In this film you have Willem Dafoe, great actor that he is, and the writer of Taxi Driver Paul Schrader collaborating on a drama about drug addiction and drug selling. Basically, I was enthralled. I definitely got excited, and I almost didn't watch it for many reasons. But, then I decided screw it and I threw it on last night. I wasn't expecting too much, and I'm glad I wasn't. Cause although this movie isn't bad, it certainly isn't all that great either.
Willem Dafoe plays John LaTour, who's a struggling ex drug addict. He still sells the stuff, and he's in the process of putting his life back together, getting ready to go on the straight and narrow along with his friends. The whole basis of the film is regrettably slim, which I think was problem number one. Willem Dafoe's John character is already on the straight, he's already made his choice, and apparently that's just fine with everyone. He woos his ex flame Marianne, who's looking quite Demi Moore-like in this flick. He's also selling the drugs and generally just living life.
The first like, solid hour of the movie....not much really happens? Eventually John sells drugs to white collar criminal Tis Brooke. Turns out John's ex Marianne is there too, possibly immersed in the drug world, and then later that night she apparently jumps to her death from the same room where John came and sold the drugs. Now John has to get reacquainted with the underworld in order to extract some sort of revenge for the death of Tis.
Given all this, the end was cool. The last 40 minutes are solid. But goddamn, I literally do not remember any of the first like hour. I mean, I'm sure things happened. Mild sexual tension between Susan Sarandon and Dafoe. But in the end I felt like this movie was almost too upbeat and carefree. In the end of the movie (spoilers) Dafoe kills like 3 of the people he blames for Marianne's death. And then he's in prison he's totally carefree and happy, and making moves on Sarandon who is like, sure I'll fuck you. It seems like everything in this film is of no consequence essentially. And Dafoe seems almost like too much of an all around happy, successful bro.
This movie will join the ranks of the odd ones I've seen on here, especially those 90's crime capers. In a way, this was the last bit of the classic crime era, and I'm not saying they are bad now I'm saying the genre has been stylized a lot and sold differently. You don't see a lot of drama character studies at ALL anymore, especially crime drama character studies. It bombed at the box office, it was very quickly forgotten.... But Dafoe does a great job and looks hot as FUCK, and the movie is alright. It's not one to search out or anything, but it'll do.
I almost gave it three stars just now. Seems really high. Then I was like, okay two then. But was it that bad? No. So in the middle, 2.5 stars.
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