Sliver (Unrated Edition)

Macomb, IL USA)
14 out of 28 found this review helpful

Any movie that has Sharon Stone in it, especially one where she is doing her sex thing, is all right with me.

Although it has some plot mistakes in it, I don't know why critics gave it such a bum rap.


Has moments of brilliance; an effective thriller!   March 29, 2006
Joan Crawford (Lansing, MI USA)
11 out of 15 found this review helpful

On the verge of Basic Instinct 2, a re-evaluation of Sharon Stone's film career is in order.

Looking through the reviews, it becomes apparent SLIVER is not necessarily an acclaimed film, but don't let that discourage you! When you choose a Sharon Stone movie from the shelf, you probably aren't looking for a pretentious "message" picture. You are looking for entertainment, full of glamour, thrills, sex, romance, melodrama, and excitement--and that's just where the priorities are in this film.

It is not a dumb film. The script is well-written, the cinematography was ahead of its time, and the direction is expert. Sharon Stone is at her best as the vulnerable and lonely Carly, and gives a deep, knowing performance, but the supporting cast varies in ability. Nina Foch and Martin Landau are wasted in small roles.

Many complaints concern the ending--which is apparently not true to Ira Levin's novel. Most book-to-screen adaptations are easy to find fault with when comparing to the book. As a viewer who has not read the book, the film is effective, and that is all that really matters! The film holds its own, and is its own piece of art.

And art this really is--the soundtrack, including the score by Howard Shore, is tremendously effective in maintaining the eerie, lonely mood of the film. The glossy, luxurious atmosphere is also an asset.

It's surprising now to read so many negative reviews, because as far as film-making is concerned, SLIVER is not a B-movie at all. It is a very classy affair. It should not be looked at as camp or cheese, because its intentions were not to be a serious message film. It aims to be what it is--an entertaining star vehicle for Sharon Stone at the height of her beauty and stardom!

It really should not be surprising, though, that SLIVER is often ridiculed as a "bad" film, when our society seems to think the only films worth watching are pretentious message films (not that messages are always bad; BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN contained a very relevant and necessary message, but some films just tell messages for the sake of it, and that is the nature of camp, in my opinion).

It also should not be surprising that SLIVER is so hated, considering the conservative nature of much of American society! SLIVER is a film which includes a lot of sex, nudity, and other sophisticated situations which imply "sin." Puritans will surely find something to dislike here! I think in the early 1990s, a lot of people went to movies like BASIC INSTINCT and INDECENT PROPOSAL, enjoyed them, and then bashed them later on because they were ashamed to say they liked such a film. The truth is they were daring, intelligent films which do not deserve their negative reputation. SLIVER is among them!

So, I am proud to be an exception, and say that SLIVER is a thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining, and well-made film! It certainly is a piece of art, and if you are looking for a message, you might just find it has something to say about voyeurism, as well as sexual and romantic independence.



even Sharon Stone can't save this STINKER!   June 12, 2005
Eduardo Nietzsche (Houston)
10 out of 28 found this review helpful

...and she's a pretty lousy actress to begin with, but you'd think that with her looks this movie would be somewhat bearable.

Nope, this has got to be one of the single DUMBEST movies I've ever seen. The plot is idiotic especially the ending, Sharon Stone has all of 2 or 3 rubber expressions on the whole time, the attempts at "steamy erotika" are a clumsy joke, both Stone and Baldwin phone in their high-school-drama-production performances...bleh!

I was just glad that I rented not bought this total POS.


Not bad for a hunk of cheese...   April 20, 2006
Brett D. Cullum (Houston, TX United States)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

Sharon Stone and SLIVER made a lot of sense after BASIC INSTINCT. It gave her a chance to be the hunted instead of the hunter, and also promised a whole lot of male nudity this time around instead of her being revealed so much. Eszterhas was back on board as a screenwriter, and the film was designed to be a sexual thriller about modern voyeurism with video cameras. SLIVER the book was not Ira Levin's best novel (cheesy fun but nothing classic), and I found myself not minding this movie deviates from it. Anyone who's read it knows the heroine's cat saves the day in one of the silliest climaxes ever. So don't worry about the book being better or worse with this one.

The production ran in to problems especially with the ending originally planned inside a VOLCANO of all things. Test audiences hated it, and so reshoots were quickly done. Eszterhas was not happy with the changes to his original script, and some new scenes made the actors seem a little less prepared and rushed. Billy Baldwin chickened out on full frontal nudity planned for his character, and demanded his most revealing shots be cut from the final movie. Despite any changes, the movie turns out to be entertaining fluff that never quite seems as kinky as it could be. It's still a whole lot of fun, and worth it for Stone fans. There are still some interesting ideas here.

This DVD contains a European cut with more nudity and prolonged sex scenes. For the most part you'll see much more of Baldwin, since Stone carefully handled her nudity this time around (she learned quick after BASIC INSTINCT). There are no extras, and that's a real shame. I wanted to see the real ending, but no such luck. Also no trailers on the disc because they included moments from the original ending and not the new version. And oddly enough a Lords of Acid song is removed from the DVD's soundtrack. But at least we get it bigger, longer, and uncut at a reasonable price.

You like to watch, right?


SLIVER, WANNA WATCH?   October 15, 2000
Jim Daniello (Franklin, MA.)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

Sliver is a fantastic film. The best out of all the erotic thrillers filmed between the years of 1987-1995, preferably the time in which the Erotic Thriller genre was big. Ending with Eszterhas's JADE. Eszterhas (Basic Instinct, Jade, Jagged Egde) wrote Sliver. A film starring Sharon Stone as Carly Norris, stuck in this age of loneliness after coming out of a 7 year bad marriage. Moving into a slick and sleek sliver apartment building, she is warmly welcomed by all of it's tennants. Including, Vida Warren a woman with a dark double life. Gus Hale, a man that is willing to tell all dirty little secrets. Zeke Hawkins a handsome young man that takes a sexual interest in Carly, FAST. And Tom Berenger a classy writer, with a macho jerk attitude. When Carly gets involved, very involved, with Zeke she begins to learn that inside the walls of this building hides a secret that could reveal everything. With an ending so fast paced it will blow right by you, but a very satisfying ending if I do say so in the least. Again, buy SLIVER in the unrated version, sit down and relax in the darkness and remember that there is no place more frightening than home...