The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)

The byline promises it, but not only did I not "feel the heat" or even vague chemistry between the leads, I even felt my body temperature drop a degree or two at the sight, at one point, of Jack Nicholson's pancake derriėre and at the film's persistence in showing over and over hands clawing at Jessica Lange's crotch, moments added, I suppose, along with Technicolour and a bewildering circus visit, to justify this remake of the 1946 James M Cain adaptation, but neither is a terrific film because no matter which way you tell it, at the heart of the story Cora and Frank's murder of Cora's husband, roadside-diner owner Nick, never feels remotely necessary.

★★☆☆☆

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The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

Like Double Indemnity, this 1946 noir thriller is based on a James M Cain novel about a grubby affair and murder: this time, Frank the handyman drifter and blonde bombshell Cora fall in love and plot to do away with Cora's husband, the roadhouse owner Nick, even though living happily ever after conducting their affair right under his nose seems a possible, less controversial life choice.

★★★★☆

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