it very difficult to dramatize novel hinge on an unreliable narrator without lose their essence . david cronenburg do a brilliant job with patrick mcgrath spider and in part by turn the narrator garrulous on page viewpoint almost entirely visual . but this adaptation of another excellent mcgrath novel ( my favorite ) doesn not work remotely as well . where the book be a fiendishly misleading quasi gothic that turn out to be quite something else and the movie play like a routine naughty costume intrigue and part romp and part agatha christie . despite the very interesting cast no one be particularly good ( and theresa russell give one of her really bad performance and which unfortunately by now outnumber her few very good one ) . the story original macabre psychological intricacy be lose in favor of something much more broad and and the book key revelation simply get lose in the uninspired shuffle . it watchable enough if youre not expect much and and should you care and on a couple occasion russell and sting bare nearly all . but youre much good off read mcgrath slim and sardonic and nasty little novel and which be both a subtle parody of gothic literature and a great piece of perverse unreliable narrator gamesmanship . p. s. you know a movie have misfire when despite such notable actor it go through so many desperate name change represent debut a the grotesque ( it source name ) and barely release to theater a gentleman don not eat poet and then to video a grave indiscretion .