An Occasional Hell was a watchable film that never really went anywhere.I thought Tom Berenger was going to be the killer, teaching a class on the subject, victim's wife asking Berenger to solve it having seen his name on a document in the victim's possessions, her thinking he is the killer. It was a given that they were going to get sexual, but as for the killer just being the guys on the land shooting them, that was completely bland but also surprising to me that this is all the writers had come up with. They were really digging a hole for the body out the front of the house, really. My prediction would of made for a hell of a lot better film. The acting was fine, just nothing much to work with. Kari Wuhrer doesn't really get to play a character here, she is briefly in the start then only in Berenger's imagination. The fact that it is his imagination, you would think her appearances wouldn't be so dull. Why the hell is he imagining her up a tree? It is also odd since he had never met her in the first place.

BUT - I wanted to thank John Gartner of Portland for his hilarious (and sometimes educational) comments! I'm not sure which Berenger film I saw first, but he has warmed the cockles of my heart (to be genteel) from the first. In this flick, the shot where he reveals to his lover the dirty little secret underneath his shirt was worth the whole movie! - See, we gals can salivate over just a hint of the rest of what's there - or maybe it's just me, I'm an easy mark for a certain type of... ahem... torso, shall I say? But I'll never understand why guys are even attracted to that Daisy Mae-type critter - so obvious, so over-the-top; and here, she was really, really annoying, and just wouldn't go away! I, for one liked Berenger's deceptively easy-going southern man characterization. It doesn't have to be revolutionary if it works. As for his crying scene, I didn't think it was bad at all, as it was sudden and unexpected. To me, it was his lover's reaction that came across as forced and unconvincing.What I like about this actor is that he often plays roles as what I consider a real man - he's a man's man, yet fully capable (sooner or later, often gradually) of connecting with a woman in a palpably tender way. If you think about it, there aren't many actors who can achieve this. They're either too intense at being tough to switch gears believably, or they're too obsessed with being proper at all times...sorta like a lot of actual people...So, I guess I'll not heartily defend the script or the plot, etc., but I will vouch for Tom Berenger. In my book, he reliably adds quality to any film.

From the first frame, this film glues you to the screen, with a gripping plot that is full of potential. As we learn more about the victim's wife and the university professor she employs in the role of reluctant detective, we are determined to delve further into the minds of this mysterious woman and the laconic southern gentleman, who is forced to confront his own past demons.Regrettably, this strong foundation is undermined by the failure of the film to shine any light on the personalities of the victim or his abducted companion - elements that are essential to understanding the fate which overtakes them. And sadly the denouement is glaringly obvious - a limp ending to what should have been a superb thriller.

I've seen Valeria Golino in comedies, but till now not in such a film. In this film she shows what an allround actress can. I was deeply impressed by both of the players, Tom and Valeria. It's a pity that I didn't see the full length of the film, but it held me in my chair from the beginning to the end. My advice: See the movie.