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

Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Role: Erin
Director: Bob Rafelson
Additional 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)

• Overview
• Memorable Erin Quotations
• No Good Deed Movie Trivia
• Critical Reception
• No Good Deed Online

Warning: Milla Fan movie overviews may contain spoilers. If you would like to remain 100% unspoiled as to the outcome of the film, we suggest you skip the overview.

Police detective Jack Friar (Samuel L. Jackson) is in for a life-changing experience when he on his search after a runaway teen ends up on Turk Street and chances upon a mixed group of criminals planning a bank robbery. When Jack is found to be a cop, he is held hostage by the group and its menacing but all the more intelligent leader Tyrone (Stellan Skarsgård). However, Tyrone makes his first mistake when he assigns his girfriend Erin (Milla Jovovich) to watch over Jack as the rest of the gang finish the job, as during their time alone, Erin and Jack find themselves strangely attracted to one another. But with neither being able to read the other, the hostage situation is soon 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 the violent nature of her relationship with Tyrone and her seemingly open flirtation and friendliness towards Jack, not even Jack knows what game Erin is playing and with whom, as she seems to alter her behavior with each new situation.

More photos at our No Good Deed gallery!

“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 pointless, with the cast lacking in real chemistry. On the other hand, it should be noted that with the film never having gotten any real promotion, there are only a handful of reviews available, and this may not reflect the true quality of the film.

• Rating > Internet Movie Database: 5.6/10 (3,000 user votes counted)
• Rating > Rotten Tomatoes: 20% positive reviews, “Rotten” (professional)

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. While the film does lack a certain perspective, I personally found some of the acting performances in the film truly fascinating. Some critics have trashed the film as being a “sleeping pill”, but I don’t think No Good Deed was ever meant to be a fast-paced action movie, but rather a psychological thriller of sorts, a study of a handful of extraordinary individuals in an ordinary world; who they are, and what they’re capable of. And I for one quite enjoyed what I saw.

Following quite a few colorful performances in equally colorful films (Zoolander, anyone?), Milla Jovovich’s sophisticated turn as Erin came as a most welcome surprise. Although Milla’s often cited as the reigning Sci-Fi/action goddess or something along those lines, I’ve personally found that her strength lies not in the action genre, but in drama, particularly those films in which the story is not told but rather observed, and I’d love to see similar work from her in the future as well! What a grossly underrated performance in an unwarrantedly ignored movie.

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