I'm not sure why this film never made it to the theaters because it's not bad. Heather Graham stars as an American game designer living in London with a boyfriend. One day on her way to work she touches fingers at a street sign with a mysterious, handsome stranger, played by the yummy Joseph Fiennes. Before you know it, they're naked in his apartment having hot sex, then she's married to him. But when notes warning her about her new husband begin arriving at her door, she begins to question just how much she knows about him.

Killing Me Softly is a neat little movie that strives to capture the film noir of old. The main focus is Alice (Graham), Adam (Fiennes) and Deborah, Adam's sister (played by the lovely Natasha McElhorne). Most everyone else is merely background. Adam is a adventurer who lost his girlfriend on a mountain climbing expedition and seems to be lost until he meets Alice. Their attraction is strictly carnal, as proved by quite a few hot love scenes involving silk scarves and lots of looks at Heather's naked body. But she does marry him knowing basically nothing about him and he's not exactly checking her background either, if you know what I mean. The story also had a slight Bluebeard slant to it, involving a locked closet door that tempts Heather until she finally opens it and discovers a bit more about her new hubby.

The director, Kaige Chen also directed Farewell My Concubine and Temptress Moon. It seemed like he was going a little for an updated 9 1/2 Weeks too, in which a woman totally surrenders herself sexually to a man. The story is narrated by Alice, who talks of allowing Adam to even control how she breathed while making love. I thought the control issue was an interesting aspect to the story with the juxtaposition of Alice's live-in boyfriend being stable and almost too comfortable to Adam's fire and passion, which sweeps Alice off her feet.

My only complaint was there were times when Heather just looked too doe-eyed and complacent when she should've been afraid and looked more worried. There's one scene where she's been tied to a table and is questioned by her husband, who thinks she's been cheating on him; she doesn't look frightened, she reacts like they're just having a little misunderstanding.

Joseph Fiennes did a better job as Adam, the man you're not too sure about. He was frightening at times, with his possessive nature and quick temper. Natasha was interesting too, though her way made me wonder if she were interested in Alice too. There's a twist ending that you may or may not see coming, I didn't guess until the end but it helped me enjoy it. This would be a good couples movie, I think, perfect for making you look at your partner in a whole new way.