You Have Probably Already Seen It

Rating: 6/10 (20 January 2003)

6 out of 10
You know a film is in trouble when some fancy camera-tricks, an
impeccably fantastic performance by Jennifer Connelly (among
others), and a carnivorous refrigerator are the only things saving it
from being dismissed as complete mediocrity. Aronofsky is a
wonderful director and his talents really show in the film. The
problem is that he chose a rather formulaic and lackluster story.
If one were to ask, "what kind of movie is it?" or "what's it about?"
one would receive this painfully short response: "It's a drug movie."
If you have seen Train Spotting, Naked Lunch, Pierrot le Fou,
and/or Pulp Fiction, you have seen this movie; they all have
identical set-ups (except maybe for Pulp Fiction):
1) We are presented with characters with seemingly promising
futures and the hopes and dreams to live them out accordingly.
2) They have it in their minds that the only way to achieve these
hopes and dreams is by getting themselves a piece of the
narcotics-peddling pie, which they do. 3) Everything seems to go accordingly until the characters'
'professional' lives interfere with their personal lives.
4) There is a subsequently fateful downfall of the characters in
which, if they do not end up back where they started, they end up a
few steps back (if not leaps and bounds).
The distinctions among all of these films is found within the
manner and style in which step 4 is carried out. Granted, this film
carries out step 4 very well, but time-lapse photography, staccato
editing, and MTV's Fear-style POVs can only entertain for so long
before even they become tiresome.
Sum Up: Great acting, great direction, great editing, great
cinematography, formulaic and predictable story. Fun to watch, but
leaves you with little to take with you when the credits roll. My Advice: Stick to Pi.
Also: In addition to a performance by Ms. Connelly, we are also
treated to a somewhat disturbing performance by Keith David,
playing the character of Big Tim, a swinger/pervert of the highest
caliber. It is a true testament to his flexibility as an actor when one
considers that, a few years earlier, he had played a muslim holy
man in Pitch Black.