Disclosure | Teen Ink

Disclosure MAG

By Anonymous

   If there's any truth to the expression, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," you'd think that Michael Douglas would have learned his lesson by now. He got mixed up with Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. In Basic Instinct, it was Sharon Stone (although this was more simply: "Hell hath no fury like a woman"). In his newest film, Disclosure, Douglas is once again experiencing problems with women, in the person of Demi Moore.

Based on the bestseller by Michael Crichton, Disclosure tackles the issue of sexual harassment, with the unique spin of placing the man in the position of victim and the woman as aggressor. Douglas plays Tom Sanders, a family man and the head of manufacturing at a high-tech computer corporation in Seattle called DigiCom. Sanders is surprised to find that he has been passed over for a promotion in favor of Meredith Johnson, his former lover, played by Moore. When she calls him to her office for an evening meeting, he goes prepared to discuss business. She has other plans however, and despite his resistance, she pushes him into a dangerous sexual encounter. Angered when he abruptly leaves her office, she decides to accuse him of sexual harassment. He counters her claim, insisting that she harassed him. Sanders quickly learns that there is more to this than meets the eye, and realizes that he is a pawn in an intense game his company is playing.

Disclosure may be a popcorn movie, but under the guidance of Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson, it is extremely well executed, and succeeds for many reasons. Michael Douglas has nailed the sympathetic male act to perfection, and Demi Moore has lots of fun with her manipulative character. Furthermore, the movie benefits tremendously from its exceptional supporting cast which includes Donald Sutherland and comedian Dennis Miller. Screenwriter Paul Attanasio (who also wrote the screenplay for Quiz Show) has taken great care in fleshing out the supporting roles. Rarely have I seen a film where nearly every actor is as solid and memorable as in Disclosure.

The set design of the DigiCom offices are extremely impressive and noteworthy, as is the cinematography. Setting the movie in the world of computers is a smart move, allowing for several tense and exciting sequences involving virtual reality, E-mail, and other wonders of the nineties.

It would have been nice to see more development of Moore's character, and to gain more insight into her motives, but the focus of the picture is on Douglas' character. Disclosure is a well crafted movie, and an example of mainstream Hollywood entertainment at its best. .





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i love this so much!