Risk

Plot

Three people discover jealousy and larceny are a dangerous combination in this tense drama. John (Bryan Brown) is a veteran insurance investigator who succumbs to temptation and veers towards the wrong side of the law. With the help of novice con man Ben (Tom Long), John hatches a scheme to substantiate false claims by taking a percentage of several questionable claims his firm has settled for a fraction of their usual worth. John and Ben are assisted in their illegal business by Louise (Claudia Karvan), a lawyer with a cocaine problem who is also John's lover. But when Louise becomes involved with Ben and demands a bigger share of the money, their already-shaky confidence game begins to collapse. Risk was adapted from the short story "The Adjustor" by Tracy Kidder. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Review

There are moments when Risk feels like The Last Seduction, with a sultry brunette (in this case, Claudia Karvan) leading an impressionable young man (here it's Tom Long) into temptation and eventual damnation. Sure enough, there's plenty of hot s-e-x (nothing too explicit, and edited so as to ratchet up the erotic tension) and backstabbing wheeling and dealing that seems to spell jail time for our somewhat innocent protagonist, unless he makes a daring escape, but as the story begins to play out, you realize it's not noir à la Seduction at all. Risk is far less complicated than all that, and taken for what it is, it's not a bad offering. The three principals, including veteran Bryan Brown, paint vivid pictures of modern-day hustlers who are not too seedy, just greedy, and the story has a nice boost at the end to keep things interesting. A highlight is the jazzy-techno instrumental score, punctuated by vintage psychedelic pop songs; the soundtrack, particularly one bolero-like interlude, adds momentum to the film and could probably stand on its own as background music for a party. ~ Buzz McClain, Rovi

Cast

• Bryan Brown
• Tom Long
• Claudia Karvan
• Jason Clarke

Bob Baines; Wayne Pygram

Credit

Margot Wilson - Costume Designer, Alan White - Director, Lee Smith - Editor, Marion Pilowsky - Executive Producer, Don Miller-Robinson - Composer (Music Score), Murray Picknett - Production Designer, Simon Duggan - Cinematographer, Marian MacGowan - Producer, Steve Wright - Screenwriter, John Armstrong - Screenwriter, Tracy Kidder - Short Story Author

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