total of all stereotypes in formula routine film with no assets

Rating: 7/10 (23 May 2007)

Lets see. There's a kaiser who is considered a real bad ass because he gunned down his wife and little kids. Real macho, yes? He doesn't exist, but he does? He can't be killed (like we haven't seen this before). His imagination and creativity are so bad he can't even come up with names or stories, but has to take them off of coffee cups and posters. Add to this, the entire story. He orders a police line up, but the police don't know who ordered the line up. Now, we all know most police departments are incompetent, but this belongs on the NAKED GUN series. Then there are the characters. According to the narrator, they can't be broken, because they are hoodlums. Talk about your street myth that people in power would love to have you believe! But it doesn't wash. It isn't even remotely credible. And no one cares. I happen to be watching it while working on something else, and was in a public place where they showed it twice. I naturally assumed it was some sort of "Worst films" festival, which it might have been. I was stunned to see it ranked so high on any critic's list.
Now, for the reality. That was the surface appearance on first viewing. The writers claim it's just fluff, but it doesn't make a bit of sense as noir.
It makes complete sense as a supernatural thriller, though. It will take a few viewings to realize that the original line up of suspects had a replacement, just as Wargrave replaced one of his victims in Ten Little Indians.
The fifth "suspect" is actually Keaton's girl friend, and we get clues from the clandestine meetings they have. The ending tells us that they actually played with the devil, and tried to make a contract to outwit him. The "five suspects" are the five who dared to challenge the devil's turf, and the clues are there, but so subtle that the entire team of writers, director, everyone, failed to see them.