Jade backdrop
Jade logo
1995·Mystery·1h 35m
6.9
When a prominent art dealer is found murdered, the man's death leads to an intriguing investigation steeped in sex, corruption and crime. District Attorney David Corelli gets assigned to the case and discovers that a key suspect is his ex-lover Katrina Gavin, a beautiful psychologist who has settled down with his old friend and peer. As Corelli gets deeper into the case, he uncovers dark secrets with far-reaching implications.
Directed by William Friedkin
adultery
call girl
san francisco, california
sexuality
blackmail
eroticism
investigation
seduction
murder
serial killer
prostitution
erotic thriller

Cast

David Caruso
David Caruso
David Corelli
Linda Fiorentino
Linda Fiorentino
Trina Gavin
Chazz Palminteri
Chazz Palminteri
Matt Gavin
Richard Crenna
Richard Crenna
Governor Edwards
Michael Biehn
Michael Biehn
Bob Hargrove
Donna Murphy
Donna Murphy
Karen Heller
Holt McCallany
Holt McCallany
Bill Barrett
David Hunt
David Hunt
Pat Callendar
Angie Everhart
Angie Everhart
Patrice Jacinto
Kevin Tighe
Kevin Tighe
D.A. Arnold Clifford
Robin Thomas
Robin Thomas
Mr. Green
Drew Snyder
Drew Snyder
Executive

Crew

William Friedkin
William Friedkin
Director
Joe Eszterhas
Joe Eszterhas
Writer
James Horner
James Horner
Original Music Composer
Andrzej Bartkowiak
Andrzej Bartkowiak
Director of Photography
Robert Evans
Robert Evans
Producer
Gary Rydstrom
Gary Rydstrom
Sound Designer
Anna Behlmer
Anna Behlmer
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Buddy Joe Hooker
Buddy Joe Hooker
Stunt Coordinator
Chris Walas
Chris Walas
Makeup Effects Designer
Newt Arnold
Newt Arnold
First Assistant Director
Ronnie Yeskel
Ronnie Yeskel
Casting
Andy Nelson
Andy Nelson
Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Popular Reviews

57 reviews
Drex
Drex
Jade
The concept was great the execution was horrible, but why have a film resolve around sex but have the worst sex scenes known to man and this movie has the most irritating car chase known to end and the ending low key sucks, like I thought Trina was gonna be the main killer like the film suggest but no it can’t be the woman that can be the killer and after 80%the film is done we get an actual sex scene that was horrible and not even believable, this had a good potential but executed so poorly it’s a shame
The concept was great the execution was horrible, but why have a film resolve around sex but have the worst sex scenes known to man and this movie has the most irritating car chase known to end and the ending low key sucks, like I thought Trina was gonna be the main killer like the film suggest but no it can’t be the woman that can be the killer and after 80%the film is done we get an actual sex scene that was horrible and not even believable, this had a good potential but executed so poorly it’s a shame
Favorite
Comment
pat
pat
Jade
This was good af u gotta be a tasteless moron to hate this
This was good af u gotta be a tasteless moron to hate this
Favorite
Comment
karysya
karysya
Jade
that basic instinct vibe hits u from miles away
that basic instinct vibe hits u from miles away
Favorite
Comment
Jagdish
Jagdish
Jade
William Friedkin dives headfirst into his sleaziest instincts with JADE, conjuring a delirious mix of De Palma-style voyeurism and Verhoeven-esque erotic excess. A sweaty, high-gloss 90s giallo masquerading as a police procedural, drenched in fog, fetishism, and Far East fetish décor. It’s pulpy, excessive, ludicrous—and I loved nearly every second of it.

You’ve got a dead millionaire with a pubic hair collection that would make even the CSI team gag. David Caruso remains hilariously deadpan, somehow managing to get into two separate car accidents during a single investigation—both scenes staged with that unmistakable Friedkin intensity, as if car crashes are emotional punctuation.

The recurring visual obsession with Chinatown and the vaguely Asian-themed “JADE” premise—complete with museum-quality Chinese artifacts littered through foggy mansions—feels like aesthetic window-dressing with no real narrative foundation. Not a single major Asian character in sight, nor any cultural connection that justifies it. It’s a strange, ornamental choice, like someone shouting “exotic!” without knowing what they’re pointing at. It’s edgy, sure, but in that specifically 90s way where “edgy” often just meant confusingly Orientalist.

On the other hand, Linda Fiorentino in JADE is divine. As Katrina, she’s a few shades cooler and less overtly dangerous than her iconic femme fatale in THE LAST SEDUCTION, but no less hypnotic. There’s a quiet power to her performance here—a woman both hunted and hunting, whose every look suggests layers of withheld secrets. Her chemistry with Caruso is electric, and she handles overwrought dialogue like a pro, spinning silk from sleaze. The sex scenes and explicit photos throughout the film make anyone’s knees wobble. 

MATT GAVIN: Trina, the next time we make love, you introduce me to Jade.

And then there’s that final scene—underplayed, tense, simmering with ambiguity. Friedkin resists the urge to over-explain, letting the final moments linger with a deliciously dark implication. It’s the kind of ending that makes you want to go back and rewatch the whole thing, just to pick apart who knew what, and when.

JADE is a beautiful, compulsively watchable mess. A high-camp, high-stakes erotic thriller with noirish flair, turbo-charged car chases, and David Caruso delivering the immortal line: “Cristal, Baluga, Wolfgang Puck... it's a fuckhouse..”

 Cinema!
William Friedkin dives headfirst into his sleaziest instincts with JADE, conjuring a delirious mix of De Palma-style voyeurism and Verhoeven-esque erotic excess. A sweaty, high-gloss 90s giallo masquerading as a police procedural, drenched in fog, fetishism, and Far East fetish décor. It’s pulpy, excessive, ludicrous—and I loved nearly every second of it.

You’ve got a dead millionaire with a pubic hair collection that would make even the CSI team gag. David Caruso remains hilariously deadpan, somehow managing to get into two separate car accidents during a single investigation—both scenes staged with that unmistakable Friedkin intensity, as if car crashes are emotional punctuation.

The recurring visual obsession with Chinatown and the vaguely Asian-themed “JADE” premise—complete with museum-quality Chinese artifacts littered through foggy mansions—feels like aesthetic window-dressing with no real narrative foundation. Not a single major Asian character in sight, nor any cultural connection that justifies it. It’s a strange, ornamental choice, like someone shouting “exotic!” without knowing what they’re pointing at. It’s edgy, sure, but in that specifically 90s way where “edgy” often just meant confusingly Orientalist.

On the other hand, Linda Fiorentino in JADE is divine. As Katrina, she’s a few shades cooler and less overtly dangerous than her iconic femme fatale in THE LAST SEDUCTION, but no less hypnotic. There’s a quiet power to her performance here—a woman both hunted and hunting, whose every look suggests layers of withheld secrets. Her chemistry with Caruso is electric, and she handles overwrought dialogue like a pro, spinning silk from sleaze. The sex scenes and explicit photos throughout the film make anyone’s knees wobble. 

MATT GAVIN: Trina, the next time we make love, you introduce me to Jade.

And then there’s that final scene—underplayed, tense, simmering with ambiguity. Friedkin resists the urge to over-explain, letting the final moments linger with a deliciously dark implication. It’s the kind of ending that makes you want to go back and rewatch the whole thing, just to pick apart who knew what, and when.

JADE is a beautiful, compulsively watchable mess. A high-camp, high-stakes erotic thriller with noirish flair, turbo-charged car chases, and David Caruso delivering the immortal line: “Cristal, Baluga, Wolfgang Puck... it's a fuckhouse..”

 Cinema!
Favorite
Comment
Adrian
Adrian
Jade
A pretty solid, pulpy thriller with a hell of a chase scene through the streets of San Francisco.
Definitely not Friedkin’s best work by a long shot but it’s still an enjoyable enough romp.
A pretty solid, pulpy thriller with a hell of a chase scene through the streets of San Francisco.
Definitely not Friedkin’s best work by a long shot but it’s still an enjoyable enough romp.
Favorite
Comment