Graham refused to wear a 'modesty pouch'. Release Killing Me Softly was released on June 21, 2002, in the UK. MGM initially planned a 2002 wide release in the US, but this was cancelled in favor of a direct-to-DVD launch on March 25, 2003. Variety later characterized the film's international release as "a painful failure". On August 13, 2013, Shout! Factory released Killing Me Softly on Blu-ray along with The Hot Spot as part of a double feature. Reception On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 0% based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 3.39/10. The site's consensus is: "Respected director Chen Kaige's first English-language film is a spectacularly misguided erotic thriller, with ludicrous plot twists and cringe-worthy dialogue". In 2009, the site also rated it #12 on the countdown of the worst films over the last 10 years. David Rooney of Variety called it "A turgid erotic thriller that plays like Zalman King-meets-vintage Brian De Palma without the latter's wit or style." Empire magazine called it "the funniest movie of the year so far". References External links Movie stills 2002 films 2002 thriller films 2000s American films 2000s English-language films 2000s erotic thriller films Films about sexuality American erotic romance films American erotic thriller films British erotic thriller films Films based on British novels Films based on mystery novels Films directed by Chen Kaige Films scored by Patrick Doyle Films set in London Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films The Montecito Picture Company films 2000s British films