Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 24, 1994 TAG: 9411050017
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
That's the subject of four new video releases, three homegrown and one import.
"The Custodian" is a realistic Australian drama about police corruption. It's a story of moral complexity that deals in shades of gray. As such, it comes close to a Joseph Wambaugh novel in its portrayal of men (and a few women) who are tested by a variety of temptations.
James Quinlan (Anthony LaPaglia) is an honest cop who has come to realize that his honesty is cold comfort in today's world. His refusal to accept any extra money or favors has destroyed his marriage, and when he sees how well his friend and partner Frank (Hugo Weaving, from "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert") is living, he questions his values. Is he principled, or is he naive?
As he sees it, the financial corruption of the department flows from the top down, so he can't even trust Ferguson (Barry Otto), a lawyer from Internal Affairs who suspects that gambling money is involved. Quinlan's only possible ally is Reynolds (Kelly Dingwall), an idealistic TV reporter whose boss (Bill Hunter, also from "Priscilla") may be part of the problem, not part of the solution.
At times, it may seem that writer-director John Dingwall lets the pace move a little slowly and stretches too far with some of his sytlistic flourishes. Those aren't serious problems, though. This is a film about choices - how they are made and what they mean later - so it works through the characters, and the cast is near perfect.
LaPaglia makes Quinlan's introspection interesting and tense. He gets strong support from Weaving, Otto and Essie Davis, who makes a memorable debut as a young waitress.
The Australian accents are a little hard to understand at times, but "The Custodian" is still one of the best sleepers in the video store.
"Past Tense" is an inventive lightweight thriller that manages to sustain a fine premise all the way through to the end.
Policeman-novelist Gene Ralston (Scott Glenn) may be going mad. One Sunday, beautiful Tory Bass (Lara Flynn Boyle) moves in across the street. That night she's murdered. Ralston's partner (Anthony LaPaglia, again) investigates. The next day, another woman has moved into the house, and no one on the police force remembers either the murder or the investigation. Then bits of physical evidence begin to show up and vanish at random.
What's going on? Conspiracy, insanity or something else? Ralston's psychiatrist (David Ogden Stiers) is no help.
It's easy enough to come up with that kind of paranoid concept for a suspense story; it's much more difficult to bring it to a satisfactory conclusion. Writers Scott Frost and Miguel Tejada-Flores are up to the task. There's a terrific twist in the middle and the rest of the story stands up, too.
In the first scenes, it looks like director Graeme Clifford doesn't know what he's doing. The pace is flat and he appears to be obsessed with Lara Flynn Boyle's cleavage. Eventually the reasons for those curious techniques are made clear. "Past Tense" probably is too tricky and convoluted for all tastes, but mystery fans with a taste for the (slightly) experimental should give it try.
"China Moon" is much more straightforward. It revisits "Body Heat" country with a story of betrayal and murder in a hot climate.
Kyle Bodine (Ed Harris) is the best homicide detective in Brayton, Fla. He's got a lot to teach his rookie partner (Benicio Del Toro), but neither of them is a match for Rachel Munro (Madeleine Stowe). She is the abused wife of Rupert (Charles Dance), an all-around rat, albeit a wealthy rat.
You can take it from there. Writer Roy Carlson's story isn't exactly filled with surprises, but who cares? It covers familiar ground competently enough, and if Harris and Stowe don't generate William Hurt-Kathleen Turner fireworks, they will keep your attention. Director John Bailey is best known as a cinematographer ("In the Line of Fire," "Ordinary People"), so a strong visual style, particularly in the night scenes, often supersedes substance.
"New Crime City" is a futuristic action flick that borrows blatantly from "The Road Warrior" and "Escape from New York." Our hero is an ex-cop named Ricks (Rick Rossovich) who's got a date with the gas chamber. Seems he ran afoul of the totalitarian authorities in 2020 for helping out the criminal inhabitants of New Crime City, a portion of LA that's been walled off from the rest.
A delightfully evil military type (Stacey Keach) sends Ricks into the place to fetch a virus that's been developed by a local warlord (Rich Dean). Ricks' only assistance comes from Darla (Sherrie Rose), a gutsy heroine.
Overall, the pace is pokey and, with the exception of Keach, the acting is no better than so-so. The film does have an effective post-apocalyptic look and enough unusual quirks, including an aggressive anti-organized religion streak, to keep your finger away from the fast-forward button.
Next week: Non-fiction and Velociraptors!
NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK:
The Wedding Banquet: **1/2
Starring Winston Chao, May Chin, Mitchell Lichenstein, Ah-Leh Gua and Sihung Lung. Written, directed and produced by Ang Lee. FoxVideo. 108 min. Unrated, contains sexual material, strong language, brief nudity.
Imagine a combination of "Green Card" and "La Cage Aux Folles" with a mostly Chinese cast. This light romantic comedy-drama about sexual differences treats both homosexual and heterosexual desire with the same openess, and so may surprise some viewers. Beyond that part of the plot, it's a love story complete with the deceptions and evasions that come with the territory.
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult **1/2
Starring Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, Fred Ward, Anna Nicole Smith. Directed by Peter Segal. Paramount. 83 min. Rated PG-13 for rough language, sexual humor.
This one may not be quite as funny as the first two in the series, but it certainly has its moments, particularly the "Crying Game" spoof.
\ Bad Girls 1/2*
Starring Madeleine Stowe, Drew Barrymore, Mary Stuart Masterton, Andie MacDowell, Robert Loggia. Directed by Jonathan Kaplan. FoxVideo. 110 min. Rated R for strong language, violence, some sexual material.
This allegedly feminist Western is a "Wild Bunch" wannabe. But to recast Sam Peckinpah's rhapsody to male bonding simply doesn't work. The result is a sloppy mess of movie that succeeds only in making its cast look silly. The women play prostitutes turned gunwomen who become involvd with bank robbers. A huge mistake for all concerned.
THE ESSENTIALS:
The Custodian *** Academy. 110 min. Rating pending (probably R) for strong language, violence, brief nudity, sexual content.
Past Tense *** Republic. 91 min. Rated R for strong language, violence, brief nudity, sexual content.
China Moon **1/2 Orion. 99 min. Rated R for strong language, sexual content, brief nudity, violence.
New Crime City ** New Horizons. 95 min. Rated R for violence, strong language, sexual content, nudity.
by CNB