I've been working my way through some of the movies reviewed in the amazing book, HIDDEN HORROR, and this was one of those movies spotlighted, so I was looking forward to uncovering what might have been a lost gem. The movie features Sting (the Police man, not the wrestler) as a drifter, of sorts, who insinuates himself into the home of a small British family who have just been through a tragedy, as their daughter has been in an accident and is left helpless and immobile. The main focus of the movie is on the character played by Sting and his performance. He plays the character almost as twin faces of a mirror, at times exceedingly angelic, yet letting us glimpse the demon within. What "happens" in the movie is almost irrelevant, as most viewers will see the setup coming, because it's mostly about the characters and the themes presented.
I'm all for intelligent films and I think I have a more open mind than most viewers, but the movie still has to be entertaining and make you care what's going to happen next. My biggest issue with the movie is the setting. It's origins as a stageplay are also its' limitations. Much like movies a half century before it, like Dracula, that were also based on plays the movie just comes across as claustrophobic and boxed in. Yes, that plays to the themes somewhat, but it's also boring. The whole production feels like an episode of MASTERPIECE THEATER.
The ending result of this lack of setting and story is that all of the weight is put on the performance of Sting. I thought, personally, that his mannerisms and tones reminded me too much of Malcolm McDowell's Alex in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. Combine that with the comparisons between the two characters invading a suburban home and the viewer starts seeing the influences leak out a little too much.
While I admired parts of Sting's performance and the themes that the director wanted to explore, I just found the movie, as a whole, to be tedious, at times, and ultimately forgettable.
I'm all for intelligent films and I think I have a more open mind than most viewers, but the movie still has to be entertaining and make you care what's going to happen next. My biggest issue with the movie is the setting. It's origins as a stageplay are also its' limitations. Much like movies a half century before it, like Dracula, that were also based on plays the movie just comes across as claustrophobic and boxed in. Yes, that plays to the themes somewhat, but it's also boring. The whole production feels like an episode of MASTERPIECE THEATER.
The ending result of this lack of setting and story is that all of the weight is put on the performance of Sting. I thought, personally, that his mannerisms and tones reminded me too much of Malcolm McDowell's Alex in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. Combine that with the comparisons between the two characters invading a suburban home and the viewer starts seeing the influences leak out a little too much.
While I admired parts of Sting's performance and the themes that the director wanted to explore, I just found the movie, as a whole, to be tedious, at times, and ultimately forgettable.