BEFORE: I've got a mini-theme going on within my Nicholson chain - the last few films have all been centered on the death of a loved one, and its implications.
THE PLOT: Freddie Gale is a seedy jeweler who has sworn to kill the drunk driver who killed his little girl.
AFTER: This seems like a basic compare and contrast film - once we become aware of the "incident" that sent a drunk driver to prison, his life following his release is compared to that of the little girl's father. One man is trying to put his life back together, while the other man's life is slowly falling apart.
A simple framework, but an effective use of it.
Since driving drunk is a key element of this story, and I am right in the middle of celebrating NYC Craft Beer Week, I feel the need to point out that I never drive to any of the drinking-related events I attend. New York is the best drinking town I know, because there are so many other ways for me to get home - subway, bus, taxi, call home for a pick-up, or just plain stumble down the street. And I always make it home safely, even if I'm a little fuzzy the next day on how exactly that came to pass - I've got some crazy kind of auto-homing system in my brain. Even in the bleariest of drinking emergencies, I can also make my way to my office in Manhattan instead of my home in Queens - I've been known to crash there on occasion, especially if I need to be there first thing the next morning, which is rare.
Also starring David Morse (last seen in "The Negotiator"), Anjelica Huston (last seen in "Prizzi's Honor"), Priscilla Barnes, Robin Wright Penn (last seen in "The Last Castle"), Robbie Robertson and Piper Laurie (last seen in "The Hustler").
RATING: 6 out of 10 strippers
JACK-O-METER: 6 out of 10. Always proper to see Jack as the man coming unraveled.
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