After beginning his career with two frenetic crime films (Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels; Snatch), filmmaker Guy Ritchie has changed his tone in order to make a vanity project. But it's not his vanity at stake, it's that of his wife, super-hyphenate Madonna, in this fairly faithful remake of the lusty, free-wheelin' 1974 Italian film Swept Away. That original, directed by Lina Wertmuller, starred Giancarlo Giannini and Mariangela Melato. This update, a film that Ritchie proves does not need to exist, stars Adriano Giannini (in his father's original role), Madonna, and Madonna's sinewy body.Sure, hubby puts those super-tight abs and intimidating biceps front-and-center. But he's also forced to put Madonna's acting ability up there as well, and the awful truth is that Madonna is an average actress at best. Being as naturally theatrical as she is (and that's a compliment), she excels at stagy roles, as in Evita, but when it comes to the everyday, she comes across as rather limp.
Continue reading: Swept Away (2002) Review