Exception to the Rule Reviews

Coveting some 28-karat South African diamonds, ruthless jewel thief Carla Rainer (Kim Cattrall) thinks nothing of shooting a gem broker in the kisser or, later, tossing a wealthy buyer out of a hotel window. With his history of adultery, jewel merchant Tim Bayer (Eric McCormack) is an easy mark for seductive Carla, who soon makes a habit of running into him. Frustrated by the low sex drive of his pregnant wife Angela (Sean Young), Tim begins an affair with Carla. When Carla attempts to blackmail Tim by sending him a video of their torrid lovemaking, he appeals to his pal Ron Lansing (Robert Luhan), whose gambling addiction gives him entrée to private eyes and hit men. When Carla spots the private detective Tim's hired to trail her, she quickly and indignantly disposes of him. Too late, Tim realizes that Carla's been trading sex for knowledge about his activities from his shrink, Dr.Beeson (Stephen Mendell). When Tim, still dangerously unaware of who he's dealing with, temporarily dupes Carla with artificial gems, she sets her murderous sights on his wife. Gee, doesn't anyone get away with adultery anymore? Lacking distinctive acting or crisp direction, this assembly-line thriller is a cheap rehash of the 1986 Debra Winger starrer BLACK WIDOW. Of course, it also rips off elements of FATAL ATTRACTION and BASIC INSTINCT, so there are plenty of derivative juices to stew in. Aside from the "shocking" identity of Carla's partner in crime, the script offers precious few surprises, despite its feverish desire to trick the audience; more often, it lapses into illogic or relies on unlikely happenstance.