"Sex, lies and videotape" is searingly well acted drama, beautifully paced and inventively directed and compellingingly written. It is much to director Steven Soderbergh's credit that everything is beautifully orchestrated; it could have been trash - it's far from trash, with every scene carrying power and compelling material. Mr. Soderbergh, in his directorial debut, established something new and original with long, panned takes and a main reliance on dialogue that levels out the amount of suggestive content, of which there is little to none. It's mostly the dialogue that gives the film its title.

The plot intricately follows a woman's (Andie McDowell) husband (Peter Gallagher), who's dying for affection, having an affair with the woman's sister (Laura San Giacomo). Everything intricately falls apart with the arrival of a visitor (James Spader) with a bizarre obsession into the picture.

The film has a similar plot to "A Streetcar Named Desire", and is just as good as "Desire". The movie is bold, new and attention getting - it is also some of the best filmmaking of 1989, thanks to the great Steven Soderbergh.

Sex, lies and videotape (1989)

4 STARS (OUT OF 4)

Written and directed by Steven Soderbergh

Starring James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher, Laura San Giacomo

Rated R

100 minutes.