Harlequin

Despite a potentially rich premise and the presence of David Hemmings (a personal favorite of mine) , this was a rather disappointing and overly confusing film. The plot more or less is a bizarre re-working of the Rasputin legend and revolves on a charismatic magician who infiltrates in a political family to cure the son of his leukemia, but then continues with interfering in the husband's career as a replacement-senator. This terrifically mystic idea is pretty much ruined by a bad script, a whole lot of supernatural mumbo-jumbo and a wooden performance by Robert Powell. I was hoping to see some exciting horror effects and eerie make up but "Harlequin" is very tame and lifeless. David Hemmings is okay, and so is the young actor Mark Spain. Especially after his cure, he turns into a spooky and mysterious little brat. In short: this easily could have been one of the most ingenious fantasy-tales of the eighties but it became a failure instead. Director Wincer went on directing less ambitious and more comic movies such as "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man", "Free Willy" and "Crocodile Dundee in LA".

As a long-time fan of Robert Powell, I have to say he was fantastic in this little known film, which I saw under the title "Dark Forces." The actor's ability is far under rated -why, I'll never know. This tale of a mysterious being entering the lives of a family was curiously spiritual as well as supernatural. I even found Powell quoting a line from his masterpiece "Jesus of Nazareth." There were some unanswered questions in the film, but I wasn't bothered by this. After all, the supernatural leaves a lot of gaps for us to dwell on and come up with our own conclusions.

A movie of wonder, magic, and intrigue, "Harlequin" or "Dark Forces" is a force to be reckoned with. At a birthday party, a boy named Alex(Mark Spain) who suffers from leukemia gets to meet a clown who entertains everyone. That night, a man named Gregory Wolfe(Robert Powell) enters the house and cures the son. Skeptics including the father and his political cronies would try anything to discredit the faith healer. Wolfe performed many feats that would mesmerize. Many would think that there are tricks behind his acts. But no one has ever been able to figure it out. This movie is about magic and political intrigue. What you see is a slight of hand. Being from Australia is something that I like to see. At least it's not a Mad Max film. Don't try to figure out the tricks in the film. Otherwise, you just might disappear! 3 out of 5 stars

Powell stars in this eerie Ozploitation thriller as a mysterious faith healer and magician (akin to a modern day Rasputin) whose cure for a senator's ailing son leads to betrayal and revenge. Hemmings co-stars as the emasculated senator whose wife (Duncan) the charismatic jester is now involved imperilling their lives. Broderick Crawford also appears as a shady political figure in one of his final film appearances, whilst Australian veteran actors Gus Mercurio and Alan Cassell have prominent supporting roles (although given the movie purports to be set in the US, both use accents, Cassell's being dubbed)

The atmospherics are spot-on, and despite the supernatural aspects, there's nothing fantastical about the underlying sinister attitude (although his outfit is sometimes distracting), and quiet menace of which Hemmings grows suspicious. It's genuinely scary at times and although there's a few missed opportunities for suspense, and some contrivances to tolerate, Powell creates a cultivated and engaging character at times as sympathetic as he can become cruel. That's not to say the performance is uneven though, it's just good acting.

Wincer shows his talent for storytelling, seamlessly blending dark occult themes with occasional dry humour (a great scene where Powell enthralls and then enrages his dinner party hosts with a crafty carrot trick), and then the more violent climax is tense and unnerving. Not a masterpiece, and the decision to set the story in another country was an unwise distraction (it would've worked perfectly well set locally with less distraction) from what is still an engaging Ozploitation thriller.

Fascinating, dark study of a political family seduced by the powers of a traveling magician who befriends their ill son. The story works well on that level, and the acting is certainly passable enough to be entertaining.

Even more fascinating when one realizes that this is a retelling of the historical plot of the fall of the Czar of Russia! In history, Nicholas (Nicky in this film) and Alexandra (Sandy) had and extremely ill son, Alexander (Alex) and allowed the "Mad Monk" Gregory Rasputin (Gregory Wolfe) into the family with his promises of a cure for the the boy. Viewed on this level, this interesting enough B-movie become a fascinating study in parallels. Well worth a rental and some time to enjoy!