Pathology

After seeing an advanced screening, this film honestly delivered more than expected. Not being a fan of the gruesome torture-porn films so wide-spread in recent years, nor of the writers previous film (utterly ridiculous, in my opinion), I had reservations going in. Not in regards to the abilities of the cast, but as to how the concept of the film would be handled on the screen. The first 10 minutes, while well done, gave me pause as to whether the filmmakers would get beyond showing how extreme and outrageous they could be to an actually engaging story. In the end, I found the graphic and brutal nature of some of the scenes to support the development of the story and it's well drawn characters as well as the effective exploration of the darker potentials of the human psyche. My final impressions were of the solid performances of the cast and how the film was able to accomplish making the outrageous and often twisted ways of its characters seem both natural and plausible given the context of the story. I highly recommend giving this film a shot, even if it isn't a genre you'd typically see.

Now this looks great on paper. The core idea revolves around a group of pathology interns playing murderous games after dark. Commit the smartest murder you can, submit it to the group who then have to work out how you did it. There's a quality idea in there and plenty of opportunity for a gritty and intelligent thriller exploring the darker side of our naturally murderous psyches. It's pretty obvious that's not what the writers of "Crank" are going to give you though.

In practise it all feels a tad eighties, like a cross between "Flatliners" and "The Lost Boys", and when the edgy bad boy pathologists are roaming the halls it's like the brat pack never went away. However, where Keifer Sutherland's pack of vampires were an understandably seductive prospect, it's impossible to believe that all it would take was some gentle bullying and a hint of potential lesbian action to turn Milo Ventimiglia's posh grade A super student into a murderous crack addict.

Still, suspend your disbelief and that's forgive-able. There is some good fun here, particularly in the performances which are all pretty decent, and things (ahem) perk up whenever Alyssa Milano is on screen. The main problem is how hard the movie tries to be adult, and the constant swearing, rutting and drug use has a whiff of "Hollyoaks In The City" desperation about it. It's such a constant barrage that it becomes, well, a bit dull unfortunately. Shame, there's a good movie in there somewhere and with a defter touch and a bit more maturity this could have been pretty special.

Hi friends - I'm going to be honest here, PATHOLOGY really impressed and surprised me. On the surface PATHOLOGY seems like a fun, silly, popcorn movie (from the writers of CRANK) in the vein of FLATLINERS or ANATOMY – however, excellent direction, great photography, and solid performances really elevate this little horror/thriller and make it so much better than I (and I'm assume you) could expect. It's a shame that MGM hung this movie out to dry in the theaters but I'm guessing it's because they didn't know how to market it. You see: PATHOLOGY is kind of immoral, mean spirited, filled with sex, and features some great medical based gore – my (and I'm assuming your) kind of movie – but certainly not an easy sell. I guess at it's core PATHOLOGY is a fun, silly, popcorn movie but it's executed so well that it rises above the rest of the trash in the theater right now (4.20.08). So check this movie out – I think you (and you) will like it.

"Pathology," the 2008 film directed by Marc Schoelermann from a screenplay by Neveldine & Taylor (the writing team behind "Crank") is not a bad film, but is a fairly gripping and entertaining thriller once you get used to it. (At the very least, it makes great late-night TV fanfare.) Though you should be warned, the graphic autopsy sequences and disturbing subject matter may turn off some viewers not yet accustomed to extreme violence and gore and drug-induced, abhorrent sexual behavior.

Ted Grey (Milo Ventimiglia, of television's "Heroes") graduates at the top of his medical school class and soon finds himself enrolled at one of the nation's top pathology programs. He is noticed by Dr. Jake Gallo (Michael Weston), the leader of a group of brilliant and privileged but elite band of interns who are engaged in a rather dangerous and deadly anti-social past-time: they test each other to see who can commit the perfect murder. Ted is eventually seduced into the joining the group and participating in their shadowy extracurricular activities, but eventually comes to realize just how high the stakes really are and the extreme measures he must take to stay one step ahead of their game to keep from being their next victim.

Pathology, in case you don't know, is the "the science or the study of the origin, nature, and course of diseases" (source: Dictionary.com). So of course, such studies are taken to an illogical extreme in "Pathology," which is a rather worthwhile late-night medical thriller.

You shouldn't look for any Oscar-winning performances here, but the movie's shining light does just happen to be Milo Ventimiglia. Ventimiglia, who plays my favorite character Peter Petrelli from TV's "Heroes," is able to effectively show off a radically different side of his personality here that we have never seen from the actor before. "Pathology" is one example of how his pretty-boy looks can be overlooked because we can now concentrate on the character. He is no longer a pretty boy here, but is instead a dangerous, morally gray anti-hero who realizes how high the stakes really are and what he must do to survive.

"Pathology" is an all right thriller for the late-night movie crowd. It has its faults, yes, but Milo Ventimiglia and the disturbingly fascinating subject matter are able to make it slightly better-than-average late-night TV fanfare.

7/10

I was very surprised and a little disappointed to see the low IMDb rating this film has thus far (6.1/10). While the movie is definitely not for children, nor for those adverse to blood/gore, nor for those disturbed by scenes of kinky sex; for the rest of us this is an entertaining movie with lots of morbidly amusing moments.

After a freakish opening scene Alyssa Milano kicks off the movie moaning "F*$% Me..." The story then quickly progresses to the mortuary where several morbid scenes of pathologists ripping open bodies while cracking jokes and playing with body parts occurs. And thats just the beginning.

The cinematography is excellent and the setting is superb. The storyline and plot are mostly predictable with a few surprises thrown in. The acting is decent, nothing great yet nothing that detracts from the film. The dialog is well-written and morbidly amusing at times. This is by far the best film I've seen Alyssa Milano in although she has a relatively small part.

Pathology is pure escapism, glorifying sociopathic behavior while reveling in money, sex and power. A wildly entertaining film from a relatively newbie director.