I was determined to like this. I had seen it years ago and remember not liking it and the hype against it is almost always negative. But Sly Stallone is my Hollywood idol and I am working my way through all his films yet again and I was determined to find all the good in this film. Truth be told, it isn't a total write off and unlike other bad movies I can't pinpoint what exactly is wrong with the movie. It doesn't grip you and it just feels like it is lacking any heart and soul and it doesn't make sense. The story is decent, the tension should be good, the cast are talented actors although most of them are sort of B-List character actors they are still good and yet it is like their is a mysterious missing ingredient that brings it all together. The setting of the wintery rehab centre is perfect for this type of thriller and they use that backdrop decently well. By the time the big reveal happens and the mystery is solved you just don't much care and you'll be long over it by the time the film is over. I do understand why some fans really liked this and there are some out there who gave it huge ratings. It is a dark, twisted, well directed thriller that is unlike anything Stallone has really ever done.
Non-fans will argue until they are blue in the face but Sylvester Stallone has done some versatile work. This is definitely one of those different pieces. He is a scarred former Detective trying to fight his own demons and the killer stalking him. One of the aforementioned issues might be that he plays this character with too much brooding. He broods a lot, beginning to end and sometimes he vanishes into the background because he's so quiet and depressed. The film does nothing to actually deal with his character development. So he is good but fails to lead the film like he has done before and since. The supporting cast is truly impressive in my books. Another issue with the movie might actually be there were too many potentially strong characters so most of them get lost in the shuffle. The legendary Kris Kristofferson is one of the best roles though still underdeveloped as the head of the rehab centre. His gruff and rough character fits the film very well and I wish they had done more with him and more scenes with Sly. Also enjoyed far too brief performances from Robert Patrick, Tom Berenger, Robert Prosky, Jeffrey Wright and Charles S. Dutton. All of them potentially have great characters and performances but its too much in one film for this script. Polly Walker is excruciatingly underused and almost unnecessary to the film and is really just placed there to have a female presence in a male dominated movie. She goes almost completely unnoticed.
It very well could be the inexperience of director Jim Gillespie who really has one big movie to his name (I Know What You Did Last Summer.) I think he probably had delusions of grandeur when it came to this film and he took on way more than he could handle. Then again you also have a writer (Ron L. Brinkerhoff) who also has essentially no experience and you have two heads of this film with very little expertise between them. If you read my reviews you will know this is almost always a rule that writers and directors that lack experience (or directors who direct their own screenplay) often create bombs. I know it takes time to hone a skill but you can usually spot talent even in early work and this one does nothing to inspire. It ends up being drab and disappointing and barely worthy of a straight to video release. Unless you're a Sly obsessed fan like me, don't bother because even he doesn't shine in this. Definitely a dud. 5/10
Non-fans will argue until they are blue in the face but Sylvester Stallone has done some versatile work. This is definitely one of those different pieces. He is a scarred former Detective trying to fight his own demons and the killer stalking him. One of the aforementioned issues might be that he plays this character with too much brooding. He broods a lot, beginning to end and sometimes he vanishes into the background because he's so quiet and depressed. The film does nothing to actually deal with his character development. So he is good but fails to lead the film like he has done before and since. The supporting cast is truly impressive in my books. Another issue with the movie might actually be there were too many potentially strong characters so most of them get lost in the shuffle. The legendary Kris Kristofferson is one of the best roles though still underdeveloped as the head of the rehab centre. His gruff and rough character fits the film very well and I wish they had done more with him and more scenes with Sly. Also enjoyed far too brief performances from Robert Patrick, Tom Berenger, Robert Prosky, Jeffrey Wright and Charles S. Dutton. All of them potentially have great characters and performances but its too much in one film for this script. Polly Walker is excruciatingly underused and almost unnecessary to the film and is really just placed there to have a female presence in a male dominated movie. She goes almost completely unnoticed.
It very well could be the inexperience of director Jim Gillespie who really has one big movie to his name (I Know What You Did Last Summer.) I think he probably had delusions of grandeur when it came to this film and he took on way more than he could handle. Then again you also have a writer (Ron L. Brinkerhoff) who also has essentially no experience and you have two heads of this film with very little expertise between them. If you read my reviews you will know this is almost always a rule that writers and directors that lack experience (or directors who direct their own screenplay) often create bombs. I know it takes time to hone a skill but you can usually spot talent even in early work and this one does nothing to inspire. It ends up being drab and disappointing and barely worthy of a straight to video release. Unless you're a Sly obsessed fan like me, don't bother because even he doesn't shine in this. Definitely a dud. 5/10