The Dangerous Liaisons ensemble is impressively stacked, but you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a two-hander helmed by Glenn Close, who plays the manipulative Marquise de Merteuil, and John Malkovich, who plays the ravenous playboy Vicomte de Valmont. The two are arresting on screen, especially when they’re together concocting plans to desecrate other lovers, but the same cannot be said about their co-stars. Uma Thurman and Keanu Reeves, both painfully green, are hard to take seriously because of their missteps and accents, while Michelle Piefer gives a decent if unmemorable performance. What really makes the film worth the watch, however, is its thorny, unapologetic take on love, sex, power, and gender. The verbal spars are just as thrilling as the racy scenes, even though one in particular (which was cut from theatrical release) might not be so well-received now. The film is a visual treat too, as frilly and indulgent as its pre-revolution Parisian setting.

The inconsistency in accents is hilarious (Malkovich is American, Peter Capaldi is Scottish, and everyone else is Imitation English), but it’s a testament to strong direction that this misstep ultimately doesn’t take away from the film’s impact.