This movie won the Razzie award for Worst Motion Picture of 1994. Oddly enough though, it didn't win in any of the other "worst of" categories. This really says something about the film. The fact is, it is just hard to point to any one or even combination of factors of why it is so bad. It's not that any one particular performance is bad or an actor or actress is miscast or that there is particularly cheesy dialogue as is so often the case in a "bad film". It's just that the whole thing comes together to form a whole lot of nothing. It's more what isn't in the film than what is in it that makes it mediocre. Sure, the ending is unexpected, but it would also be unexpected if I found an extra broom when I was cleaning out my closet. That wouldn't make it remarkable, interesting, or even noteworthy. Because I never grew to care about the characters I couldn't be expected to care about the ending. The film is trying to be a psychological thriller with Willis as the protagonist trying to unravel the mystery. What comes out over the duration of the film are just many seemingly disjointed odd events meant to shock but just don't form any kind of cohesive plot. Instead we have what could have been a strong cast of characters in good performances spending the whole film trying to figure out exactly who they are supposed to be. The explicit love scenes between Willis and Jane March are just annoying more than anything as they seem to scream "This is a consolation prize to make up for the fact that you're sitting through such a bad film".

The director's cut, no pun intended, seems to be a much better film than the one that was shown commercially, but it still is a far cry from a satisfactory movie to watch. Richard Rush could have done better, but the psychological film we see, adds nothing to what has already been shown before.

From the beginning we realize who the killer is, as well as the person with the multiple personality problem. It's too obvious! The film relies heavily on the sexual attraction between Bill Capa and Rose. Much has been speculated in this forum about whether we are actually seeing Willis' willis, or not. Since most male stars wouldn't be caught dead showing their genitals, for obvious reasons, what is seen for a second in the pool scene is that of a body double. On the other hand, we see Jane March showing it all, which is a welcome attraction.

Only the final sequence has any impact. There are many things in the plot that don't add up and the viewer is ahead of the story at all times.

Bruce Willis with a hairpiece looks good. Jane March has a better chance with the character she plays. Also Brad Dourif, Lance Henriksen have their moments. The one that doesn't come across well is Ruben Blades, an otherwise excellent actor trying to do a Columbo routine in this film.

COLOR OF NIGHT is a dated, cheesy, film, a '90s misfire that attempted to ride the wave of psycho-sexual thrillers in the wake of FATAL ATTRACTION and BASIC INSTINCT and failed from the outset. The most annoying thing about the production is that the plot hinges on a crucial twist that will be obvious to even the most shortsighted viewer, right from the outset, but we're asked to suspend our disbelief until the very end before said twist is revealed. Nobody in their right mind can do that.

Still, despite the paucity of imagination and the silliness of the script, watching this movie turns out to be quite a lot of fun. It's one of those films you can put into the so-bad-it's-good category of entertainment, in that it's filled with unintentional laughs and funny scenes that showcase some OTT acting from most of the cast. Whether it's Bruce Willis's hairpiece or the overblown pool sex scene (although Paul Verhoeven topped that a year later in SHOWGIRLS),COLOR OF NIGHT is frequently amusing.

Besides, you have to give the film some credit for its cast alone, a seasoned who's who of '90s-era talent. I particularly like the way the casting director fixed up a bunch of well-known genre actors in supporting roles; well done that man! We're treated to non-bad-guy turns from Lance Henriksen and Brad Dourif (how often can you say that?),PREDATOR 2's Ruben Blades as the comic relief/detective, Lesley Ann Warren as a sex addict, a typically kooky Kevin J. O'Connor, and even Mr. QUANTUM LEAP himself, Scott Bakula.

As for the central twosome, well...the best you can say is that this is when Willis was still acting in his roles, rather than riding along on monotonous autopilot as he does these days (in A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD, for instance). Jane March is pretty and alluring, but is she out of her depth in a psychologically complex part? I think so! Director Richard Rush started out making trash movies '60s and his mindset is evident in the cheesy stalk-n-slash sequences and overblown stylistics on offer here. COLOR OF NIGHT might be a trashy attempt at a thriller, but it's a fun one with it.