Enquête dans l'impossible

Oddball mystery that I suspect is not for everyone. Joel Grey plays a psychic, Franklyn Wills, who wants to help the cops solve a gruesome parking lot murder. On their first meeting he establishes some credibility by knowing a number of details not mentioned in the media, thus provoking the curiosity of head cop Lee Tucker (Robertson). How, we wonder, does Wills know these details. Is he a real psychic or maybe even the killer himself just playing games with the cops. Thus begins a stormy collaboration between the head cop and the psychic, as Lee not only investigates the murder but has to figure out what's going on with Wills who keeps coming up with more interesting facts.

This is one of the more unsettling films I've seen, mainly because Wills' behavior is completely unpredictable when he goes into his sudden psychic trances. He may leap on a desk, roll on the floor, or go into jerky spasms no matter where he is. Grey is an elfin-like presence anyway, so these sudden seizures are truly disturbing, even scary. When not in a clairvoyant state, he's not what you'd suspect from a killer, all smiles and disarming demeanor, even when Lee throws him against a wall in utter frustration. All in all, Grey delivers a cunning performance, one of the most unusual I've seen. His Franklyn Wills remains truly an enigma.

In contrast, Robertson wisely low-keys his role, with a deadpan expression, soft voice, and unblinking stare as he observes the strange little man who seems in communication with something—but what. And when Lee and his wife start getting strange phone calls and knocks on the door, everyone figure it's got to be Wills, but why. What could he hope to gain. His behavior seems beyond strange.

In a sense, the movie dwells almost obsessively with the relationship between these two. There are no real subplots or principal characters apart from them. Thus, it's two hours of trying to figure out whether Wills is a true psychic or not. The fact that the film is based on a true story makes the mystery even more intriguing. I suspect many folks are put off by the morbid undertones of the unvarying plot, and that plus an unconventional ending may have something to do with the film's obscurity. Nonetheless, for some folks, like me, it's a fascinating sleeper, with its own style of intrigue, and continues to cast a haunting spell.

I've been curious to see this since it came out (I was too young then), as it sounded interesting. But no one has ever really claimed this as some underrated classic, and while many idiosyncratic suspense films and cop thrillers of the 1970s have since gotten some of the appreciation they didn't get then, "Man on a Swing" is still a misfire--a movie whose intriguing elements never really turn into "something," or "go anywhere." Even the ambiguity of providing no conventional resolution (because the real-life case didn't have one) doesn't really work, because Perry's direction doesn't make a central virtue of paranoia and ambiguity, unlike better films such as the same year's "The Conversation" or "The Parallax View."

So what we get is a long, somewhat plodding murder mystery with a glum Cliff Robertson not making enough of his role, a host of good supporting actors not really given the chance to do much with theirs, and Joel Grey simply making too much of his part as the clairvoyant. He certainly livens up the film, but as the movie is primarily naturalistic in tone and cinematic style, his very showy, theatrical performance is kind of like placing a snow leopard in a pen of domestic cats and expecting us to think "Yeah, I suppose that makes sense." There are moments when the mixture approaches a kind of chill uncanniness that would have made a bolder film truly haunting. But this one doesn't commit to any path enough to make an impression more than of strong but elusive potential frustratingly unfulfilled.

This is a Virtually Unknown Film Featuring Joel Grey, Fresh From an Oscar,

Dominating the Police Procedural of a Murder-Investigation that is Decidedly Not Normal Procedure.

Law Enforcement and Other Conservative by Nature Foundations have an On-Going "Love-Hate" Relationship with Anything Perceived as "Paranormal".

For Example, the U. S. Govt. Using "Psychics".

Behind the Scenes for 20 Years in What was Called "Stargate",

Developing a "Remote Viewing" Program of Out of Body Explorations of just About Anything.

They Concluded that the Program was a Failure and Halted the Study.

But Not Before Funding the $20 Million and Staying with it for 20 Years.

The Facts Tell a Different Story.

The Insiders Insist there were Many "Hits" well Beyond Chance and the Announcement of Termination was just PR and the Remote Viewing Program just went "Under the Radar".

This Film is a Low-Budget Foray Highlighting Law Enforcement and Their Ultra-Skeptical Inclusion of a Clairvoyant in a Murder Investigation.

The Mystery that Maybe His Information is Coming by Way of More Sinister Methods.

Virtually a 2-Man-Show with the Highlights Grey's Embodiment of a "Trance" Whereby He is "Shown" what Could-Be a "Record" of What Took Place.

Cliff Robertson, Constantly Sucking on Cans of "Bud" and Other Alcoholic Beverages,

and What Today Would Never Pass as a Reality, On the Job, at Work with a Fridge by His Desk at Work.

Otherwise, Robertson's Character is a Non-Descript Non-Entity.

It's the Joel Grey Show because Not Much Else Stands Out.

But it's a Show Worth Catching,

to "Catch-Up" on Hidden Gems of the 70's and Films Neglected, Forgotten,

or Otherwise Lurking in the Shadows for "Buffs" to Discover.

Based on a baffling real-life murder case wherein a clairvoyant enlisted his services to an investigative reporter to help find the killer of a woman found dead in her car. As the psychic who may or may not be a fraud, Joel Grey (fresh from his Oscar-win in "Cabaret") gives another startling, no-holds-barred performance. He acts rings around Cliff Robertson (whose character is upgraded to police chief) and everyone else in the cast! It's a compelling job, but how's the movie? The actual case chronicled in William A. Clark's book "The Girl on the Volkswagen Floor" was never properly solved, so don't look for any twists in the plot. It's a gritty, well-made film that might've been even better with someone else in Robertson's part (the man stares in silent concentration, but his unblinking expression reveals nothing). Not the battle of wits you may be hoping for, but still interesting. ** from ****

Cliff Robertson plays the local sheriff who investigates the murder of Maggie Dawson, an attractive young woman. He is offered assistance by Joel Grey, a local psychic. As the plot develops, it becomes clear that either Grey, playing Franklin Wells, has psychic powers, or is involved in the murder. This is undeniably a "B" movie, but the acting, except for the always awful Elizabeth Wilson, is good-great. The writing is very good, with a scene when Robertson receives a Christmas card that shows how a good screenwriter can take an ordinary event and make it near terrifying. The way the sign of the motel scrawls across Robertson's police car window is very clever. Highly recommended.