Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Prisoners (A) on June 11, 2013 at 08:15:30

1985 thriller with Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, and several others who would become very accomplished actors. I watched it last night for the first time and was impressed. It has a sort of timeless factor...that is it doesn't scream "this is from the 80s" other than the hair/makeup. Penn is a little full of himself but at this point he was wildly popular and married to Madonna...so it's understandable. The story is very dark and disturbing, even more so when the essential facts are from a true story. Walken is fantastic in this...very convincing. Sean Penn's brother Chris plays...well.. his younger brother, and thier mother plays their grandmother. It seems like nepotism to the Nth degree but both are very good. (Too bad about Chris Penn..he showed real promise)
For me this is one of the best thrillers from the 80s; a decade best remembered for great comedies and the many John Hughes films that still hold up well.