Eiskalte Engel (1999)

Eiskalte Engel: Directed by Roger Kumble. With Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, Selma Blair. Two vicious step-siblings of an elite Manhattan prep school make a wager: to deflower the new headmaster’s daughter before the start of term.

“I find it incredibly peculiar how the same novel (Choderlos de Laclosu0026#39; u0026quot;Les liaisons dangereusesu0026quot;, but that wonu0026#39;t be on the test) can spawn two separate interpretations that are absolutely nothing alike. u0026quot;Dangerous Liaisonsu0026quot; was a very stylish, classy, hyper-professional and (maybe as a result) also somewhat slow costume drama, while u0026quot;Cruel Intentionsu0026quot; shamelessly takes the sleazy road and ends up being really entertaining. Itu0026#39;s primarily aimed at teens and piles up Hollywood clichés like itu0026#39;s a contest or something, but despite those hurdles it manages to strike exactly the right dark tone. Sarah Michelle Gellar is really good in the Glenn Close role, technically she only gives her villain one dimension but itu0026#39;s a dimension you love to hate. She has acid running through her veins, in fact the whole movie seems a lot more harsh and direct than u0026quot;Dangerous Liaisonsu0026quot; was. Do I actually prefer this high schooler remake over the original u0026quot;Dangerous Liaisonsu0026quot;? Well, secretly yes, but to avoid being burned on a pyre Iu0026#39;ll just say theyu0026#39;re both excellent movies in their own right. u0026quot;Cruel Intentionsu0026quot; is just a great watch though.”