Sex and murder are being stirred together in South Florida again. It's as if the high humidity from the Gulf so thoroughly steams a man's brains that he can't think straight two seconds after meeting an attractive, lethal-minded woman. Years ago, it was William Hurt being played for a sap by Kathleen Turner in Body Heat. Now it's Ed Harris getting the set-up treatment from Madeleine Stowe in China Moon. The main difference is that Harris is slightly smarter, Stowe is more sympathetic, and the plot is duller.
Harris is an efficient but arrogant homicide detective in a small Florida town. He can crack a case in two seconds flat and still have time to go cruising for women at the local bar. However, Stowe rebuffs him on his first try, a gesture that inexplicably hooks him. Before you know it, he's taking her out to dinner and showing off the snub-nosed .38 he wears in his sock.
It could be a promising relationship, except for Stowe's husband (Charles Dance). Hubby is a rich banker who likes to slap her around whenever Stowe asks too many questions about the evenings he spends with his mistress. But Stowe can't quite see her way to divorcing the jerk. Burying him, yeah. But no divorce.
As you can see, China Moon is hopelessly locked into a derived story that is a mishmash of Body Heat, Double Indemnity and (for real old movie buffs) The File on Thelma Jordan. Beyond that, China Moon doesn't bring much to the party and its plot twists are sloppy and inconsistent. It's strictly a minor genre piece full of rainy nights and murky motives.
But, I'm a sucker for the genre and China Moon manages to deliver a few of the basics. Unfortunately, it doesn't do much else.
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