Drama/Romance
First things first...Kristin Scott Thomas...when she smiles, she has the most beautiful lips I've seen.
We see both Dutch's wife and Kay's husband together at an airport for the last time. The spouses go about their day to day work and neither realizes that the airplane crash we see on the news concerns them. Dutch finally realizes somethings wrong and discovers that his wife is dead but first he comes to the painful realization that she was having an affair with Kay's husband. The film's director, Sydney Pollack takes his time setting up the discovery and the identification of the bodies. He leaves you chomping at the bit to discover what is going on.
The rest of the film really concerns how both cope and come to the realization that they did not really know their partners. Dutch, throughout the movie has the hardest time coping; his need to know every detail of his failure, slowly drives him crazy. Only that the two become romantically involved helps save his mind. The first time Dutch and Kay actually get together is a haunting moment. They get into Kay's car and all the tension, the anger and the hurt bursts out of them in a moment of unrestrained passion. It really hurts to watch this because it does not feel right for us, the viewer, to watch them unleash all this anger. They find this is not a romantic moment but an outburst of anger towards their spouses. It is an excellent scene.
Dutch slowly falls in love with Kay and the feelings are returned but his quest to find out everything about the affair threatens their relationship. Much happens and it is all mesmerizing to us because I feel we can see ourselves in that situation. Still you have to step back and wonder why he has a need to know. Kay decides that it is in her past and says she has no desire to know unlike Dutch. Much more happens to keep you glued to the screen.
Keep in mind that throughout the romance part of the story we still have a criminal investigation going on, that is just as griping. The two stories will come together but will this bring them closer or set them farther apart. Harrison Ford brings a style reminiscent of Humphry Bogart to this film. I really enjoyed him in this part, he makes what is happening seem so real. Kristen Scott Thomas has a line that is a fair description of what the movie tries to show, "We are more than friends, we are victims.
It is a shame to think sometimes in real life fate would cause the death of two people to bring together another two who may be meant for each other. It is a chilling concept if you think about it...isn't it???
One last footnote here. Charles Dutton plays Dutch's police partner. This is an actor who really deserves more attention. He adds so much to the films he is in, as he does to RANDOM HEARTS
