Seduction, Lies & Audo Tape
It's a new year at the exclusive Santa Barbara College which means Cassidy Merteuil (Kristina Anapau) and Jason Argyle (Kerr Smith) are back along with Jason's new roommate Patrick Bates (Nathan Wetherington). All three have one thing in common, they like sleeping with people but enjoy the chase, the act of luring and tricking their prey in to sleeping with them more than the act of sex itself. It is how Cassidy ends up betting them both in to trying to seduce two friends one who is in a committed relationship the other who is engaged to a boy back home. But things escalate with both Jason and Patrick vying over Cassidy. Question is, is everything as it seems?
When it comes to the Cruel Intentions movies the first one was clever and entertaining, the second was a mistake which only occasionally entertained in a bad way. Then there is "Cruel Intentions 3" which whilst a lot better than the second movie isn't up to the standard of the first movie. And the simple reason why it isn't is that it lacks depth; we watch as guy seduces girl using various tricks, acts of persuasion and blackmail if need be to win the bet. Whilst this is all going on we know that the trio of Cassidy, Jason and Patrick are all capable of duplicitous acts and as such whilst the bet may be to screw someone you can guess that someone else is going to screw with the screwer somehow. That is it and whilst it delivers some entertainment it is only ever shallow and frankly obvious.
What is surprising is that the acting in this third movie is actually pretty decent or at least better than expected. Kristina Anapau certainly channels some of Sarah Michelle Gellar's Kathryn with a rich, bitchy and manipulative side whilst Kerr Smith plays on the looks and confidence making Jason a character who believes he can charm anyone. But the most interesting performance comes from Nathan Wetherington as he brings out Patrick's despicable nature of getting what he wants even if he hurts people in doing so. One thing you can't get away from is the fact that Kerr Smith and Nathan Wetherington were both born towards the start of the 70s and in close ups you can see they are not your typical college aid.
What this all boils down to is that whilst "Cruel Intentions 3" is not as good as the first movie but not only a huge improvement on the thankfully forgettable second movie but actually entertaining in places although truthfully this is also a forgettable movie.
