Movie Reviews for Writers: Dirty Work

Sometimes reviewing films is hard work. When you have to weigh the lessons that writers can pick up from the movie and basically divorce that from the movie itself (in some cases), that can make the review even harder. 

That’s kind of the case with this steamy thriller about Arabella Childs, a young woman pulled into a plot by a erotic female novelist, Marylin Blacklock-Charterhouse, who is apparently at the mercy of an abusive husband. Yes, Virginia, that does sound a bit like a lesbian retelling of Body Heat and Double Indemnity. And it is basically a soft-core version of the noir standard. While this flick isn’t a product of the 1990s, it would have been right at home on USA Late Night back in the day. 

Okay, now that all that is out of the way, this is a sort of fun little thriller that is not for all viewers. But if you enjoyed movies like the two mentioned above and DePalma’s Dressed to Kill, well, this isn’t on that level. But, if you like a little cheese and low-budget fun with your murder and seduction, then you might enjoy this one. 

But does it actually have anything to say about being a writer between all the kinky stuff? Actually, yes. And some of it might ring really close to home (pardon the cliché) for some writers who watch it. 

For example, one of the key arguments that leads to the marital discontent is that Marylin hasn’t had a real hit in a year. Not only that, she has been writing her own sexual frustrations with her husband into her work. 

We all tend to include stuff from reality in our fiction, but we tend to be a bit more subtle than sharing our significant other’s inability to, shall we say, keep us satisfied. 

Particularly, indie and mid-list writers face the lack of income issues that can come up with spouses/significant others who feel they are supporting the writing partners dream without any return. And trust me, that can become an issue. So, like I said, that hits close to home. 

However, the one key moment in Dirty Work that I want to zero in on is this one. While doing an interview to promote her upcoming book, Marylin is told by the interviewer how much he feels like he knows her based on her work that she has read. She is quick to correct him. 

“You know the me from the fantasies I used to have, not the the ones I have now.” 

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