Tenderness (2007)

36% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
21% of users liked it
(1,578 ratings)

Adapted from the novel by Robert Cormier, this psychological crime drama tells the tense story of an obsessed police lieutenant who's on the hunt for a dangerous young killer. The first thing most people notice about handsome high school student Eric Komenko (Jon Foster) is his easy charm. But that… More Adapted from the novel by Robert Cormier, this psychological crime drama tells the tense story of an obsessed police lieutenant who's on the hunt for a dangerous young killer. The first thing most people notice about handsome high school student Eric Komenko (Jon Foster) is his easy charm. But that charm doesn't run deep, because a closer look reveals a cold-blooded killer. When Eric's devoutly religious mother discovers that her son has been sleeping around, the teen responds to her maternal scolding by viciously slaughtering both she and his father. The man assigned to Eric's case, Lt. Cristofuoro (Russell Crowe), believes that the young psychopath will kill again if given the opportunity. Lt. Cristofuoro knows that Eric has had a rough life, but he's determined to catch him before his murderous impulses once again take over. As Eric hits the road to Syracuse in search of a girl he met in juvenile detention, he is surprised to find Lori Cranston hiding in his truck. A tragic victim of sexual abuse, Lori knows what Eric is capable of, yet remains steadfast in her devotion to him. The crueler Eric is to Lori, the more she desires him. Later, as Lt. Cristofuoro closes in on the pair, Lori embraces her fate as Eric's next victim, and gives herself to him without struggle. But Eric is more interested in the girl from juvenile detention than he is with Lori. Little does the young killer realize that he's walking straight into a carefully set trap. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 41 min.
Directed By: John Polson
Written By: Emil Stern
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Nov 5, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Apr 13, 2010
Studio: Lionsgate

Critic Reviews

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
Crowe's lumbering presence is a relief from all the gothic heaviness, but director John Polson's elliptical storytelling style quickly becomes an irritant.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
A movie undone by its formulaic plot conventions, and its need to give its star more screen time than his characters merits.
Kyle Smith, New York Post
Crowe, who spends the movie trudging along ... and waxing lyrical about pain and pleasure, must be hoping no one sees this mawkish blunder. He will probably get his wish.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
An arty psychological thriller that never catches fire as either a serial killer flick or character study.
Don Groves, sbs.com.au
Russell Crowe stumbles through lifeless thriller.
Brian Orndorf, DVDTalk.com
The picture is crowded with captivating tones and contemplation, navigating a tricky tale of murder, perversion, and obsession with a fine edge of suspense and an interesting take on the human condition.
Jim Schembri, The Age (Australia)
Polson maintains an unsettling tension throughout the narrative, building his slow-burn thriller to a climax that deliberately runs counter to the in-your-face genre principles of which he proved such a master with his first two thriller outings.
Jason Di Rosso, MovieTime, ABC Radio National
Since moving to Hollywood, Australian director John Polson has become a very competent filmmaker. I hope he finds better scripts for his future projects.
Colin Fraser, FILMINK (Australia)
It's hard to understand what keeps these characters moving, and without true indie grit or the runaway tension that would otherwise satisfy the multiplex, Tenderness drops somewhere in-between...and that is mostly a disappointing nowhere.
Sandra Hall, Sydney Morning Herald
Cormier himself called Tenderness a tough book written in "a minor key" and perhaps Polson was inspired by the description. But if so, he doesn't come close.
David Stratton, At the Movies (Australia)
It does have a few plot contrivances, but the tension is skilfully built and the cast is uniformly excellent.
Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile
This is a fascinating study, but the adaptation struggles to get the story across with as much punch as it might. On the other hand, John Polson shows a lucid eye for the genre
Louise Keller, Urban Cinefile
The mood that Polson creates is a little like walking into a thick mist and finding yourself lost in the fog. Perhaps we get a little too lost within, but much of the film is engrossing, as are the performances

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bruce B

This is a really good film. About a police detective who is possessed in making sure a young man who killed his parents spends the rest of his life in prison. At the same time when he is released from prison after turning 18, a young teenage girl falls in love with him. Trying to go… More
This is a really good film. About a police detective who is possessed in making sure a young man who killed his parents spends the rest of his life in prison. At the same time when he is released from prison after turning 18, a young teenage girl falls in love with him. Trying to go straight is impossible because of the harassing detective. A surprising but predictable finish, first time I felt sorry for a killer. Excellent Job John Poison. 4 1/2 stars.
familiar s

This 'Tenderness' turned out to be pretty hard on me. I can't understand why Russell Crowe chose to work in it. While his performance was (as well as that of other actors/actresses were) great as usual, the script was a bit too let-downer. I wasn't expecting… More
This 'Tenderness' turned out to be pretty hard on me. I can't understand why Russell Crowe chose to work in it. While his performance was (as well as that of other actors/actresses were) great as usual, the script was a bit too let-downer. I wasn't expecting anything incredible after seeing its rating as 5.6 on IMDb, but this was even lower than what I expected from a movie of that rating. It lacked that intensity that ought to be in this kind of movies.
Nicki M

I actually thought this was quite good, and am surprised by all the bad reviews. Obviously I didn't like the ending very much, but these were all very damaged people, it perhaps wasn't so surprising. I thought Sophie Traub was lovely in this - I really took to her Lori… More
I actually thought this was quite good, and am surprised by all the bad reviews. Obviously I didn't like the ending very much, but these were all very damaged people, it perhaps wasn't so surprising. I thought Sophie Traub was lovely in this - I really took to her Lori straight away, and found her convincing and real. Russell Crowe is the weakest here, but having said that, I liked him here more than I usually do (which is not at all). Good story and I found it not entirely predictable. Contrary to what others have said, I didn't think this film dragged at all. It moves slowly, but that's not always a bad thing in a movie. The slow pace allows you to really get a feel for the lives of these people.
Sol C

Russell Crowe's performance is the best reason to watch this film. The film is so so. I thought some of the actors were miscast, especially Jon Foster. I found Sophie Traub to be more annoying than sympathetic. Crowe steals every scene that he is in. Laura Dern does a good job… More
Russell Crowe's performance is the best reason to watch this film. The film is so so. I thought some of the actors were miscast, especially Jon Foster. I found Sophie Traub to be more annoying than sympathetic. Crowe steals every scene that he is in. Laura Dern does a good job too in a supporting role. The film needed a rewrite. The pacing is way off. Some scenes play too slow. Only check it out for Dern and Crowe.
Christopher H

Certain films, it appears, exist solely to tease viewers into craving the superior films in an actors annals, all while being forced to endure the detrimental ventures of said actor. Tenderness is one of those films. Russell Crowe stars as Lt. Cristofuoro, yet the entire film I could… More
Certain films, it appears, exist solely to tease viewers into craving the superior films in an actors annals, all while being forced to endure the detrimental ventures of said actor. Tenderness is one of those films. Russell Crowe stars as Lt. Cristofuoro, yet the entire film I could not help but reimagine all the better performances Crowe has delivered throughout his career.
Andre T

Directed by John Polson, which stars Jon Foster, Sophie Traub, Russell Crowe, and Laura Dern.[1] The film is based on the novel of the same name by Robert Cormier.Despite the good production, the whole story is a little improbable.Boring movie , a waste of Russel Crowe's talent.
Jim W

After a young killer (Jon Foster) is released from prison, a young runaway (Sophie Traub) obsessed with him stows away in his truck. Foster finds her but lets her tag along on his road trip. While a detective (Russell Crowe) just has a hunch that Foster will kill again and is out to… More
After a young killer (Jon Foster) is released from prison, a young runaway (Sophie Traub) obsessed with him stows away in his truck. Foster finds her but lets her tag along on his road trip. While a detective (Russell Crowe) just has a hunch that Foster will kill again and is out to stop that from happening. Crowe is trapped in an after school special quality film. Laura Dern (Jurassic Park) is the only person in the movie that should be on the same screen with him. The movie just bland and hardly even gets off the ground. Crowe is hardly shown. Jon Foster is dull and he's the main star. Traub is a little better but the movie is only alive when Crowe is on screen. The scenes where Crowe is taking care of his paralyzed wife is about the only thing that worked. I was waiting for the movie to pick up and then it was over before I knew it.