BEFORE: The Denzel Washington-countdown clock to San Diego Comic-Con is at 8 - after this film, it will be 7. 7 Denzel movies, 7 days, and then I'll leave the hot, sweltering confines of NYC for the slightly less sweltering confines of a large convention center filled with 125,000 geeks, nerds, and dweebs (including myself).
I've blocked out my movies through Oct. 31 - I wanted to see if I had JUST enough movies to form a chain that would take me through to Halloween, and I do, provided that I find a way to watch 2 movies while I'm away for 5 days. It should be possible, if I bring the office laptop to my hotel room, even if I'm exhausted from working at the con, I just need to watch 1/2 of a movie each day for 4 days, to stay on track.
THE PLOT: Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style.
AFTER: This is a twist on the cop vs. killer dynamic, in this case the killer appears to be a demonic spirit, who can be passed from person to person by touch - after leaving the serial killer's body, the demon sets out to corrupt the detective who arrested his last host. (I sort of wish I'd known the gimmick, I might have saved this one for October...)
It's an innovative idea - how does a cop take down a killer who can look like anyone, be inside anyone? And if God works in mysterious ways, how much trickier can a demon be? This film suggests that people who murder or commit suicide might not be responsible, due to their inner demons, which could be actual demons.
If you choose to believe in angels, it's only fair that you believe in demons as well - so this film is sort of the opposite of "Michael" for me. Though that film didn't exactly reveal why Michael the angel came to earth, we all know why a demon is here - to corrupt, to destroy.
And when the Devil comes to corrupt you, do you think he's going to look like he does in cartoons - with a red suit, horns and a pointy tail? Heck, no, he's going to look like your best friend, or perhaps a centerfold model...and you'll fold like a cheap suit, won't you? This movie sort of carries that idea to the extreme - even the main character's friends and co-workers could be temporary hosts for his demon foe, and they won't even remember what they did while they were possessed.
So this film touches on some of the issues I've been considering lately - matters of the soul, the possible afterlife, and the meaning of existence. I suppose it's a little silly to look for answers in a cop film, but what else am I supposed to do, go to church? That ship has sailed - anyway, movies are my church right now, and I'm attending daily.
I didn't really find anything here about the meaning of life, anyway, just some neat tricks to defeat demons, should I ever have the need. Though this was a unique idea for a film, I have to deduct for the repeated use of "demon-vision" - the strange camera angles that are used to show the demon's P.O.V. from within the host.
Also starring John Goodman (last seen in "The Babe"), Donald Sutherland (last seen in "Ordinary People"), James Gandolfini (that's FOUR times this week, I swear it wasn't intentional), Elias Koteas (last seen in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), Aida Turturro (sister of John Turturro, from last night's film), and Robert Joy (last seen riffing on Stephen Hawking in "Superhero Movie")
RATING: 7 out of 10 late-night phone calls
No comments:
Post a Comment