God's Lonely Man

An intense and touching performance by Michael Wyle drives God's Lonely Man, a gritty powder keg of a film that plays like an updated west coast version of Taxi Driver, its most obvious influence. Indeed, some may dismiss God's Lonely Man as nothing more than a pastiche but I strongly disagree. The central performance by Michael Wyle is reason enough to see the film—he has the uncanny ability to go from Deniro-like intensity to almost Woody Allenesque neurosis in the blink of an eye; it's an entirely convincing piece of acting and his tortured-loser persona had me rooting for him from the first reel to the end credits.

Paul Dooly shows courage for taking the part of a creepy child pornographer and Tom Towles proves he can do more to suggest hidden depths of depravity in one scene than most actors can in an entire film.

The writing is good, the characterizations dead-on and there are some genuinely unnerving touches that set a tone for mid 90s Los Angeles that is every bit as decayed and frightening as anything seen in the New York of Taxi Driver or Bringing Out the Dead. In contrast to those two films, which are steeped in darkness & the stylings of noir, most of God's Lonely Man transpires in the daytime--but the sunlight provides no comfort or protection. It's a nightmare world of Porno shops and AA meetings where sirens scream on the soundtrack at unexpected times accompanied by the sound of children crying while crack-dealers abuse their customers in sleazy passive-aggressive power games.

A scene set in a baseball-park where a child pornographer peddles his wares (right during the little league game he is coaching) carries a slimy, unsettling edge that reminded me of the fiction of Andrew Vachss in its depiction of evil lurking just under the surface of wholesome everyday appearances.

The violence, when it comes, isn't as over the top or nightmarishly gory as Taxi Driver but it packs a wallop.

In the years since I saw this film in 1997, it remains a dark, desolate, haunting experience which repeated viewings have not diminished. Its a strong film which gets inside the alienated yearning of a central character, Ernest, whose love and passion is undercut by self-hatred and fear of his own invisibility. The resemblance to Travis Bickle from "Taxi Driver" is a welcome reminder that the cinema can still seek out the painful, destructive and lost characters that were far more frequently and successfully envisioned in 1970s films. Its not really a pastiche or mockery as some critics on its release argued. Rather its a re-examination of the place of someone like Travis Bickle in another time. Its also based on a true story. This gut-wrenching film has a fearsome score reminiscent of "The Exorcist" (even the credits evoke that film). It succeeds best in those moments where Ernest and 15 year old Chrsitiane seek to establish a truthful relationship. Its not an easy film and the performance of Michale Wyle is jarring on a first viewing but in time the truth of his performance shines. Morally the film is complex and the violence is excessive.

Thank God this great film came to Mexico. It's the kind of movie that deserved better luck in the whole world. The history is terrific and touching, it's about a lonely junkie in his way to self-destruction, then he knows a girl as troubled as him, who -someway- gives hope to his life. It's by far the best 90's update for Scorsese's "Taxi Driver", and the "romantic" story reminds me of Luc Besson's "Leon". A must see if you like movies for a reason beyond pure entertainment.

What makes Indie films so fantastic is that there is such of pool of them to choose from, and a lot are so original, which heralds some new and talented directors, a lot of them, young pups. This one is unflinching, frank, in your face movie, about one guy's unfeasible escape from loneliness, where again we have that stereotypical profile of a loner, who can't build up the courage to ask Justine Bateman out. Our loner hero character, Ernest, a Travis Bickle for the Nineties, works at a video shop, Bateman's dad owns. Like a lot of loners, he displays all the traits of loners: unease around strangers, a movie buff, a bragger, an inability to ask girls out, self conscious tendencies, as well as violent mood swings, as well as a taste for violence. A young girl befriends him, where soon he's her protector, whatever, where he becomes killer/crusader. He rescues the young girl from her abusive environment, and tracks down some bad dudes, who used the girl at a younger age in skin flicks, where for her sister, it didn't have such a happy ending. There are some disturbing moments in this confronting film, where we meet some pretty sick puppies who were responsible for these flicks (you'll never look at Sixteen Candle's Paul Dooley the same way again) They also involved snuff, where I must say, one scene, just thinking of it now, involving two players, a mother and daughter, expendables, sickened me, sending a bad swallow through me. It's a great moment of revenge, watching Ernest do away with these creeps. GLM was directed by someone who had a fancy three word name, and what he's created here, is an excellent daring piece, that of course won't appeal to everyone, though loners will of course identify with. There is some disturbing violence, one, involving self mutilation. For the Indie or Art-house connoisseur, you will no doubt like or love this one. It's in the cards. A excellent film with an all too frank reality. Highly recommended.

Obviously It is not a commercial production. I mean you assume a movie is successful on a basis of the tickets sold. I address my review to the anonymous Mexican's comment written above. What we should judge in a work is its quality and what you call a 'nonsense story' It's actually the plot. The 'loser' you talk about, the main character, represents the weakness of the man within the society. So depression, despair, loneliness are expressing the difficulty of a man in having a role in the society. A movie is usually successful when there are a winner, empathy, a nice end, some nice girl and a nice environment. But it's just leisure, it's fake. The main character of this movie faces reality and suggest a way to deal with it, even if it's losing. Thanks.