David Caruso's Jade Might Be Too Steamy For Any Streaming Service
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
It's safe to say that the '90s were a renaissance for feature films. Not only did fans get one iconic action film, comedy, and drama after another, but the era also began the careers of some of the biggest movie stars ever. One popular trend that lived and died during the '90s was the erotic-thriller genre. Thanks to the success of "Basic Instinct" (and it's low camera-angle shot of Sharon Stone), we saw films such as "Sliver" and "Body of Evidence" jump on the NSFW bandwagon. And although there were some fairly decent attempts, some films sacrificed key elements, such as story and character development in exchange for aiming to be steamier than the rest. A perfect example of this is the 1995 movie "Jade."
Right around the time erotic thrillers were hitting their stride in theaters, David Caruso was looking to find his way up on those same screens. The actor earned an Emmy nomination for his role on the police drama, "NYPD Blue," yet shocked fans when he quit the show to pursue his movie career. One of the two films he starred in during this career shift was "Jade." The movie follows Assistant District Attorney David Corelli (Caruso) who investigates the murder of a wealthy businessman, with a high-end prostitute as the lead suspect. Containing all the right '90s-erotic-thriller pieces, such as stars and plenty of skin (so much so that some scenes were cut out and added to a VHS Unrated Version), "Jade" seems destined for success. However, the results were the exact opposite.
Jade sacrifices story for skin
Back when "Jade" was released in theaters, there was no reason to believe it would find as little success as it did. It seemed to align with the hit erotic thrillers that were being peppered across big screens throughout the first half of the decade. However, the stars surely did not align for director William Friedkin and writer Joe Eszterhas. Whether it was due to the fact that the lead, David Caruso, was not yet a proven movie star, or the fact that the plot of the film practically mirrored that of "Basic Instinct," the movie tanked at the box office. Looking back, the problem may have also been that it's erotic scenes were almost too gratuitous.
Is it possible for an erotic thriller to be too steamy? Well, if the proper ingredients to make a good film is pushed aside to make room extra-hot moments, that may be the case. Critics across the board bashed Caruso's film, being called one of the worst films of 1995 by Gene Siskel (via Ogopogo). Currently, the movie holds a 13% score from reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes. After an estimated $50 million budget (via The Numbers), the film grossed under $10 million worldwide. And if you want to see the movie today, it seems as if streaming services aren't lining up to provide "Jade" for subscribers. Whether it's because it's too steamy or just plain bad, besides Pluto TV, viewers will have to rent or buy the film from the multiple platforms it's available on.