Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by tinear (A) on December 26, 2003 at 15:00:06

Sean Penn proves he needs a strong director to do his best work. Benicio again shows he's the equal (if not superior) of any screen actor today. Naomi has some "chops" but she doesn't prove she's exceptionally skilled, either.
Unlike some critics, I didn't feel the time "jumps" were a gimmick, but that they added to my enjoyment.
That being said, the movie is in need of some editing ---sustaining that level of dread for so long is impossible. In fact, dread is the overwhelming, at some points almost unbearable, characteristic of this film.
One obvious problem: the miscasting of the hulked-up Penn as a mathematics professor. Having a less imposing guy go through the changes and becoming violent would have been more interesting. He did a good job but couldn't overcome his screen persona.
In the end, one is left with some pretty trite conclusions, i.e. the interconnectedness of life and death; Christianity rests on faith, not understanding or logic. The climax also was a bit of a stretch: why did Penn shoot himself---to make a tidy ending?
Still, an entertaining work, just don't expect much more...