This one caught my attention for a lot of reasons. Christopher Walken. Willem Dafoe. Asia Argento. Abel Ferrara. Based on a story by William Gibson. New Rose Hotel sounded like it should be extremely my jam. Unfortunately, the slow pace and lack of tension work against it.

Walken and Dafoe play Fox and X, a pair of executive saboteurs plotting the downfall of a rival corporation. Argento is Sandii, a coquettish escort they bring into their scheme with the promise of a million dollar payoff. The plan is for Sandii to seduce the corporation's top engineer and convince him to quit his job. (Seems kinda shaky, but okay.) Apropos of any tale of corporate intrigue, there's a double cross. In the meantime, Dafoe and Argento have a lot of sex.

Abel Ferrara gives everything a slick look and feel. All the leads deliver fine performances. There's an admirable verisimilitude in the exchanges between Walken and Dafoe. I only have one major complaint here, but it's a doozy: the story drags so much, it's nearly impossible to stay engaged. Maybe it should have been a short film instead.

6 out of 10.

Seen on IMDB TV.