Friday, May 25, 2007

Fractured (Gregory Hoblit, 2007)

Fractured (Gregory Hoblit, 2007)

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury:

I submit to you that Gregory Hoblit's latest film isn't a crime thriller or even legal thriller at all; one just has to see Anthony Hopkins' Ted Crawford make his furtive way round a swimming pool, observing his wife Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz) and her police lover Rob Nunally (Billy Burke) in a watery clinch, to see what the picture is really up to: a chance for Sir Hopkins to strut once more in Hannibal Lecter mode.

Consider: Hopkins is much too old for the physical demands of playing a serial killer (the last time he did, five years ago, Brett Ratner had to cut around the fact that he was using a stunt double much of the time). He is also too familiar to audiences now, is probably aware that they may be tired--is himself probably tired--of the role. If Sir Hopkins were to don yon hockey mask one more time, he would be laughed off the screen; he needed a new shtick, a new way to entertain the audience.

3 comments:

Paul Martin said...

It's exactly because of what you've observed that I won't be seeing this film. Anthony Hopkins used to be a good actor. I find him lazy and unengaging now; each successive film makes a mockery of his earlier work like Elephant Man, Silence of the Lambs and Shadowlands.

Noel Vera said...

Ha. You have a point. Hopkins breaks no new ground, and this is not the height of the art of cinema. It's a better time than a trip to the dentist, tho.

Paul Martin said...

Oh, I dunno... I usually enjoy my visits to the dentist, but I'm tired of tired films. ;)