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Directed by: John Maybury Starring: Adrian Brody, Keira Knightley, Jennifer Jason Leigh I was pleasantly surprised with The Jacket, saw this Friday night, and I have to say I have multiple feelings about this movie, mostly good. Let me break my feelings down by category, as this seems to be the only way I can sort out my thoughts on the film. Story: Not original, not breathtaking, not outstanding, its just "there". To me it seems John Maybury was a little miffed at The Butterfly Effect and said "I can do that, but better" threw in a little 12 Monkeys, and Jacob's Ladder and stirred. The story is about a man named John Starks, a soldier during the Gulf War, who tries to be nice to an Iraqi kid on the battlefield and is rewarded by the kid with a bullet to the head. From their you hear Starks say, he had already died once (that day), you then quickly get wisked to some doctors saying Starks is boderline dellusional, with heavy amounts of amnesia, and possibly has Gulf War Syndrome. From there you see Starks in Vermont walking around in the snow he befriends a young girl who's alcoholic mom is vomiting on the side of their broken car. Starks helps them and is thanked by an angry mom, he then hitchhikes with some goober who apparently, shoots a cop in the head... Enter the thick of the story, John Starks is sentenced to a mental insititution for the criminally insane, who is JOhn Starks? Did he kill a cop one Vermont afternoon? The second question vaporizes around the middle half of the movie, and it focuses on "Who is John Starks, and what does he do?". The ending is bittersweet, compared to the movies I have been watching lately I would call the overall story "simple yet effective". Don't expect Memento-esque complexity, it's not really there. This isn't really a thriller, or a horror as it's being Rock And Roll promoted on MTV, this is more like a Sci-Fi/Mystery/Drama, or as I think of it "a short journey of self-discovery". Characters/Acting: Here is where the story shines, I think it's thanks to great acting on Brody's part as well as Knightley (yes I was shocked) and the rest of the supporting cast, that takes this simple story and elevates it to a higher stature. I was real impressed with Brody especially the last act of the film, Brody evolves the character from a simple quiet humble-seeming kind of person, to a dynamic frightened, angry, and romantic man at the end. Keira didn't suck. Leigh didn't either, although she didn't suck in The Machinist either I thought. Sound: I thought the sounds in this movie were pretty well done, good effects and use of surround sound, of course the theatre I was in, seemed like the projectionist was playing with the audio levels, as midway through the movie the sound volume just DROPPED, but based on the first half pretty good stuff. Cinematography/Directing: Another element that helps The Jacket rise about other similar movies, unlike ButterFly Effect which featured at times, corny emo acting with a shot of Ashton Kutcher with diarreah to denote time travel, I thought the images in The Jacket were a little more effective, and most of the scenes shot well... keep in mind this is not a horror movie, so if your going to see lots of guts sprayed around you are in for a dissappointment, however there are suspense elements throughout and I thought the gradual change in pacing and direction denoted that well, and the story flowed from "omg war trauma" to "romance" to "trippy time travel stuff" quite nicely. Overall, I enjoyed this movie quite a bit, although not as engaging and deep as Eternal Sunshine, or even 12 Monkeys, it still earns a spot in my DVD library (whenever it's released to DVD). RATING: 4.0 PROS: Good acting and direction, Adrian Brody showing his wide range nicely. CONS: Too short, what genre is this? Common elements from other movies (Butterfly Effect, 12 Monkeys) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366627/
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Mar 9, 2005 19:11
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| # ? Apr 20, 2024 04:59 |
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This was a movie that constantly had me on the edge of a Joel Hodgson freak out, specifically a line he unleashed during "Manos: The Hands of Fate": DO SOMETHING! The Jacket is numbingly slow. Brody's performance is fine, the best thing about the film, but we are given little reason to invest emotionally in him, he's almost a blank slate; yeah, you've had some lovely things happen to you, but that's not enough to make me care. The relationship with Keira Knightly isn't remotely believable, and is hindered by a shockingly over the top performance by her. Everyone in our group likes her as an actress, everyone in our group couldn't believe how bad she was. The camera work is at first laughable, then tedious, and finally infuriating. You can almost hear the director thinking, "I went to film school and dammit, I'm going to use it..." He constantly shoots from obtuse angles, and has a fondness for doing extreme closeups of body parts during conversations, mostly the lips and eyes. If there's a point to it, I'd like to hear it, because it came across only as pretentious, "oddness for the sake of oddness" to me. Why do you hate me movie? 2/5, based mostly on Brody's performance. Mr. Funny Pants fucked around with this message at 21:59 on Mar 9, 2005 |
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Mar 9, 2005 21:17
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I enjoyed it. I didn't expect a whole lot, and went into it with bad reviews on my mind. In fact The Jacket wasn't our first choice for the evening, and was picked by virtue of the other movies being sold out. However I walked away feeling satisfied. I don't think this is a great movie; but it is a good movie. It tells a story with craft and accuracy; straying from the typical psychological thriller "make as big a tiwst as you can" mantra. The story itself can be seen as a little basic. It won't leave you guessing; but then again why should it? It's nice to see a movie that stays on the level with the audience, not building up their expectations and then throwing an outta-left-field curve ball at them. The story isn't anything particuarly new or amazing (Jacob's Ladder, the Butterfly Effect, and 12 Monkies are apt comparisons), but it sets up a vehicle for some interesting characters. The characters are a strong aspect of the story. There's no extensive back story for our protagonist, Jack; but we understand what's happened to him thus far in his life. Plus, Jack doesn't know himself -- why should the audience? The movie works towards making Jack an uncertain character, trying to act as best he can in increasingly horrible circumstances. Jackie (Knightly's character) is fairly written. I think that there's a little bit of awkwardness and suddeness in the relationship between her and Jack; but it works within the plot of the movie. I think that this relationship is maybe where the movie suffers the most. Closer writing could have prevented this. The other characters are all well written; the supporting cast provides ample room for the two main players to work. The acting was fairly well done. I especially enjoyed Brody. His facial expressions, and his way of talking came across as natural; and he really developed Jack's character well. Knightly was a little flatter. I would have liked to know Jackie's character a bit beyond her somewhat flat portrayal as a girl with a neglective mother. This seemed to me to be the fault of Knightly. She acts well enough to make the plot convincing, but she doesn't reach much beyond it. The cinematography was an element I enjoyed. The constant cuts, and the unusual camera angles make you feel genuinely uneasy. Everything is tight, and paranoid; fitting Jack's mood throughout the story. Since you're essentially watching the movie through Jack's eyes, the camera work makes sense. Some of it seems a bit forced, but overall I enjoyed it. Plus the scenes with the Jacket brought back memories of Kill Bill 2. Very claustrophobic, very tense. Like I opened with: this is a good movie, not a great movie. I was constantly entertained, constantly brought along, but I never forgot that I was watching a movie. Nothing drew me in, but rather drew me along with the plot. I think that the script could have used some work, and that the chemistry between Brody and Knightly could have been stronger. I would reccomend this movie. Score: 4.0 out of 5.5
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Mar 13, 2005 01:14
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