One Movie to See and Another to Skip (No. 35)

Movie to See: The Jacket
 

This movie is essentially the love child of Memento and Donnie Darko brought up under the care and nurture of the good parts of Inception. The Jacket is an enjoyable mind frell of a film where, inexplicably, the mind is not only malleable under careful psychiatric treatment, but also has the ability to create pathways to an alternate universe. Yes, it can be confusing. Yes, there are a fair number of unexplained plot elements, but the trip is enjoyable nonetheless. I believe the enjoyable nature of this film is due, in large part, to the exceptional cast. Adrien Brody, Keira Knightly, Kris Kristofferson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and a nearly unrecognizable Daniel Craig... and the list just goes on and on. 

 

From the box cover, this film is about a wounded Gulf War veteran who hitch hikes with the wrong guy, and ends up in a mental institution after being falsely accused for murdering a police officer. The rest of the story then explores his ability to see the future while being part of a clandestine psychological/pharmacological experiment by mad scientist/psychiatrist Kristofferson. While this is interesting, it starts to become a little confusing when our hero is somehow able to interact with people from the future in such a way that he can shape and alter it from the confines of his institutional confinement. 

 

The fantastical element in this story is not satisfactorily explained, in my opinion, but if you can get over that, The Jacket is actually a pretty good movie. The characters are believable and sympathetic, and there is a sense of urgency that drives the action as Brody's character desperately tries to change the future lives of those around him for the better. It is almost thought provoking, but certainly entertaining.

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Movie to Skip: Driven to Kill

 

Short and sweet: This is a post-2000 Steven Seagal movie, which is pretty much everything you need to know, as it will be everything you expect it to be. The character is pretty much the same one he has been playing since 1988's Above the Law, except, of course, he's a 'former' Russian gangster in this one rather than a cop/CIA agent/former special forces magician. Otherwise, this is pretty much a recycled version of many of his other movies. But, when you're cranking out two or three of these things straight to video every year, you kind of have to expect that, I guess. 

 

One positive thing about this movie compared to many of the others, however, is that he is playing a character that has retired and admittedly past his prime... which is certainly apropos for a Seagal role. Of course, that doesn't stop him from being better than all of the current gangsters, despite youth, health, and better firepower, but I guess I've just come to expect that... 

 

This is not a great movie, but potentially better than some of Seagal's more recent offerings... although I'd hardly call that a solid endorsement. Seagal simply hasn't been the same since he jumped the shark in Executive Decision, and this is just more evidence.