(Some Spoilers) Mind numbing thriller involving popular tabloid photographer Gage Sullivan, Shanner Doherty, who thinks that she's being stalked by an either secret admirer, from afar, or a murderously bent psycho. The stalker who's about as obvious to the audience, when you see him without his flowing red wig, as the nose on theirs faces is only interested in photographing the tabloid photographer which is something that she does, greatly annoying those whom she photographs, for a living. Which is why whatever surprises there is in the film evaporates as soon as he makes his long awaited, for those still around and awake watching, grand appearance.

Terrified in that she may be attacked or even killed by this chewing gum chewing, he leaves his chewed up chewing gum as a calling card, nut-case Gage hires at the insistence of her secretary Casey Roper, Tamara Gorski, the good looking tall dark & handsome Nick Angel, Joseph Griffin, to protect her. Nick just happens to be an electronic security expert, with just three years experience, who puts in a state of the art security system in Gage's home to keep her, and the local police, informed whenever the chewing gum chewing psycho is trying to break into her residence.

As you would expect Nick soon falls for the cute tabloid photographer and that has him neglect his job of keeping her from getting killed or kidnapped by her stalker. What in fact happens is that Gage's secretary-Casey Roper-is kidnapped by the chewing gum chewing man when she ordered a pizza with everything on it, that's when Gage & Nick were out on the town, on the internet that he, the stalker, intercepted! We actually see at the start of the film that Gage escaped from her stalker while covered with blood, not her own, and were given this hour long flashback to what lead to the situation that she, at the beginning of the film, found herself in.

***SPOILERS**** It's then when you think you've finally got some kind of a handle to what going on in the movie that it really starts to fall apart with enough double-crossing among everyone involved that you can fill, with crosses, a dozen Tic-Tac-Toe game boards! By the time the movie finally and mercifully ends your so punch drunk from from all the double-crossing in it that you couldn't care less to what it was trying to tell you for the previous 90 or so minutes. Which even its screenwriter aren't quite sure of!

Celebrity paparazzo and photographer Gage Sullivan (Shannen Doherty) becomes a victim of what she practices when she finds herself being stalked by a man who likes to take photographs of her and leaves bubble gum as his calling card. In order to try and protect herself Gage employs the services of security consultant Nick Angel (Joseph Griffin) who helps Gage improve security around her home. However, when Gage's assistant Casey is kidnapped by her stalker Gage soon learns that all is not what it seems and a deeper conspiracy slowly begins to unravel...

Striking Poses opens wonderfully and the intrigue and mystery surrounding Gage's stalker provide a good foundation to build the story on. However, after about the first 15 minutes or so I found my interest waning somewhat as the momentum gradually started to become more and more depleted until eventually the wheels more or less completely fell off. Not a great deal happens in the middle section of the film; security consultants visit Gage's house, the stalker takes some pictures, a suggested romance looks as though it maybe developing between Gage and Nick - it was just so boring and it pretty much carries on in this fashion for about 45 minutes.

However, it does sort of spring back into life in the last 30 minutes when Gage starts to learn that all is not quite as it seems and the film then suddenly starts to find another gear. Gage's plans to turn the tables on her stalker have a certain degree of ingenuity and there are also plenty of clever twists and turns that are revealed in the final act. Whilst it never provides edge of your seat thrills at any point it is a reasonable film that is let down by its dull middle section (the film seems to be in idle at this point).

The acting isn't the best either (the worst offender by far is Joseph Griffin who showed no range whatsoever). Also when watching this film it does have a very TVM feel about it - it looks and feels as though it was made on the cheap (which it probably was to be fair).

So overall it's not bad - good start, decent finale but boring middle section. If it's on and you're at a loose end then you could do worse, but I can't help but feel that One Hour Photo explored similar themes to a far greater effect and if you haven't seen that film then I would definitely check it out as it is a much better offering than Striking Poses.

I happened to get the chance here late in 2020 to sit down and watch the 1999 movie "Striking Poses". I will be bluntly honest and say that I wasn't really expecting much of anything grand from the movie, given its synopsis and also because this was a Shannen Doherty movie after all.

But I was put to shame, because "Striking Poses" was actually a surprisingly entertaining movie. And I will say that this 1999 movie from writer Michael Stokes and director Gail Harvey was actually one of the best movies that was starring Shannen Doherty, so she really stepped up to the plate here.

What really impressed me and works out so well in favor of the movie was the storyline, and how very unpredictable and constantly shifting it turned out to be. And just when you thought you had it figured out, the plot threw a curveball and went another direction. That was definitely something I enjoyed about this movie.

Now, I will say that Shannen Doherty actually performed quite well in her role in "Striking Poses". She really managed to delve into the character and portray some real, genuine proper talent here. That was something that surprised me. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying she is lacking talent, it is just that her track record of the movies and TV shows I have seen her in haven't exactly been having that wow effect from her performances. But "Striking Poses" definitely upped her game.

If you enjoy a thriller with a twist (or multiple twists),then you definitely should take the time to sit down and watch "Striking Poses". It turned out be a very enjoyable surprise of an entertaining movie, and I will definitely warmly recommend you spend your time, money and effort on this movie.

My rating of "Striking Poses" settles on a very solid six out of ten stars.