Love Crimes is a 1992 American erotic thriller directed by Lizzie Borden starring Sean Young and Patrick Bergin about Dana Greenway, an assistant district attorney who tries to seduce and apprehend psychopath David Hanover. The screenplay is by Allan Moyle and Laurie Frank, based on a story by Moyle.
Contents
Plot
Assistant district attorney Dana Greenway conspires with police lieutenant Maria Johnson to go after a serial sexual predator who identifies himself to his victims as David Hanover, a distinguished photographer.
Greenway goes undercover, changing her appearance and passing herself off as a repressed schoolteacher. She eventually encounters Hanover, who seduces her, photographs her nude and causes Lt. Johnson to believe that Greenway might actually have fallen under his spell.
Flashbacks to Greenway's troubled childhood, including abuse from her father Lou-Jay, who locked her in a closet, haunt her as she attempts to come to her senses and get the better of Hanover, who clearly intends to humiliate and then kill her.
Cast
Sean Young as Dana Greenway
Danielle Shuman as Young Dana Greenway
Patrick Bergin as David Hanover
Arnetia Walker as Lt. Maria Johnson
James Read as Stanton Gray
Fern Dorsey as Colleen Dells
Donna Biscoe as Hannah
David Shuman as Lou-Jay Greenway
Gary Bullock as Joey
Sonny Shroyer as Cop
Wayne Shorter as Saxophonist
Ronnie Free as Drummer
Jo Jones as Pianist
Ben Tucker as Bassist
Reception
Love Crimes received negative reviews from critics and flopped at the box office. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 0% of 6 critics' reviews are positive.
Sean Young earned a nomination for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for her performance in the film, where she lost to Melanie Griffith for both Shining Through and A Stranger Among Us at the 13th Golden Raspberry Awards. The film is listed in Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson's book The Official Razzie Movie Guide as one of the "100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made".
Lizzie Borden said in an online interview with The Important Cinema Club that Harvey Weinstein wanted the ending changed before the film began production, so there was "no script" going in, throwing production into chaos. The film was taken out of her hands during post-production and filmmaker Kit Carson shot flashbacks against Borden's will. Borden wanted to take her name off the film but Weinstein threatened to "destroy her career" if she did. She also said there was never a "director's cut." This was just a marketing ploy by Weinstein to release a version with more erotic footage in the hopes of drawing more box office.