The Liam Neeson Erotic Thriller On Netflix That Will Get Your Blood Pumping
The erotic thriller Chloe, available now on Netflix, is not your typical Liam Neeson film. Though there are no guys with guns in this flick, there is certainly plenty of “action.” Starring Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore alongside Amanda Seyfried (who plays the title character), Chloe presents a wild and steamy stage of chaotic passion.
Liam Neeson stars in Chloe, streaming now on Netflix, which is unlike any of his recent movies.
The story centers around a well-off couple, David (Neeson) and Catherine (Moore), who live in an upscale neighborhood in Toronto. David is a professor, and Catherine works as a gynecologist. They’ve been together for a while, and Catherine is beginning to feel like something is missing in her relationship.
Upon finding a suggestive text on David’s phone, Catherine starts to believe that David is having an affair with one (or more) of his students. To put her theory to the test, Catherine hires an escort named Chloe to tempt and try her husband’s faithfulness.
As Chloe begins staging random meetings with David, she reports the hot and heavy details back to Catherine. Chloe is clearly very good at what she does, and she is able to quickly meet and appeal to the desires of Catherine’s husband, David.
Eventually, feeling slighted by David’s perceived lack of discretion, Catherine becomes vulnerable to Chloe’s wiley ways. When Chloe makes a move on Catherine, she ends up giving in, and the story continues twisting more and more from there.
Though the film only did mediocre with American audiences, the worldwide response to the release of Chloe was enough for production to make a little bit of money on the movie. Critics tagged the flick with mixed or average reviews, repeatedly commenting on the lack of development throughout the story.
Filmmaker Atom Egoyan shot the whole movie in only 35 days. Had he perhaps spent a little more time bringing the story to fruition, he may have been able to more adequately reap the benefits of having such big talent on staff.
Tragically, Liam Neeson had to leave the set of Chloe to be with his wife, Natasha Richardson, following her fatal ski accident.
Unfortunately, filming of Chloe was briefly interrupted when star Liam Neeson had to abruptly leave the set to tend to his injured wife, Natasha Richardson. Richardson had suffered a skiing accident at a resort in Quebec after hitting her head during a lesson. She succumbed to her injuries days later and sadly passed.
While Neeson was away from the set, Egoyan and the crew reworked the filming schedule and continued shooting the movie, expecting that Neeson would need some time to process the situation. Surprisingly, Liam Neeson returned to finish the film just a few days after the death of his wife and wrapped up his part in just two days.
This particular “blurp” in the shooting of the movie may have been a large contributor to the missing flair critics so eagerly mentioned. The absence of Neeson could easily have been enough to upset the fluidity of the vibe amongst the cast.
Another reason the film may have felt like it still had something left to reveal is that one of the most notable elements of the works of director Atom Eyogan is that he never fully explains the motives of his characters, especially to the characters. In Chloe, this method is especially important, as the actions of each main player are heavily weighed on what they perceive to be happening rather than the truth in any given situation.
While not Liam Neeson’s biggest hit, Chloe still managed to earn almost $14 million at the box office, enough to turn a profit and be deemed a small success.
In a movie review from Roger Ebert, he states that Eyogan “invites us to be voyeurs of surfaces that may not conceal what they seem”. This element certainly offers the “thriller” part of the movie. The film review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes gave Chloe a 51 percent on the Tomatometer (with 162 reviews) and a 39 percent audience score (with 25,000+ reviews).
Chloe is not a movie you’ll want to share with the whole family, but sitting down with your partner could definitely add some intrigue to your evening. Be ready to watch some steamy moments during the film, but be ready for some wild detours as the story progresses. After all, digging your way out of a situation where you’ve hired a call girl to seduce your husband is always a bit messy.
You can find Chloe streaming on Netflix with a subscription to the channel. The film has an “R” rating and a runtime of around an hour and a half.
