tone143

Right out of the gate,you know this is copping off of Raiders(any knob could see that).A super-cheese fest written(oddly enough)by one of the funniest screenwriters ever,the late great John Hughes--some of his wit managed to infuse itself onto the screen here,but it's a bare fizzle.If it'd been written as a all-out satire of Raiders & 30's & 40's thriller serials,it might have worked.You know,there are a lot of bad films out there,and why I've decided to pick on this one,I don't know.In fact,I've only written 2 or 3 negative reviews--I'm more likely to sing the praises of a great film,not having the need to elevate my insecure ego all the time.But maybe that's what I'm doing...but seriously,this IS a weak film--Tommy Lee Jones is a great actor,and I'm sure he wouldn't care much if this one disappeared off of his resume.

This movie cops some of its moves from Kubrick's "The Shining" and maybe a bit from "The Changeling"(in so far as its use of the wheelchair as a conduit for the supernatural),but its more homage to these films,not ripoff--it's a fine line between the two,but this is a genuinely creepy movie,made for next to nothing,and using high-speed digital cameras,which give it a look I've not seen--maybe David Lynch's "Inland Empire",but it's still looks way different.Great movie,good actors,a feeling of dread pervading everything--this film disturbed me,for sure.There's one thing I've wondered about,and it's the guy who's drawn to the session tapes--it must be some predestination that he finds the tapes right off the bat--you could say that that's contrived,but I think it still works.

For me,this film was nothing but a springboard for a superior film made 2 years later--obviously,The French Connection.Philip D'Antoni(the producer for both films)must've thought something like,"Let's do the same thing,but with a more compelling script,better actors,better directing,better car chase,hell..better everything."Or maybe I'm wrong--again,it never ceases to confound me a bit as to the overall ratings for films on IMDb--if Bullitt scored a 7.5,then French Connection would have to come in at 12 or so.I'll admit,Bullitt was cool stuff for '68,but how well does it really hold up now,even in spite of romanticized posterity,sentimentality for a bygone era?I suffer from that as well,but taking a step back,and getting a sober context on film history..well,I think the ratings would alter just a bit.