Scorchers * (1991, Faye Dunaway, Denholm Elliott, James Earl Jones, Emily Lloyd, Jennifer Tilly) – Classic Movie Review 10,178

Writer-director David Beaird’s 1991 drama Scorchers stars Faye Dunaway as the Bayou La Teche town slut, Denholm Elliott as the town drunk, James Earl Jones as the bar-keeper, Jennifer Tilly as Talbot, and Emily Lloyd the reluctant bride, Splendid.

These welcome five star actors head the usual suspects rounded up in this heavy-going tale from the Louisiana swamps. Splendid is marrying Dolan (James Wilder).

There is a lot of simple-minded homespun mysticism in Beaird’s screenplay, there are one or two good performances (Dunaway’s included), and some bad ones, and there is a director who cannot propel it along or keep his actors on the track.

It plays like a filmed performance of a stage play and, though short at 88 minutes, it seems mighty long.

Also in the cast are Leland Crooke, Anthony Geary, Luke Perry, Kevin Michael Brown, Michael Covert and Saxon Trainor.

RIP Luke Perry, who died after a stroke on 4 March 2019, aged 52.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,178

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