“God likes to watch. He’s a prankster. Think about it. He gives man instincts. He gives you this extraordinary gift, and then what does He do, I swear for His own amusement, his own private, cosmic gag reel, He sets the rules in opposition. It’s the goof of all time. Look but don’t touch. Touch, but don’t taste. Taste, don’t swallow.”
Yesterday I wrote about American Psycho (#173), a film I like less than most. Today I get to talk about one I like more than most, a pulpy humdinger of an idea given the A+ treatment thanks to the cast, the crew and the first produced screenplay by writer Tony Gilroy (Andor, Nightcrawler). It’s got Al Pacino in his Mad Dog period spitting out delicious monologues, Charlize Theron losing her mind in a performance that announced an Academy Award was in her future, Posh production design by Bruno Rubeo, including an infinity water feature on the roof of a skyscraper. Also, one of the greatest shots of the 90s. Once all the secrets are out and Keanu Reeves know he must face the devil, he walks down a large street in New York City that’s completely empty.
I know this to be one of the more divisive modern films. Some think it’s laughably bad, mostly because this is during that time when we still weren’t sure if we could take Keanu seriously. He more than holds his own against Pacino in the finale, a battle of words and not fists. I will admit there’s a terrible coda that ruins the film, but I also stop the movie before that last scene and my view of the movie is better for it.
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