Fifty Shades of Grey had nothing, we repeat nothing, on Secretary in which two flawed people engage in a beautifully obsessive sado-masochistic relationship.

Thank you, Daddy. Let’s face it, nobody really does creepy-sexy like James Spader (think Sex, Lies, and Videotape and Crash) and he certainly hits the mark in Steven Shainberg’s quintessential S&M film, Secretary. As the demanding lawyer Mr. Grey, Spader meets his match after hiring a young woman (Maggie Gyllenhaal) as his new legal assistant. Newly out of the mental hospital with a host of conditions ranging from cutting to shyness, Ms. Lee Holloway not only learns to open up but also to express herself in the bizarre sexual play with her boss. Make no mistake, although this movie has its comedic moments, Secretary is 100% sincere in its accpeting portrayal of an unconventional love affair.

Angelo Badalamenti’s instrumental score to Secretary retains the moodiness he’s known for that is particularly effective in connoting Lee Holloway’s personal evolvement.

Part of Nitehawks series THE WORKS – ANGELO BADALMENTI.