Weird gets Weirder - Hitchcock erzatz almost gets a number

Rating: Null/10 (12 April 2004)

This may have some poor lines, weak acting (at times) and some shallow characters (at times), however, on the whole, flaws aside its really great. One could also consider the flaws part of the plot in hindsight.

The `Hitchcockian' (is that a word?) motel is a great set to build this Agatha Christie "10 Little Indians" style whodunit. The damp, the rain, the low light start to become claustrophobic and sets the scene for later events. The build up starts off like a merry-go-round, picking up speed as the characters, all stereotyped warped personalities, interact. Interaction on many levels; sexual attraction, sexual repression, bigotry and fear. Onion like layers are revealed as we peer deeper into this alternative reality peeling back the stains of the past. At times we are pulled back into a mundane self determinant court case with a hostile judge and we know who will get nailed. Or we think we do.
Sometimes its a little ham or poor lines that pull us back but we are drawn back, into this spiral world, spinning out of control.
This is great movie to see on DVD - it's really a cult whodunnit-dunnit-dunnit "damm !! I knew it was him/her" type movie with some nice twists. The only thing that had me groaning was he end - but we can all do better ends can't we ?.
The beginning is great and the cast hold the suspense even when their own reality is suspended. The clues pop up with the right kind of intensity. The parallel court scene where Lawyers and Judges "act" out their roles is an interesting aside to our reality as voyeurs ...
Not 10/10 because of the ending but a well earned 7/10. Good plot, nice twists and turns on an old theme, good acting and a great set. Nice to see a movie adult psycho-thriller that relies on acting and set - rather than gratuitous special effects.