Un detective... particolare

"The January Man" bombed both with critics and the box office when it was released to theaters. It doesn't take long watching it to figure out why. The script, for starters, is a real mess. It takes deadly serious elements and mixes them with broadly comedic elements. It might have been possible to balance them properly when it came to filming them, but the cast doesn't seem capable of doing so. Except maybe for Alan Rickman, the cast gives really awful performances (especially Rod Steiger), not helped by a number of instances of some really terrible dialogue. You can sense director Pat O'Connor's lack of assurance with this project, not just that he couldn't steer the cast properly, but with a screenplay that has a number of elements that feel half baked or unfinished. (Actually, there are signs that the original cut of the movie was more coherent, but got edited down to a shorter running time before being released.)

However, I have to admit that the movie remains weirdly watchable. It's so odd in its changing tone, next to incoherent at times with its story, and packed with really bad performances by a normally talented cast, that you can't help but keep watching in order to see what next miscalculation will be displayed on the screen. It certainly doesn't make the big mistake of being boring. If you have an interest in major studio movies that go wrong in just about every way you can think of, this does deliver.

I'm watching the "thrilling" climax as I type this.

Listen, folks, this film wasn't meant to be taken seriously, it's meant more as a parody or farce. Just listen to the soundtrack during the "dramatic" moments, it's not even trying to be serious. I'm guessing the cast was struggling to keep from bursting out in laughter during the filming because it really is stuffed full of every imagineable cliche.

Though there are some original lines. "I want to make you haggis." I mean, come on, how can anyone even begin to imagine this was meant seriously. It's like a police drama version of "Showgirls".

Well, without as much skin. ;-)

January man is kind of a neat movie that is clearly a romantic comedy masquerading as a psychological thriller. It has a wonderful cast, an acclaimed screenwriter and even a Marvin Hamlisch score. The film was billed as almost an older version of 'The Bone Collector'. But it seems more like a serial killer version of 'Moonstruck'. I can see why many people were disappointed in the film. They saw the movie from a totally different angle. The serial killer (the January man) is almost ancillary to the actual plot of the movie. It is a Kevin Kline driven vehicle with a old and new love interest(Sarandon & Mastrantonio). It has the re-reinstatement of a hero cop who takes a fall from grace for his brother (Harvey Keitel)and is banished from the police department and is relegated to fighting fires rather than criminals. It has the cro-magnon police captain (Aiello) and the even older Mayor(Steiger). All these pieces of the puzzle come together to provide decent little film which I think is clearly misunderstood.

I have always had "The January Man" on tape, but I never really sat down and watched it. One day I decided to give it a try, and I must say that it was unbelievable. Definitely one of Kline's best roles. Don't get me wrong, he was great in "A Fish Called Wanda", but he was in perfect form as Nick Starkey. And Rod Steiger was hilarious. And Alan Rickman was perfect as Ed. Great casting there. An amazing script, well directed, and great acting all around. I give it four out of four stars.

One of Kevin Kline's better films. An interesting thriller of a flic with a very good supporting cast. So good in fact that Danny Aiello as the highly agitated police administrator & Alan Rickman as "Ed" nearly steal the show. The movie has an interesting plot and some reasonably good humor to go along with the suspense of the story line. If you're looking for a good suspense movie, a few laughs or if you're just a Kevin Kline fan who wants to catch up on his back catalog give January Man a play. You definitely won't regret it.