Stephen Schiff

“....Fonda, meanwhile, simply dazzles. She is one of those actresses whose very instincts attract you, who know how to register afterthoughts and how to convey those moments when people find themselves stranded between social roles, wondering who they will be next. During her long perilous train ride to Berlin, she shows you what terror feels like -- her shoulders hunch, her lips purse, she communicates every anxiety inexperienced people feel when in danger, and the result is the kind of Hitchcockian suspense that comes from immersing oneself in another's fear. At home with Hammett, Fonda concocts a splendid version of Hellman the writer, from the fashionably shabby sweater to the jittery energy that seems to pull all her bones tight. Watching her act is a little like reading Hellman: though you see conclusions being drawn without always knowing exactly what they are, you're moved by her struggle to make moral choices...."

Stephen Schiff
Boston Phoenix, get date