Richardson as Ingrid Thompson-Fleming Rupert Graves as Martyn Fleming Ian Bannen as Edward Lloyd Peter Stormare as Peter Wetzler Gemma Clarke as Sally Fleming Leslie Caron as Elizabeth Prideaux Julian Fellowes as Donald Lyndsay, MP Tony Doyle as the Prime Minister Ray Gravell as Dr Fleming's chauffeur. Susan Engel as Miss Snow David Thewlis as a detective Benjamin Whitrow as a civil servant Reception Critical reception Damage has received a positive critical reception, and holds a rating of on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from critics, with a weighted average of . Gene Siskel considered it one of the year's best films upon its release, commenting that it is "written smart, written with a topicality, so the characters seem credible", and went on to say that "Damage is a real special film". Roger Ebert described it as "one of the most compelling films [he'd] ever seen", and rated the film 4 out of 4 stars. In a positive review for the LA Times, Kenneth Turan had much praise for the film, particularly the performances of Irons, Binoche, and Richardson, commenting "working together with great seriousness of purpose and a considerable amount of skill, this team has turned Damage into high-class entertainment, carefully controlled, beautifully mounted and played with total conviction. Its lurid soul may have more in common with Jackie Collins than Jane Austen, but its passionate nature and convincing performances can’t help but draw you in." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine praised Louie Malle's direction of the film and a "faithful film version" in regards to the original novel by Josephine Hart. Of the cast, Travers was most favourable towards Richardson's performance: "Richardson is extraordinary; it’s a brave, award-caliber performance." Todd McCarthy's review for Variety was somewhat more mixed, stating that "Damage is a cold, brittle film about raging, traumatic emotions. Unjustly famous before its release for its hardly extraordinary erotic content, this veddy British-feeling drama from vet French director Louis Malle proves both compelling and borderline risible, wrenching and yet emotionally pinched, and reps a solid entry for serious art house audiences worldwide. But more mainstream Yank viewers led by publicity to expect a hot or romantic time will be in for a dry two hours." In a mixed review from Matt Mueller for Empire magazine, he was slightly critical of the film, rating it at 3 out of 5 stars, and mentioned that "walking a precarious