He was more than a cop. She was more than a thief.

• Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
• Role: Erin
• Director: Bob Rafelson
• Selected Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Stellan Skarsgård, Doug Hutchison, Joss Ackland, Grace Zabriskie, Jonathan Higgins, Sharon Lawson
• Production Company: Seven Arts Pictures
• U.S. Release Date: September 12 2003 (limited)

Police detective Jack Friar (Samuel L. Jackson) is in for a life-changing experience when he upon searching for a runaway teen as a favor for a friend on Turk Street, chances upon a mixed group of criminals who are planning a bank robbery. As Jack is discovered he is held hostage by the group and its violent, but smart leader Tyrone (Stellan Skarsgård), who assigns his girfriend Erin (Milla Jovovich) to watch over him as the rest of the gang finish the job. During their time alone, however, Erin and Jack find themselves strangely attracted to one another, and with one not being able to discover the truth about the other the hostage situation is transformed into a dangerous game of powerful minds.

Milla Jovovich portrays Erin, the dangerously seductive, intelligent and manipulative love interest of Tyrone, who is capable of manipulating anyone in her acquaintance to bid her will. Despite her violent relationship with Tyrone and her seemingly open flirtation and friendliness towards Jack, not even Jack knows what is really going through her head as Erin seems to be able to mimic any state of mind, until she meets her intellectual match in the quick-minded Jack.

“I can’t let you escape, because then I would have to escape, and nobody escapes Tyrone.”

“Is it? This is how Tyrone says you shouldn’t have escaped.” [removes a shoe to reveal a missing toe] “It’s alright, I get 10% off my pedicures now.”

“The best way to chase something, Hoop, is to let it chase you.”

“With this rose I thee wed.”

["Is it out of wilfulness or out of stupidity you let this man see you?"] “I’m sorry, Tyrone.” [turns Jack's chair to face Tyrone] “But I think he seems to have seen you too!”

“Tyrone won’t let Hoop kill you. Tyrone is against killing.”

“Your apartment struck me as lonely. Don’t cops dream?”

“My peers became prostitutes, musically or otherwise. I met a man in a bar.”

“He said he saw my potential, I flattered myself he meant my music.” [whistles]

["I'm just a cop who's looking for a lost kid."] “Well, you found one.” ["You are not lost."] “It would take a search party to find me.”

“I know what I want for saving your life.”

“They say playing the cello is like dancing. Show me.”

“I believe in the concept of a man and a woman, and a man owing her one. I mean, you did say that, didn’t you? That you owe me one.”

["Just how would he find you?"] “Not by looking. He knows where I’d go. He can hear what I think.”

“Open your mind, Jack. You’re more than a cop, I’m more than a thief. You’d know that if you were paying attention.”

“Bastard!”

“No, I didn’t get the password because, you see, I was too busy - fucking him!”

“When we danced the cello, you could’ve killed me. What you saw in me then, see it now. Help me, Jack.”

• During the bank robbery, Tyrone uses the alias Mr. Abernathy. Abernathy is the surname of Alice in the Resident Evil films.

Upon its September 2003 release, No Good Deed, received a largely mixed and negative response, with many criticizing the film for simply being too uninteresting and meaningless, with the cast lacking in real chemistry. On the other hand, it should be noted that with never having gotten any real promotion, there are only a handful of reviews available, which may not reflect the true quality of the film.

Extracts from professional reviews:

“The movie doesn’t rank with Rafelson’s best work, which also includes the crime melodrama Blood and Wine (1996), with Jack Nicholson and Jennifer Lopez. But it’s an absorbing, atmospheric noir with nice little touches, including Skarsgard’s speech patterns, the jolly greed of the Quarres, and the way that the cop and the blond relate to each other on three levels: as prisoner and captor, as man and woman, and as musicians.” - Roger Ebert, Sun Times

“You get the distinct feeling watching No Good Deed that at one point everyone involved stopped caring. The acting is no different. Jackson acts as if on a permanent glum trip, bringing no energy to his role, and his acting decision cancels out Jovovich’s attempts to be the next Linda Fiorentino. It takes two to seduce. Hutchison and Skarsgård both go the loosely-hinged psychotic route, so their performances have no impact.” - Pete Croatto, Film Critic

“There was probably some sense of daring — or at least departing from type — in casting the normally active Jackson in a role requiring him to spend the bulk of a movie tied to a chair. Whatever the case, it doesn’t make for very compelling viewing. A lot of work had to have gone into populating a film with the likes of Jackson, Milla Jovovich, Stellan Skarsgard, Joss Ackland (sporting an unconvincing American accent) and Grace Zabriskie, and still coming up with cinematic Sominex. In any case, Deed manages that feat something swell. There’s no chemistry between any of the actors, and the movie’s every attempt at generating suspense or concern over the characters falls flat.” - Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress

Personal Thoughts

It’s a shame this intriguing psychological thriller went as unnoticed as it did. Although it is a fair argument to say that No Good Deed, as a drama film, lacks perspective, it is nevertheless ridden with excellent acting performances by Milla Jovovich, Samuel L. Jackson and Stellan Skarsgård, and despite its lack of focus, the psychological aspect to the film will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last minutes as you try to predict the final fates of each respective character.

Following a number of quite colorful performances in films such as The Fifth Element, Zoolander and Resident Evil, Milla’s sophisticated turn as the intelligent and calculative Erin is a pleasant surprise, showcasing her versatility as an actress. Her portrayal of the manipulative Erin is the highlight of the film; the audience is in each scene left guessing at the ulterior motives behind Erin’s actions and words, and Milla portrays her emotional complexities with brilliance. Her and Samuel L. Jackson’s onscreen chemistry is a pleasure to watch, as their respective characters compete in a psychological race to outsmart one another.

Below are some No Good Deed related links that may be of interest to you.

• No Good Deed official site
• No Good Deed TFL-approved fanlisting
• No Good Deed TFL-approved Erin character fanlisting
• No Good Deed at IMDb.com
• No Good Deed at RottenTomatoes.com
• No Good Deed at Wikipedia.org

• Bob Rafelson at IMDb.com
• Bob Rafelson at Wikipedia.org

• Samuel L. Jackson at Samuel L. Jackson.com
• Stellan Skarsgård at Stellan Skarsgård Online