Alice, Claire Danes, is the kind of young woman who likes to take risks. Instead of having a holiday in Hawaii when she graduates from High School she persuades her best friend, Darlene, Kate Beckinsale, the brighter of the two, but also quieter and more sensitive, to come with her to Bangkok - a more exciting destination. Soon the girls meet Australian Nick Parks, Daniel Lapaine, who seduces the shy Darlene rather than the more available Alice - and persuades both girls to meet him in Hong Kong. At the airport they`re arrested - for carrying heroin - and their nightmare begins.
This is another Bangkok Hilton story, a cautionary tale for gullible young people traveling in Asia. For the most part director Jonathan Kaplan and writer David Arata concentrate on the plight of these hopelessly naive small-town girls and the result is a rather grim, but in some ways salutary film. Danes and Beckinsale are both extremely good as the well-contrasted friends. Less believable are Bill Pullman as a mercenary American lawyer based in Thailand, and Lou Diamond Phillips as a US Embassy official who is mysteriously determined not to rock any boats. The film isn`t exactly an entertaining night at the movies, but it`s worth seeing for the strength and conviction of its two leads.
