Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I was just talking to our chatters about this script the other night. I thought it was over the top, preposterous, completely insane, and just might work if director James Mangold managed to strike the right tone with the film itself. And whattaya know? A reaction pops up in my inbox a few days later. Here, then, is the first look at I.D.
Just came back from a test screening in Lakewood, California of a new suspense-thriller from director James Mangold (Copland, Girl Interrupted), starring John Cusack, Ray Liotta, and others. There wasn’t a title at the screening, but the IMDB lists it as "I.D.," which is the longest movie title ever (after "Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb")
Brief plot synopsis: During a violent thunderstorm in Nevada, a prostitute (Amanda Peet), a cop (Ray Liotta) transporting a convict (Jake Busey), a chauffeur (John Cusack) driving a movie star (Rebecca De Mornay), a family of three, and two newlyweds are forced to stop at a motel (located on some sort of Native American burial ground) due to the thunderstorm and other circumstances, which I will not reveal. Then, you’ll never guess what happens next: the phones stop working and everyone is forced to spend the night there.
I immediately shit my pants at this awesomely clever plot twist! Then... drum roll, please... in an homage to Jack Valenti, the characters are violently and grotesquely killed off, one by one (well, sometimes two at a time) in ways that will greatly please the lovable MPAA.
The movie opens with a disjointed Tarantinoesque introduction that tries too hard to be clever and "hip" and remains awkwardly inconsistent with the rest of the dark, "suspenseful" film because it sets the wrong tone. There are so many flashbacks, jump cuts, repetitions from different angles, etc. in the first five minutes of the film that felt as if they were directed by Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh’s love child (there is a gay mafia after all). The film starts out like "Pulp Fiction," then morphs into "Scream," and then evolves into "Final Destination" with shades of "Poltergeist" and "The Usual Suspects."
Not only is there ZERO character development, the characters are grossly inconsistent. For example, after an initial character is savagely murdered, Amanda Peet nearly goes nuts and starts crying and screaming. A minute later, she walks in on a crime scene where John Cusack is taking pictures of the bloody corpse which is clearly visible to Amanda Peet. Yet, she calmly stands in the background, watching and striking up a conversation with John Cusack.
Another example: after another murder, the characters agree to stick together in the same room. Once again, a character is murdered outside and Amanda Peet becomes hysterical. Cut to the next scene. Amanda Peet CALMLY tells everybody: "I’ll be right back. I’m gonna go get something from my room." You see what I mean? That just pisses me off. Characters are crying and soiling themselves in fear, because the killer is out there. But, a minute later, they bravely venture outside just because the screenplay requires them to do so.
The film does a good job of keeping you guessing who or what the killer(s) is/are (which is the only positive aspect). Just when you think you’ve figured it out, something happens that makes you completely change your mind and cast your suspicions on somebody/something else. Unfortunately, the ending is so laughably manufactured that it doesn’t matter how much attention you’ve been paying, you WON’T guess who the killer is because it’s impossible to guess. The scene where the identity of the killer was revealed left the audience going, "huh?" I suspect this will also be changed. The ending was recycled from "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," "Psycho," "The Omen," "The Tin Drum," and "The Sixth Sense," and it didn’t even make sense. Believe me. I’m a smart guy (I got 900 on my SAT, combined), and I didn’t understand the ending.
For those of you who are interested in the violence, let me tell you: there are some really cool death scenes. Although characters get killed in traditional ways (except for the guy who gets a baseball bat stuffed down his throat), the shots are pretty graphic. There is a lot of gore in the film. But, judging from the audience reaction, it is going to get cut. The graphic violence didn’t bother me. But then again, I am a sadist.
I’m disappointed in the film, considering the involvement of the talented Cusack and Liotta. My girlfriend mentioned that Cusack is or was dating Neve Campbell, leading me to speculate that since Campbell appeared in the "Scream" series, she might have encouraged Cusack to make his first foray into the horror genre, so that the two could have more in common and possibly strengthen their Hollywood relationship, which is sure to turn into a long-lasting marriage.
Ultimately, this film proved to be a very inspirational and motivational experience. You see, there’s no way I would write something as bad as this. I’m an aspiring screenwriter, and if James Mangold wrote this, sold it, and got it produced, then there is hope for me after all.
Oooooooooooooooooooooh... ouch.
"Moriarty" out.
