THE JACKET
Adrien Brody and Keira Knightly star in this far-fetched psychological drama set in an insane asylum. Basically, I liked it. The critics are really hammering this one as less-than-mediocre, but I would go a step further. The premise isn't that ridiculous if you've seen movies like "12 Monkeys," "Vanilla Sky," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" or various episodes of "The Twilight Zone." The trailer in itself should be enough to at least make you intrigued, and the ensuing chaos will keep you in your theater seat. The trailer will give you a glimpse of what to expect, but the overall story line is very vague. I like that.
Aren't you the least bit interested to see what happens when a man is placed in a
straight jacket and put in a morgue drawer while pumped up on experimental drugs? I get a little claustrophobic just thinking about it.
Of course the story line is slightly more complicated than that - regarding why he's there, who he meets along the way, and the
psychological effects that kind of experience might have on a person.
Another thing I liked was the fact that this movie makes you think a little, but not too much. It messes with your head just enough,
and it strays from the nominal crap that Hollywood tends to sputter out. I like Brody, I like Knightly (and for my mom's sake I like
Kristofferson too), and I liked this movie.
The director does a good job of placing you in Brody's character's shoes. He has a wild ride, and once I figured out what was going
on, I really wanted to see how it would pan out and what I might've done differently. It's one of those films that you can talk about for
a little while after it's over, then forget about after three days.
This is one of those movies that everyone is going to react differently to. Many are going to see this film as thought provoking, interesting, intense and ultimately heart warming. Others will say, "what a pile of horse apples!" - a love it or hate type film.
The Jacket is completely illogical and defies any number of scientific laws, but it's philisophical implications and time continuum paradoxes may get you to think a little, thus distracting you from the ineptness of some of the characters and the absurdity of what is happening.
Another hard one to rate simply because like I said, an inability to suspend your disbelief or have
compassion for the characters might leave you running for the door, but one who is in the right mood and just looking for a good ride will
probably enjoy this one. I'm going to give a rare number rating on movie. On a scale of 1-5, I give The Jacket a 3.3 for originality, interesting
characters and tension. Deductions were made on implausibility, slow pacing, and a screen play that could've been cleaned up slightly.
Links:
Offical site
The Jacket at imdb
View the trailer
