(2000)
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(2000) |
A child therapist must use an experimental treatment to enter the mind of a comatose serial killer in order to find the location of his latest kidnapping victim, whose time, thanks to an automatic killing device, is running short.
Subgenres: psychological, art
Director: Tarsem (aka Tarsem Singh)
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Vincent D'Onofrio
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A movie that thinks it's far smarter than it really is. Arty symbolism and imaginings of mental worlds abound in The Cell, but when you actually look at the characters' minds and motives, none of it works. For instance, if there was such conflict in the killer's mind that he could actually manifest himself both as a vicious ruler-monster and a truly innocent little boy, I doubt he'd be able to perform the kind of intricate murders he commit. This kind of killer's crimes would be crimes of passion and guilt, not cold calculation. Some of the mental worlds look great, but they, too fall apart under scrutiny. Sure, the more ornate sets that are fascinating, and there's also enough grimy imagery to go around (even if the dirtier sets do look a lot like a Nine Inch Nails video or, more appropriately, like director Tarsem's impressive "Losing My Religion" video for R.E.M.). However, the killer's mental landscape just makes too much sense. This guy is supposed to be a dangerous homicidal psychopath, torn by his conscience and history. The problem is that there's far too much logic to the proceedings for them to be true to this guy's nature. There's no way Jennifer Lopez's character could ever get anything from this guy--it'd take her months or years to get through the clutter in his head to find something worthwhile. Finally, I find the finale of the battles inside the killer's mind to be both a sell-out and a betrayal of the film's intention. Mountainous logistical problems aside, the film does have some things to offer. Tarsem, when he keeps his more pretentious aspirations under control, is an energetic director. Vincent D'Onofrio does his totally unbalanced-mind schtick as well as ever, but I'm starting to get tired of it; where's the subtlety we saw in Full Metal Jacket? Vince Vaughn is definitely a high point--he doesn't have much to do, but it's nice to see he can still act the part of a regular person. And as for Jennifer Lopez, well, her performance isn't bad, but the best word I can come up with to describe it is "earnest." Damning with faint praise, am I? (Jan 8, 2001) | ||||||
There are several scenes cut from the film, some of which are included in the DVD and others in the European release.
