Uncovered
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Movie Reviews of Uncovered
Movie Review: Early Kate, good mystery
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie is a good mystery, with an ending that I did not predict! Kate Beckinsale is great, and her short haircut and natural British accent are cute.
Her couple of nude scenes are highly worthy of viewing as well.
For the low price, this is well worth it!
Movie Review: Turned out good.
Summary: 4 Stars
I like this dvd. Turned out to have a good story line. Was expecting it to be a B movie. I also liked Kate in all her glory. She was and still is gorgeous.Movie Review: Hot
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a Hot little history lesson ... Kate in her early form ...
nuff said ...
Movie Review: Who killed the knight?
Summary: 3 Stars
Medieval paintings and a chess game seem like unlikely murder components, but they set off the whole plot of art puzzle/murder mystery "Uncovered." The adaptation of Arturo Perez/Reverte's novel is picturesque and has some good acting, but suffers from a total lack of suspense when it comes to whodunnit.
Art student Julia (Kate Beckinsale) is delighted when an X-ray of a old painting shows a Latin inscription: "Who killed the knight?" The trio in the painting includes a medieval duke, his young wife, and a French knight who was pretty obviously having an affair with the wife. With the help of her cheating ex-boyfriend and mysterious chess prodigy Domenec (Paudge Behan), Julia unravels the question of who killed the knight -- and why the picture was altered after it was finished.
But that isn't the end -- Julia's ex-boyfriend turns up dead in the shower, and the kindly old owner of the painting dies within days. And with each death, a corresponding ivory chess piece is left on Julia's doorstep. As brutal heirs and conniving art dealers scrabble for the painting, Julia tries to unravel who is behind the killings -- before black queen takes white queen...
"Uncovered" is more interesting as a clever art puzzle than a murder mystery, set in Barcelona's sunny colourful streets and ancient castles. It is genuinely fascinating to see the hidden meanings of the chess game and its hidden meanings, as well as the politics of Burgundy versus France. This part is intriguing, intelligent, and genuinely has an element of classical mystery.
Unfortunately, it sags when it turns into a murder mystery (with a bit of nudity thrown in), loosely tied into the medieval murder with the use of chess pieces. The murderer's identity is glaringly obvious even before he's killed anyone, and the campy, shrieky finale suffers because you already know who he is. Even the callous heirs to weren't enough to throw off the scent.
This was only Kate Beckinsale's second major role, so perhaps she can be forgiven her mediocre performance. She's middling most of the time, and occasionally lapses into hysterical crying. John Wood is a scene-stealer as the devoted gay guardian Cesar, backed by Sinéad Cusack as a catty aging party-girl and Michael Gough as an ailing aristocrat. No, I don't know by British actors are playing a slew of Spaniards, but they do a good job.
"Uncovered" is an intriguing art mystery, but it trips over itself in the second half when it becomes a mysteryless mystery. If it weren't for that, it would be simply brilliant.
Movie Review: A decent mystery and a star "uncovered"
Summary: 3 Stars
So far as I can tell, this little-known British/Spanish production had never been shown or otherwise made available in the United States prior to the release of this DVD. I first saw it on an imported videotape with Portugese subtitles. More than likely, it is being released in the U.S. now to capitalize on Kate Beckinsale's increasingly high profile. Its most noteworthy feature is the appearance of its comely star nude in no less than three scenes, her only such exposure to date. Viewers whose main interest is seeing Ms. Beckinsale "uncovered" will not be disappointed. However, the movie itself is not so bad either. Although a little rough by Hollywood standards, it offers a decent murder mystery with an interesting twist. Beckinsale plays Julia, a rising star in the world of art restoration. An aristocratic family commissions her to work on a Renaissance painting that has been in their possession for over 500 years. It depicts two men playing chess while a woman watches in the background. Julia quickly discovers that the painting has been altered and contains clues to the murder of one of the chess players. As soon as Julia grows curious about this 500 year-old crime, someone begins killing people close to her. She can only conclude that solving the ancient mystery will provide the key to her present-day horrors.
While Julia continues to coax hidden details from the painting, she enlists the aid of a truly unique character. She hires Domenec (Paudge Behan), a sort of "chess bum," to work out the details of the game in the painting -- the moves that brought the pieces to where they are and the likely outcome of the game. The bohemian Domenick makes his living hustling high-stakes chess games (huh?). His surfer-with-a-brain appearance and lifestyle provide both a foil and an eventual romantic allure for the uptight Julia. From there, it becomes a race between this unlikely duo and the killer. They must solve the mystery before more people, including Julia herself, are murdered.