Hey folks, Harry here with that dame who is most definitely not lame, that's right the dancing tart that's just all heart. Roxy Hart that is. She's checking out IDENTITY starring John Hawkes (check out his SCARY MOVIE sometime) and folks I've heard of like Cusack, John and Peet, Amanda and Liotta, Ray. OH and CLEA DUVALL - she rules. Unfortunately this isn't all that good. here ya go... BEWARE OF SPOILERS
First let me introduce myself. I'm the talentless, self-absorbed Roxy Hart. If you don't like me, bugger off or I'll maim you and I have a great lawyer to back me up. Even if he has a gerbil up his ass. Come on!! A "jazz defense"??!??
After my horrendous two woman revue last night, I was invited to a private in-studio screening of IDENTITY.
First off, great casting: Ray Liotta (returning to psycho antics, once again), John Cusack (finally making movies again), Amanda Peet, John C. McGinley, John Hawkes (Mr. I-fuckin'-deserve-a-fuckin'academy-award-nomination"Pete Bottoms", himself from "From Dusk 'Til Dawn) and a barely recognizabe Rebecca De Mornay. Clea Duvall plays whiney, William Lee Scott looks lost and Jake Busey can't avoid his family's accursed typecasting.
For anyone who watched Adaptation, this movie should have been called, "The 3". Hopefully, someone out there understands.
Without giving away the implausible story by Michael Cooney (figures he wrote Jack Frost and Jack Frost 2), the writer uses one of the oldest means in history to advance a story. Use the clue from "Adaptation" to figure out what it is. For the rest of you just dance in the dark with me.
Ten strangers come together at a motel when the mother of all rainstorms hit and closes all access roads leading to anything considered remotely civilization. I can just hear the alpha males salivating, thrusting their arms upward, telling me, "I know where this is going". Bear with me, boys. Liotta "plays" a cop and then "plays"...transporting convict Jake Busey. John Cusack plays a limo driver (ex-cop, ex-med student) transporting bitchy and sociapathic actress Rebecca De Mornay. Amanda Peet is a whore. (Sorry, I couldn't help but put that in print). William Lee Scott and Clea Duvall play a recently married couple traveling through town. Finally, McGinley is a family man traveling with his wife and step son. McGinley's character is sympathized when he initially blows a tire from a heel that falls out of Peet's suitcase from her convertible. The rainstorm ensues and a slightly blinded and slightly distracted limo driver Cusack hits and nearly kills McGinley's wife. Cusack drives the father, wife, stepson, and actress to this remote motel. Too bad---phone lines are down and recently arrived cop Liotta can't radio in any help. Duvall and Scott arrive soon after. Each character is going somewhere significant in their lives, but they are really going nowhere. One by one, a person is killed off. Great slasher movie quality, but this movie is not one. Paralleling this story is a convicted serial killer taken to a private hearing just hours before he is set to die. Turns out hidden evidence is discovered that could help turn him free. The psychologist and defense attorney try to get a stay of execution based on the evidence for an insanity plea, but the unhappy judge (who convicted the killer and is awaken in the middle of the night for this informal hearing) is doubtful. The doctor uses the evidence to prove that his patient suffers from a disorder that caused him to not fully understand the killings he has done.
For those of you who haven't figured out this little secretI doubt anyone saw coming.
Despite, a cliched and much overused storyline, the acting performances were excellent. Writer/Director James Mangold ("Heavy", "Copland", "Girl, Interrupted", "Kate & Leopold") visually tells a taut story despite the contrivances splintered in this movie. Mangold can tell exceptional stories with large casts ("Identity", "Copland", "Girl, Interrupted") but as the cast dwindles down, the pacing is forced to quicken because all the exposition has been exploited. Oh well, maybe he'll direct an ensemble musical for me star in. Lighting in the movie was superb. This is important because the "killer" has to "morph" into and out of shadows to catch the others by surprise. I heard conversations comparing the lighting used in these movies to the German expressionist movement between the 2 World Wars. Whatever.
Ultimately, I would say pass on this movie.
But if you do decide to see this, look for:
1) Rebecca De Mornay -I'm still convinced that wasn't her
2) Jake Busey's introduction to baseball-you'll see, oh will you see
3) William Lee Scott's diminishing career-Going, going...
Alright, boys, until I shoot you another review, I am forever Roxy Hart
