Public Access

This is the debut film from Bryan Singer, director of The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil and X-Men. It is the story of a drifter who wanders into a sleepy town and wakes it up. The central character is played wonderfully by Ron Marquette. Singers directing is exceptional, even more so when you consider it's his first feature. Fans of his later work should definitely try and track down a copy of this rarely seen masterpiece.

Fans of the brilliant 'The Usual Suspects' will no doubt be curious to check out the first movie by its director Bryan Singer and writer Christopher McQuarrie. While no where near as assured as that movie or McQuarrie's subsequent underrated directorial debut 'The Way Of The Gun', it has enough going for it to make it worth tracking down. Ron Marquette's impressive performance as the enigmatic Whiley Pritcher is by far the best thing about the movie. He displays plenty of charisma and acting chops which makes his suicide a couple of years after the release of 'Public Access' all the more tragic. Pritcher is a stranger who moves into Brewster, a seemingly average small town and begins broadcasting a show on a local public access TV station. His probing into the dark side of Brewster causes a lot of debate and some hostility, especially when he aligns himself with the town's Mayor. So far, so good. The first half of the movie is very well done and makes fascinating viewing. After that, while the mood turns darker and more violent, it also gets increasingly less compelling, and to me ultimately very anti-climactic. Marquette is good throughout but can't salvage the uneven script which doesn't seem to explore the interesting premise enough to make this one anything special. The frequent comparisons to David Lynch circa 'Blue Velvet' are not entirely off-base, but unfortunately 'Public Access' flounders way before it finishes. Nice try though, and still worth viewing.

Drifter rolls into town, and by way of a local access TV show, begins to touch nerves in smug "Smalltown, USA."

Ron Marquette delivers a very strong performance as Whiley Pritcher, the enigmatic drifter. His portrayal is a mix of thoughtfulness and menace.

The director, Bryan Singer, tells the story, slowly, deliberately, layer by layer. A keen eye for rhythm and pacing, for the building of suspense. I found the film a strong cautionary message, for those who foolishly abide blind faith in our elected "leaders."

Compared to his future endeavors, PUBLIC ACCESS is lighter in intensity, yet still strong in effect.

I dug this film out at our local video store (no mean feat) and was highly rewarded. This film has been badly under rated, so what if you do not know the underlying motives of the character this makes the film more disturbing in my view. The central role is played excellently

This was the first effort by the creative team behind "The Usual Suspects".

The video provoked a big argument on the chesterfield afterwards, and that's always a good sign.

The film is sort of "Talk Radio" meets "High Plains Drifter", as reinterpreted by John Sayles. That sounds like a volatile mixture, and it is.

Leonard Maltin's objection to the film is ill-founded, it appears; that was the basis for the heated postprandial debate.