SnoopyStyle Michael Boll (James Spader) is a young stock broker executive being pushed around by rival Patterson. He's getting married to driven Ruth Fielding (Marcia Cross) but he's uncertain about it. Alex (Rob Lowe) rescues him from a beating at the bar. His brother Pismo is still struggling to overcome his drug dealing conviction. He runs into Alex again and falls into his murky world. Alex teaches him confidence as the psychopath Alex draws him deeper and deeper. He hooks up with Claire (Lisa Zane) and Alex splits him up from Ruth.Rob Lowe is an OK psychopath. Spader is probably even better. Also he has a larger range to play in this movie. Lowe smiles his way through this. He's a beautiful man. It takes a little too long before Alex's psycho ways get crazy dangerous. I wish they get to the dead body sooner because the movie gets better. However there are a few too many cheesy things going on.

seymourblack-1 "Bad Influence" is about an innocent person who's drawn into the control of a character who disguises his real nature by pretending to be motivated purely by a desire to help the hapless victim. The gullible male in this case suffers as a result of befriending a guy who initially seems to be a charismatic Good Samaritan but is later revealed to be a dangerous psychopath who takes great pleasure in doing all that he can to ruin his "friend's" life.Michael Boll (James Spader) is an ambitious marketing analyst who's doing well in his job but comes up against a problem when one of his colleagues sabotages his work by wiping one of his most important files off the company's computer system. Michael's a rather diffident person who has no idea how to deal with this predicament and also has an additional problem, as he doesn't want to marry his posh fiancée. When he goes to a nearby bar to console himself with a beer, he gets caught up in an altercation with a violent customer who holds his head down against the bar but fortunately a good-looking stranger comes to his rescue.The stranger, who's called Alex (Rob Lowe) and Michael soon become friends and Alex makes it his business to show Michael how to overcome some of his problems. This results in Michael successfully turning the tables on his scheming work rival and freeing himself from his fiancée. Michael's sense of liberation and empowerment is profound but doesn't stop there because, through his new friendship, he soon gets involved in nightclubbing, doing drugs and enjoying some "no commitment" sex.Alex turns out to be a mystery man who uses a variety of names, doesn't seem to have any commitments and adopts a number of different accents. The wild behaviour that he and Michael indulge in gets more serious when they rob a series of convenience stores. This makes Michael uncomfortable when he has time to reflect on his actions but when he tries to free himself from his friendship with Alex, things turn ugly and he soon finds himself framed for a murder he didn't commit. The methods that Michael uses to restore some sanity to his life are both ironic in nature and entertaining to watch.This movie has a good sense of time and place as Michael is a typical 1980s style yuppie with an impressive apartment, lots of expensive possessions and a strong appetite for improving his status. Alex, on the other hand, is a dedicated pleasure seeker who's manipulative and completely amoral. Whilst Michael is initially repressed and passive, Alex is very confident and has no inhibitions whatsoever and the hedonistic and decadent behaviour that they indulge in is also symptomatic of 1980s affluence and excess."Bad Influence" is an intriguing thriller which features a couple of interesting characters, plenty of suspense and excellent performances from Rob Lowe and James Spader. Spader is particularly good at conveying Michael's anxiety, naivety and discomfort in certain situations and Lowe conveys Alex's combination of charm and menace very effectively. The action is delivered at a good pace and there are also some humorous moments to enjoy.

gcd70 Rob Lowe's 1990 thriller (directed by Curtis Hanson - "The Bedroom Window") is no match for the slick and cleverly plotted "Masquerade" which, in 1988, he starred in.Story concerns a nervous young business man named Michael (James Spader) who allows a confident, smooth talking young guy named Alex (Rob Lowe) to greatly change and influence his somewhat stifled existence. Alex turns Michael's life upside down with a series of sadistic games which, eventually leave "Mick" fighting for his life.Spader is competent as the weak-spined account analyst who allows life to dictate to him, while Lowe is certainly well cast as the ultra-cool confidence trickster who seems to get his own way with everyone.David Koepp's story is as "90's" as they come, with plenty of sex, drugs and violence to please today's young audiences. Director Hanson makes sure to stick with the formula too, but the result is a movie that entertains only at surface level. Lacking in the necessary plot intricacies, it opts rather for a hit you in the face style that lacks a certain depth.Not a complete waste of time in any case, but we've definitely seen better in the last five years.Saturday, July 30, 1994 - Video

ccthemovieman-1 "Bad Influeince:" Yup, that's a good title for one of the main characters in this movie: "Alex," played by Rob Lowe. His grin alone is pure evil! In fact, Lowe's character is one of the lowest I've encountered in these modern-day thrillers. This also could be called a modern "noir," because it has a lot of that genre's qualities. This also is different from the normal cops-vs.- crooks film.As bad as "Alex" was, I couldn't root for the other main character, either: "Michael Boll" (James Spader). Spader is one of these actors that seems to play very snotty, unlikeable people. Maybe he's just good at play annoying characters.An odd character, and one that added to this film, was the guy (Christian Clemenson) who played Spader's older, stoned-out brother "Pismo." What a loser.....but an interesting person.I really was intrigued by this film the first time I saw it but less so in the next two viewings, finally trading this in for something else. But for one viewing, it's recommended for crime fans, or people who just plain like evil characters.