"The Crossing Guard" is a film that earned back one tenth of its cost...and although it's possible it's still a good movie, such a statistic pretty much says the picture was bad...really bad. And, this is a case where the earnings clearly WERE an indication that the film really wasn't well made, which is amazing considering it stars Jack Nicholson.
The story is about the release of a man from prison after he served a sentence for vehicular homicide while he was driving drunk. The murdered child's father (Nicholson) has planned on murdering the ex-con when he's released.
While the idea of the film could have worked well, there are just so many problems which make the movie a chore to even finish, especially because the more you watch the worse it gets. And, when I say bad.... I mean monumentally bad, offensive and really dumb.
The first problem is that the dead girl's father (Nicholson) is shown as a thoroughly unlikable jerk. To illustrate that, there are many scenes of the guy going to strip clubs (which seemed VERY gratuitous) and really muddles the plot. He also gets into fights, slaps around his ex-wife and is about only relatable if you are Atilla the Hun!
In contrast, the drunk killer is shown is a completely different light. He feels bad about what he's done....bad, bad, bad. Now he doesn't do anything to actually HELP anyone (such as working to help victims or volunteering to help the disadvantaged)...but he REALLY feels bad about what he's done. I did NOT find this endearing....but a bit annoying.
And then there's the end...which goes on and on and on. First, it really makes no sense. It begins with Nicholson's character pulling a gun on the ex-con...and the con points a rifle in return. So what does the ex-con do? He DROPS his rifle and runs! And, you then are treated to what seems like a mini-marathon with Nicholson chasing him all over town. Nicholson never seemed like the athletic type, but here it's just ridiculous given his age (58). But the worst is the final confrontation scene...which just HAPPENS to be on the grave of the dead child!! Subtle, it is not!!
Overall, a horribly written and directed picture (both by Sean Penn). Penn is a fine actor, but here he clearly appears out of his league....and the film is interminably dull, badly constructed and ridiculous.
The story is about the release of a man from prison after he served a sentence for vehicular homicide while he was driving drunk. The murdered child's father (Nicholson) has planned on murdering the ex-con when he's released.
While the idea of the film could have worked well, there are just so many problems which make the movie a chore to even finish, especially because the more you watch the worse it gets. And, when I say bad.... I mean monumentally bad, offensive and really dumb.
The first problem is that the dead girl's father (Nicholson) is shown as a thoroughly unlikable jerk. To illustrate that, there are many scenes of the guy going to strip clubs (which seemed VERY gratuitous) and really muddles the plot. He also gets into fights, slaps around his ex-wife and is about only relatable if you are Atilla the Hun!
In contrast, the drunk killer is shown is a completely different light. He feels bad about what he's done....bad, bad, bad. Now he doesn't do anything to actually HELP anyone (such as working to help victims or volunteering to help the disadvantaged)...but he REALLY feels bad about what he's done. I did NOT find this endearing....but a bit annoying.
And then there's the end...which goes on and on and on. First, it really makes no sense. It begins with Nicholson's character pulling a gun on the ex-con...and the con points a rifle in return. So what does the ex-con do? He DROPS his rifle and runs! And, you then are treated to what seems like a mini-marathon with Nicholson chasing him all over town. Nicholson never seemed like the athletic type, but here it's just ridiculous given his age (58). But the worst is the final confrontation scene...which just HAPPENS to be on the grave of the dead child!! Subtle, it is not!!
Overall, a horribly written and directed picture (both by Sean Penn). Penn is a fine actor, but here he clearly appears out of his league....and the film is interminably dull, badly constructed and ridiculous.