虚荣的篝火 The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)

「What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?」


「Please don't lie. It makes your forehead crinkle.」


「Anyone of us could have done it. A simple phone call, a simple wrong turn, and, suddenly, you're off the track moving relentlessly towards a destiny you could never have imagined.」


「I believe in the truth as an essential companion to a man of conscience. A beacon in this vast and dark wasteland, that is our modern world. And yet... in this case, if the truth won't set you free, then lie.」


「Racist? You dare call me racist? Well I say unto you, what does it matter the color of a man's skin if witnesses perjure themselves. If a prosecutor enlists the perjurers. When a district attorney throws a man to the mob for political gain, and men of the cloth, men of God, take the prime cuts? Is that justice? I'll tell you what justice is. Ju…

女主角的声音嗲的像外星来客，一度让人以为这是部科幻片。二号女主角演的也不错，典型的大难当头各自飞。
威利斯和汉克斯在这片里没得到充分的发挥。反倒是戏份不多的老戏骨弗里曼表现的可圈可点。尤其是解释司法公正那一段。那嗓音，没得说。

不明白为什么会让Tom Hanks和Bruce Willis来演这样一个闹剧。Tom Hanks根本不像一个成功的经纪人。Bruce Willis更不像是记者。两个人的表演乏善可陈，任何演员都能够替代他们说不定演得更好。
情节是说一个有钱的纽约经纪人，一次偶然的意外撞倒了一个黑人小孩。但是因为开车的是他的情妇，因此他力图隐瞒这件事。没想到黑人社区的各个利益集团都想插手这个小事故从中渔利。于是牧师、检察官、报社都在肆意地歪曲事实，经纪人立刻陷入了家破人亡的窘境。最后，他终于想明白了，在纽约这个地方诚实是要不得的。于是他也开始用谎言维护自己的利益。当然最大的受益者是记者，通过暗中牵针引线把这个故事搞得一波三折，最后写了一个畅销小说。
对于中国人来说这是不假思索的事情，但是美国人还是做了一番思想斗争。可见中国人的道德观念！