everything you have heard about this movie is true.

best movie i've ever seen.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

CHINA MOON is a rather unimpressive addition to the wave of 'erotic thrillers' that were doing the rounds in the early 1990s. This one has a decent cast but a disappointing plot which feels lightweight and padded out. Madeleine Stowe stars as a bored and frustrated housewife, at the mercy of her cruel husband (a delightfully nasty Charles Dance, struggling a bit with the American accent), who meets and falls for Ed Harris, the rugged cop who comes into her life. A murderous plot development ensues, and the film becomes a police procedural thriller from that point on. The cast members work hard to add some credibility to this story, but I didn't really buy it, and that last twist is frankly unbelievable. Still, it's worth a look to see Harris on strong form, and a youthful Benicio del Toro makes an impression too.

China Moon is directed by John Bailey and written by Roy Carlson. It stars Ed Harris, Madeleine Stowe, Benicio del Toro, Charles Dance and Patricia Healy. Music is by George Fenton and cinematography by Willy Kurant.To be kind since China Moon is a very good film in its own right, that is for lovers of film noir and its off shoot neo-noir, it's a film where its only crime is not being as great as previous instalments of noirs classic era and neo. Story treads deliciously familiar ground, where Harris' intrepid cop falls deep for Stowe's sultry babe and before he can say " I would do anything for you", he's in it up to his neck.In true noir fashion there's a twisty road to be navigated, nothing is as it at first seems, with hidden agendas, shifty shenanigans and emotional turmoil all playing a hand. The police procedural aspect intrigues greatly, with the devilish kicker of Harris investigating himself, while the intricacies of crime investigation - such as bullet science - is not given short shrift.As a mood piece it scores high, the sweaty Florida settings ripe for Bailey (a cinematographer by trade) to mix a bit of poetic ambiance with misty shimmers, rainy bleakness and colour coded criminality that's not detrimental to true noir essence. Perfs are from the higher end of the scale, and the makers add enough original touches of their own so as to not let this become a pointless retread. Closing superbly with a double whammy finale, China Moon is one that film noir lovers should sample. 7/10

China Moon is a sleeker noir with confidence. Its elements of noir are not forced upon you in the forefront making it the most optimal way to execute noirs whereas the technique is not stealing away from the show. The relationship between Detective Kyle Bodine and Rachel Munro is the main focus of the movie. In China Moon, Detective Bodine has his life in relative order until he's caught up in a steamy love affair with the provocative Rachel Munro which soon takes a turn for the worse when one night Rachel shoots and kills her violent husband. Kyle helps Rachel hide the body assisting her cover up the crime. They wish to get away with it but Bodine's partner, Lamar Dickey, is more clever than one might suspect and he's closing in on the case. Very strong actors Madeleine Stowe and Ed Harris make this movie with very strong performances. Ed Harris is all-around great as Kyle Bodine. Harris is about one of the fifteen best male actors of all-time which is good enough for second best in this film. Madeleine Stowe is infinitely desirable as Munro. Stowe communicates effectively poignant emotions acting so effortlessly, and smooth. Madeleine's definitely one of my most favorite actresses. She's to die for. Benicio Del Toro is Dickey and unassuming as a good cop just doing his job. Del Toro plays third wheel in China Moon with just as an extraordinarily acting ability as Stowe and Harris. Harris and Stowe share great chemistry, although they do not appear compatible, more a forbidden passion attraction which is more suitably appropriate for the film. China Moon is a seductive suspense, romantic thriller. It's not an action movie. The story unravels terrifically. China Moon is an easy viewing, easily attachable. I recommend getting lost in China Moon for more than an hour, an hour and thirty nine minutes if you've got the time.

OK, now I get it. I just checked the credits of China Moon's screenwriter and my fears have been confirmed...prior to this, two credits, both TV. That's about the caliber of this by-the-numbers Neo-noir "thriller" that's both not very thrilling and not very noir.Noir needs to be moody, atmospheric, and contain dialog with a snap and particular rhythm. China Moon's script appears to have been attempted after a cursory browsing of "Noir for Dummies." Yes, there's snappy patter...unfortunately it's all trite done-to-death snappy patter. There's virtually not one line I couldn't predict. When Harris and Stowe first meet, the exchange is wooden and you can sense the actors struggling futilely to make something original out of it.Ed Harris gives everyone his smoldering 500-yard stare but it's nothing he hasn't offered before in much better films. Stowe and he don't seem to connect on virtually any level, but with a script this bad there's nothing to draw sparks from. Benecio DelToro looks bored out of his mind, Pruitt Taylor Vince is completely wasted. This movie could have benefited from a more unknown, fresher cast. Sending these vets into this junior high knock-off production is a little like hiring Larry Olivier to star in your kid's school pageant.Virtually nothing in the plot comes as a surprise. You find yourself thinking "surely it's not this simple" only to be woefully disappointed. The "hook-line" here --- "Sooner or later they all f*** up" --- is so stale and stupid it's cringe-worthy. And the lame attempt at a tragic ending makes it more than mock-worthy....you have to have substantial investment in characters for a tragedy of this scale to really pay off. There's none of that here.Yeah, sooner or later.... In this case, for screenwriter Roy Carlson....MUCH sooner.