Dead Awake

...and somewhat believable entertaining plot devices!

I came across this film on my DVR a few days after combing late night TV for zombie movies (by virtue of the film's name)... And though it has less to do with the flesh-eating kind of zombie, Dead Awake has at least one zombie, played by Stephen Baldwin. While I'd like to make a joke at this point about the zombie reference being in reference to Baldwin family acting, he did okay in this one, and plays a corporate warrior who, though is successful, wanders through his days in a zombie-like trance because he is some sort of unexplained insomniac-narcoleptic. He's an insomniac who has is awake most nights and catches his rest in various lengths of micro sleep (with his eyes open). Enough of the plot is disclosed in the IMDb synopsis above (or probably also in the DVD liner notes), so I won't repeat it, but I will relate that some of the plot devices in this murder mystery are all at once simple, yet not completely unbelievable or borrowed/warmed over from other films.

There are also interesting characters and decent camera work. The entire movie has the feeling of Insomnia (the movie with Al Pacino), though it's faster paced and requires less critical or intense thinking. There's a neat scene where the camera moves forward through a cab (in one window, out the other), and then you hear the cab take off, in an obvious attempt to trick the viewer into thinking there's no camera at all. It's easy to figure the trick out, but I appreciated the little extra thought and prep that must have went into the scene, adding to the films overall stream of dreamlike consciousness. It's by no means a "Waking Life" experience, or as contrived as Snatch, but a very unexpected sleeper that I had never heard of before.

The music and ambiance not bad. Though it's filmed in Canada, it leaves you with the feeling that it could be New York, Chicago, or any believable Eastern US metro city.

There is a server at the diner who is legally blind. Unlike so many films that portray blindness (especially low-vision/legal blindness) inaccurately, the blind girl treatment in Dead Awake was quite realistic, and will certainly leave some people wondering "how could she see if she is blind?". She was actually one of the more believable, well-played characters in the film.

Overall, I probably would have walked past this one at the video rental store, especially with Stephen Baldwin on the cover, but I was mildly glad I mistakenly recorded it.

PostScript: There's a short bonus scene in the credits betraying a happy little conclusion to the narcosomnia.

I had no expectations for this straight to Blockbuster Video release starring Stephen Baldwin, but the movie was a pleasant surprise. Film is about insomniac who witnesses a murder late one night while walking. Mystery buffs and fans of thriller films will have no problem figuring out who the villain is or the fact that something else altogether is going on, but the plot isn't really what matters here. The film has an agreeably goofy sense of black humor that keeps the material off-kilter and fun. Michael Ironside is particularly amusing as a loquacious diner patron spouting off about midget cops and sexual symbolism in The Bible. Dead Awake isn't great, but considering that most straight to video thrillers are dreadful, lifeless and dull you have to appreciate it when you find one that's pretty entertaining from beginning to end.

This was a pretty good little thriller. The idea revolving around insomniac Desmond Caine, who wonders the streets at night and witnesses a murder, was good. Did he really see a murder, or is his brain playing tricks on him. It soon becomes apparant that he did really see a murder, which he becomes the lead suspect for, and his life is then in danger.

This is a well paced and soldily directed thriller with good twists and it has a dark and funny comical edge to it. The good thing about this film was that it had a fairly original idea and the film is entertaining. The end was kind of a let down in some ways though. I do think this idea had the potential to be a really good dark and eerie thriller, ore of a horror, while this is more of a quirky thriller.

The cast is good. Stephan Baldwin is good in the lead, as is the gorgeous Maxim Roy as his wife. It is Michael Ironside who steal the show though, he is excellent as one of the strange characters that Desmond meets on his nightly journeys.

Overall this was solid and watchable but most definately not best way to have handled a great idea (much like the handling of Schwarzeneggers 6th day), but it certainly wasn't the worst. 6/10

Funny enough, I have insomnia and have had it for years. This was "one of those nights" and this film came on @ 5:05am. The entire premise, especially in my situation, was enough to keep my attention. Then it went ODD, but with some very memorable characters (look out for the midget cops!) Michael Ironside plays a PERFECT loon. And REALLY ODD, Baldwin plays someone who is incredibly smart, clever, and observant -> and DOES IT BELIEVABLY! (yeah, i couldn't believe it either!) If you're in for some truly bizarre "Lucky Number Slevin" knockoff with those oddball/knotty/curves in a movie, it's worth your time (although if you're observant, you'll catch on to some key parts pretty early on; the plot will have to plug the pieces together though).

I thought it was pretty darn strange, but I DID enjoy it. As an insomniac anyways! :oD

An insomniac (Stephen Baldwin) learns how to wake up during a murder investigation that pits him against women that would die to be his secretary, a whacked-out detective searching for the truth and a sleazy diner full of so-called friends that only want to help. Stephen Balwin puts in another regular performance but this time with a script that shines. It is amost cult level...almost.