In the Cut
Encyclopedia
In the Cut is a 2003 American
erotic thriller
and mystery film
, written and directed by Jane Campion
and starring Meg Ryan
, Mark Ruffalo
and Jennifer Jason Leigh
. Campion's screenplay is an adaption of the novel of the same name by Susanna Moore
. It focuses on a college English professor (Ryan) who becomes entangled with a detective (Ruffalo) investigating a series of gruesome murders in her Manhattan neighborhood.
The film received a limited release
on October 22, 2003 in the United States, and was subsequently given a wide release on Halloween
that year in the United States and United Kingdom. The film received negative to mixed reviews from critics.
) begins an affair with Malloy (Mark Ruffalo
), a detective investigating a series of murders of young women in her neighborhood. As the affair progresses, questions arise as to whether Malloy is the perpetrator of the crimes.
and Jane Campion
spent five years developing the film. This is Kidman's producing debut. Kidman was originally cast as Frannie, but dropped out because she was divorcing and needed more time with her children; Meg Ryan was hired.
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
erotic thriller
Erotic thriller
The erotic thriller is a film and literary sub-genre which consists of a mixture between erotica and thriller. The genre increased in North American popularity from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, before declining in marketability.-1980s:...
and mystery film
Mystery film
Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
, written and directed by Jane Campion
Jane Campion
Jane Campion is a filmmaker and screenwriter. She is one of the most internationally successful New Zealand directors, although most of her work has been made in or financed by other countries, principally Australia – where she now lives – and the United States...
and starring Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan
Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982...
, Mark Ruffalo
Mark Ruffalo
Mark Alan Ruffalo is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He starred in films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Zodiac, Shutter Island, Just Like Heaven, You Can Count on Me and The Kids Are All Right for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best...
and Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Jason Leigh is an American film and stage actress, best known for her roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Single White Female, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Georgia and Short Cuts...
. Campion's screenplay is an adaption of the novel of the same name by Susanna Moore
Susanna Moore
Susanna Moore in Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania, is an American writer.Susanna Moore grew up in Hawaii. Her memoir, I Myself Have Seen It: The Myth of Hawai'i gives the reader deep insight into a life in Hawaii other than that presented by tourist brochures.In 1999 she received the Academy Award in...
. It focuses on a college English professor (Ryan) who becomes entangled with a detective (Ruffalo) investigating a series of gruesome murders in her Manhattan neighborhood.
The film received a limited release
Limited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
on October 22, 2003 in the United States, and was subsequently given a wide release on Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
that year in the United States and United Kingdom. The film received negative to mixed reviews from critics.
Plot
High school teacher and writer Frannie (Meg RyanMeg Ryan
Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982...
) begins an affair with Malloy (Mark Ruffalo
Mark Ruffalo
Mark Alan Ruffalo is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He starred in films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Zodiac, Shutter Island, Just Like Heaven, You Can Count on Me and The Kids Are All Right for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best...
), a detective investigating a series of murders of young women in her neighborhood. As the affair progresses, questions arise as to whether Malloy is the perpetrator of the crimes.
Cast
- Meg RyanMeg RyanMargaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982...
as Frannie Avery - Mark RuffaloMark RuffaloMark Alan Ruffalo is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He starred in films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Zodiac, Shutter Island, Just Like Heaven, You Can Count on Me and The Kids Are All Right for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best...
as Detective Giovanni A. Malloy - Jennifer Jason LeighJennifer Jason LeighJennifer Jason Leigh is an American film and stage actress, best known for her roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Single White Female, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Georgia and Short Cuts...
as Pauline - Patrice O'Neal as Hector
- Kevin BaconKevin BaconKevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love....
(uncredited) as John Graham
Production
Nicole KidmanNicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
and Jane Campion
Jane Campion
Jane Campion is a filmmaker and screenwriter. She is one of the most internationally successful New Zealand directors, although most of her work has been made in or financed by other countries, principally Australia – where she now lives – and the United States...
spent five years developing the film. This is Kidman's producing debut. Kidman was originally cast as Frannie, but dropped out because she was divorcing and needed more time with her children; Meg Ryan was hired.