Meg Ryan is a talented actress. There's no doubt about it. While she easily could have been stuck in "the-girl-next-door" roles for the rest of her life (see Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally or You've Got Mail), she has managed to pull off some outstanding, versatile work in movies like When a Man Loves a Woman and Courage Under Fire. With Jane Campion's In the Cut, she really takes challenges with a performance that is vulnerable, desperate, and sexual. Does it add up to anything? Unfortunately, no.

In this new thriller, Meg Ryan plays a lonely, sexually repressed woman who has a sort of reawakening in the form of a flashy, abrasive cop (played by Mark Ruffalo). Complicating the relationship, is a disturbing case involving the murders and dismemberments of several women. Ruffalo is heading the case, and Ryan is implicated when it is discovered that she may have been the last person to see one of the murder victims alive. As the film progresses, suspicion is shifted from one character to the next, and one of the biggest suspects might be Ruffalo himself. Essentially, In the Cut is a slasher film. What it sets it a part from the likes of other such films is it's tone and it's detailed characters.

Ryan is incredibly absorbing, and she digs deep in a role that requires her to do many things she's never done before (and I'm not just speaking of the numerous scenes that involve nudity). This is a sad, desperate woman with issues (mostly dealing with trust), and Ryan lends a complexity to this role that makes this film deeper than it actually is. Ruffalo is also outstanding as a man who covers up his insecurities with abrasion. He acts on impulse and says many things that none of us would dream of saying. He and Ryan play off each other beautifully, and while they don't really seem to generate real chemistry, it is perfectly understandable because most of their relationship is purely sexual.

Jane Campion has made some terrific movies including The Piano. With In the Cut, she seems a bit out of her element. The first half of this picture is intriguing. It has a unique rhythm and features characters saying things and engaging in situations that seem a little off key. I liked that. I also love the look of the picture, particularly the cinematography. Sadly, something goes horribly wrong in the second half of the movie. The continuity seems off, and the proceedings just seem to get sillier as the film progresses. As Campion continues to shift the blame from character to character, I began to lose interest. Finally, when the identity of the killer is revealed, itÕs an absolute slap in the face. I suppose Campion is hoping that audiences will have invested so much into Ryan and Ruffalo, that the mystery of the plot will just be secondary--that it wonÕt really matter. Unfortunately, the entire murder mystery becomes a distraction, and when we find out who the killer is, we're asking ourselves where the hell is his or her motivation. It all makes for a really stupid climax.

I haven't even commented on a ridiculous flashback involving a horrible ice skating accident. Campion is going for a surreal, dreamlike moment, but it backfires and actually evoked laughter during the screening I attended.

What started off interesting, ends in a disaster, but In the Cut isn't total garbage thanks to outstanding, intimate and fearless performances by Ryan and Ruffalo. These actors add weight to a movie that really doesn't measure up to their talent.