Today’s quick review: Love & Rage. Agnes MacDonnell (Greta Scacchi), a wealthy English woman, owns a manor house in Ireland, where she lives with her housekeeper Biddy (Valerie Edmond) and entertains Dr. William Croly (Stephen Dillane), her closest friend. But her life takes a dark turn when she falls for James Lynchehaun (Daniel Craig), an Irish businessman whose roguish charms belie his sinister motives.
Love & Rage is a romantic drama and thriller about an ill-fated fling between a woman and her two-faced tenant. Greta Scacchi stars as Agnes, whose adventurous personality makes her easy prey for James. Love & Rage captures the sense of subtle menace as James worms his way into Agnes’ life, isolating her from her friends and toying with her heart. However, the movie’s shaky execution means that the story ultimately falls flat.
Love & Rage’s strength lies in the dynamic between Agnes and James. At the core of it, there is something believable there: a divorced woman starved for excitement and an opportunist who takes advantage of her. Daniel Craig plays his part with the right kind of erratic behavior, and Greta Scachi conveys Agnes’ hopes and follies with skill. When it works, their relationship is dark and compelling, with a growing sense that something is wrong.
Unfortunately, Love & Rage does not have much to it. The story unfolds slowly and only really concerns the toxic effect James has on Agnes’s life. Every now and then one of his betrayals will shock the viewer, but these incidents are surrounded by the duller details of Agnes’s social life. To make matters worse, the movie never lays out James’ motives in enough detail to be sastisfying, so the finale feels disconnected from the build-up.
Love & Rage will have niche appeal for those interested in historical dramas with a dark tone and a heavy emphasis on social relationships. There are flashes of something interesting in the way James toys with Agnes, and the cast does a decent job with their parts, but ultimately there is not enough to carry the film. Those looking for something dark and psychological can do better elsewhere.
For a steamier romance with similar elements of seduction and betrayal, try Chloe. For a thriller that toys with similar ideas, try The Talented Mr. Ripley. For a less sinister drama about romance and loss of fortune, try Dark Eyes.
[5.1 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185442/). I give it a 5.5 for a premise with potential and execution that somewhat misses the mark.