10 Underappreciated 90s Thrillers You Must Watch
4. The Last Seduction
This is the second John Dahl film on this list and is better than the excellent Red Rock West, both went straight to TV in the US, bad enough with Red Rock West but possibly the crime of the 90s in the case of The Last Seduction. An homage to the Noir-Thriller of the 50s and a clear inspiration on many of the films and Directors in the genre throughout the mid to late 90s.
Linda Fiorentino plays Bridget, a sociopathic and coldly amoral con artist. She rips off a huge sum of ill-gotten cash from her husband, played by Bill Pullman, and skips New York, ending up outside Chicago. She is approached in a bar by Peter Berg’s character Mike. He immediately falls into her dangerous and overpowering influences as she leads him through a twisted plan to get rich and get rid of anyone who might stop her in the process.
To give away more of the plot would detract from the ride this film takes you on, its blisteringly fast paced and won’t wait for lazy in-and-out viewers. Fiorentino is absolutely revelatory in a role of extremes.
She is the epitome of the updated femme fatale of the early Noir-Thrillers. Once the film gained traction with audiences there was uproar that she was not eligible for an Oscar nomination due to the film not being picked up by cinemas. After watching this it’s easy to see why she would have been so hotly tipped to win.