Crazy as Hell

"Crazy As Hell" is ER's Eriq LaSalle's directorial debut and it is a good one to watch. Although the movie did not receive much credits,I personally thought it was quite insightful entering the daunting world of a mental institution. Eric did a good job directing this rather uncomfortable topic and kept it up reasonably well as a provokative thriller.

The uncomfortable topic was how do we cure mental illness? It is generally accepted by the scientific world of today,that mental illness is a body of chemical imbalances. One cures it with medication-and lots of it(to be read as...keep the insane as sedated as the Law will permit you to!) How can we say anyone is cured,if they depend on chemicals by the hour? What happens if they missed a dosage-whether accidentally or purposely???

Crazy As Hell argues that other non-medicinal approaches may actually be the solution if we view mental illness as the imbalance of perspectives. Which means,therapy is the better permanent solution. Problem is,(you really have to see this movie for yourself)to be reminded of just how insane and derange most of the patients in a mental institution are. They are simply impossible to talk to,much less to be given therapy. The ones whom you can actually converse with,are so in their psychosis,before you can remotely attempt to cure them they will drive you nuts first! Because there is a good chance that anyone of us could lose a big chunk of our mental capacity is very frightening cause you'll never know what to expect(especially when dealing with mental patients in a funny farm,much less the faculty that works there too).

Only this movie and two others that had come this close to studies of mental patients,"Shock Corridor"(1963);"One Flew Over The Cuckcoo's Nest"-Oscar winner(1975),"Sybil"(1977)-Emmy winner,and most recently; "Girl Interrupted"-Oscar winner(2001)---this one gives a long hard look at goes on inside the minds of certain individuals,especially if they had the capacity to snap at any second.

This movie borrowed from others like Angel Heart, so there are no real shocks. But it's a really fun and sometimes thought provoking ride so I highly recommend it.

Enough has been given away in other user comments so I'll skip that part and go totally superficial. Eriq LaSalle is my new hero! He is the hottest Satan I've ever seen! I never paid much attention to him in the past but DAMN this guy has serious charisma. I think I need to go out and rent everything he's ever been in.

Crazy as Hell is one of those films that comes from out of nowhere and makes you wonder why? I'm not talking about why was a film like this made or why was such a serious topic dealt with in this fashion, but just...why? It is one of those films that are misleading to viewers. Anyone who picked up that it is a horror film will be disappointed up until the last five minutes. But anyone who has decided that maybe it is a powerful drama with something prophetic to say can also kiss his or her thoughts away. Eriq La Salle of ER fame directs and co-stars in this thriller/drama/horror/suspense/whatever you want to call it film about a maverick psychiatrist named Ty Adams who is plagued with the guilt/fear/agony from the suicide of his schizophrenic seven year old daughter and the later death of his wife. Think Brining Out the Dead meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Ty is sent to a famous mental institution to allow a film crew to document his famous healing powers that seem almost godly. You see Ty is a man who is so sure of his craft that he believes that he can play God by curing patients instead of treating them. Then one day a tall, dark man who is glaze of passion in his eyes and an aura of discern in his presence checks himself into the hospital. The man is seemingly normal and perceptive in his state of life. He is a rational man who no cause for belief that he needs to even be in an institution. Upon entering Ty's office for the first time he claims that he is Satan looking to clear his mind of the misconceptions that he has been plagued with since the dawn of eternity. He is looking for a soul to help him clear his name and afford him as human again. In his godly state of mind, body and soul, Ty seems all but fit for this position. This is an abnormally humane film in that it doesn't choose sides and it doesn't become a battle of wits over who is the strong subconscious force in peoples lives. It truly is an original working of thoughts and ideas of not good versus evil, but body versus mind. Forget that it take place in a mental institution, that is simply a backdrop in which the main character fits into. This film has nothing to do with mental illness of how someone's ego got in the way of their living. It is not a film that is trying to preach either. It doesn't care about your religion or what faith you practice in. All that it cares about is what you are willing to believe in and to what point in time does the truth become untrue. This film may even run better as a satire than it will anything else. It simply wants to know, hey, what would you do if the devil showed up on your doorstep? Would you believe him? Would you slam the door in his face? And then why would you do it? It takes us on a journey through our own minds and allows us to sift through own state of belief. And then at the other end of the spectrum it is possible that this film is nothing more than one big joke. `I bet you were expecting more. Something like horns and a pointy tail?' Asks Satan. `That was all made up in the movies. I am a big seller at the box-office, at lest I hope I still am.' The Satan character is a very ironic presence because never once does he allow the audience to feel anything for him. We see him on screen, we listen to him talk and we feel his presence but never really know how to approach him. I guess that is what makes this film so intriguing. Has anyone ever seen God of the devil? More than likely not, so if he appeared in the flesh how would we cope with him as a human being when all we are taught about him is inhuman qualities. We see what can happen to a man who thinks he posses super human talent who comes face to face with a man who may actually posse such unearthly skill. And still Ty believes that he can saturate his suppressed inner turbulence and bring this thing back into reality because hey, there is no such thing as the devil right? What Crazy as Hell has to offer is not really funny nor is scary or chilling or anything of the kind. Emotions are twisted little games that play with the minds of people so it would be dangerous to fill this film with them. Faith is belief is wide in rage from being to being so why not give the viewer the opportunity to use their own digression? That is exactly what La Salle does. He allows the film to tangle its dirty web of secrets around what goes on a person's head. This is not a film that is mapped out and realises all the points where the audience should be scared or should be sad. This is a film that tells its story and does nothing else of the kind. Some may see brilliance prevail and others may not understand due to a biased outlook on life, this is not a narrow-minded film not is it a great cause for interpretation. This is a film that is what it is and if you get it great, if not, well maybe next time. The acting in this film is tremendously strong from both leads. Michael Beach as Ty never allows the audience's emotions to get tangled in with that of his character and gives us a questionable company as to whether he actually cares for his work or is just living on his reputation. La Salle gives what could be his best performance as Satan. He is creepy without being scary and he is admirable without being likable, truly the films greatest asset. But what started out as a compelling study of the human psychosis and how it reacts to the pressures of a human web of emotions becomes nothing more than unlawful thriller material. There is a breakdown, a chase, an unnatural event and then a supernatural event that leads the viewer directly to a headache. Possibly the most alluring aspect of the film was questioning how a situation like this could be resolved. I thought about it the entire film. I didn't know whether it would end in with a surprise, a bang, an ironic note or a standard return to normalcy. I started to recall what happened at the end of K-Pax and though of how it probably could/would end on the same level as that. But to my surprising I was left faced with one of the worst endings I have seen in a long time. There was no surprise, no conclusion, no wrap-up, not even a climax of any sort. It came fourth with a pathetic closing idea and then ending abruptly without explanation or means for cause. After watching this film and having time to think about it I am kind of stuck in the middle. I don't really know what to think. I can understand any praise that it has adorned but I would also be willing to except any criticism it receives as well. So make what you will of this film, love it, maybe even hate it, admire it and stupor over it but when watching it keep in mind, the devil doesn't have a social security number.

The first thing that struck me about this film was how trite and over-simplified much of the subject matter was. At first it bothered me; the characters were pretty two-dimensional and the patients in the mental ward seemed very unrealistic. The whole movie took on a superficial and untrue feel that left me uninvolved and failed to suspend my disbelief. However, as the film goes on, you realize this may be on purpose. The film takes on a Lynch-ian feel that culminates in an ending that clearly explains why everything was so simple, shallow, and "perfect". I appreciate Eriq for not shoving the ending down our throat. He is obviously talented and deserves recognition for following through with a film that failed to get support from Hollywood because it isn't a cookie-cutter re-make of the films that Black film-makers continue to crank out. On the other hand, the story wasn't particularly unique either. It very much reminded me of a low-budget "Jacob's Ladder" with a simpler story-line and much more limited production resources. Eriq LaSalle is a great human being with enormous talent and, more importantly, a great perspective on what is important in life. He isn't quite willing to play into the Hollywood system, and although you couldn't tell from this film, he seems to understand the powerful role his artform can play in lifting up (or keeping down) his people. I respect him immensely and I expect great things from him in the future.

There were parts of this film which I did not like at all, because of the initial portrayal of the hospital and the patients. I worked Psych for 9 years and there were some scenes that were true to life, but overall, they were played for shock/humour. Having said this, I was distracted from these shortcomings by the excellent acting of the entire cast and when Mr.La Salle and Mr. Beach encounter each other, the sparks fly. I had no idea where the film was going but I was glad for the ride; these two guys display their talents and there is no doubt that you are seeing two masters at work. Some of the characters seemed superfluous to me, but the author did also write the screen play so I'll assume that he knew what he was doing (Big of me, don't you think?) I didn't care for the ending,and frankly, I thought it was an unoriginal cop-out, but the lead up to it - the chase, the revelation, made it bearable. Also, is there anything Ronnie Cox can't do?