Sunday, March 27, 2005

Fear X (2005)

Sometimes, you just don't know. Take John Turturro in this film. He doesn't know who killed his wife. James Remar does know who killed Turturro's wife, but he doesn't know Turturro. And Deborah Kara Unger doesn't know why her husband (Remar) is acting weird. This is set up by writer/director Nicolas Winding Refn, who also doesn't know. He doesn't know much, to be honest. He doesn't know how to keep a story moving, nor does he know how to create complelling characters. Most importantly, though, he doesn't know any more than his characters know. So, when the time comes to let us know, he has to throw his hands up and say "I don't know!" That's why nobody in this film knows -- because there's nothing to know. Having seen this, I know that the film is a tease, an enigma with no payoff. We get to the end and nobody knows anything. I guess it's supposed to be about how you can look and look and still not know anything more than when you started. Even when you know that maybe a different angle will help, you still won't know. But one thing I do know is that even if that's true, the director didn't need to make a film that embodies that idea. No matter how you look at this film, you won't know anything about it because there's nothing to know. It's a know-free zone. So if anyone asks you if you want to see this, say no. Because nothing's more annoying than a director who doesn't know his own material. Ya know?

Grade: D

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