nightmares in the patients.
After the first session, Bakula informs Willis that he has been receiving death threats and believes that it is someone who is in the Monday night session. Within a few movie minutes, the threats become reality and the chase is on for the assailant.
Martinez, a homicide detective played by Ruben Blades, elicits the help of Willis to find the killer. With the help of the Monday night group, Martinez succeeds in having a reluctant Willis take over as the leading therapist for the group. Martinez enlists Willis to keep an open eye for any psychotic behavior that is displayed within the group.
The acting in the film is far better than in many other psychological thrillers. Jane March portrays a wonderful character who seems to be in control of her senses and her surroundings at all times. March's character, Rose, comes across at first as the only character in the film to be in control of her mind.
Her presence on the screen counterbalances the chaos of the other characters.
Seeing Bruce Willis in a psychothriller is interesting. Unlike his characters in action films, Willis breathes true life into the role of the shrink. Bill Capa shows tremendous depth, with Willis' most touching moment being when he speaks about watching his patient fall to his death and the emotions that followed the suicide. The feelings portrayed in this scene can only be pulled off by a talent such as Bruce Willis.
The visual effects on this movie are eye-catching. Most of them have to do with naked bodies coming together. Overall, this film is a piece of work that is worth watching. Even though at times it seems that there is nothing but sex to the plot, once the characters start talking about their problems and probing their psyches, the movie takes off into an intriguing world. It's a world worth visiting, even if only just once in a lifetime.
