Dostoevsky's story of a cat and mouse game between an amoral seducer, pushed by circumstances toward love, and a mourning cuckold pushed toward hate and revenge is one of the most richly textured and exciting works of fiction in world literature. This indie adaptation boasts a thoughtful reworking of the text for contemporary times and even it's low-budget makes the film seem more real and immediate than an opulent stagy BBC video production would. The downside is that some of the scenes seem like they would have used the benefit of more takes and more coverage. At it's worst, the long-take scenes drag -- but at their best -- as in a suspenseful scene in a bar in which, after a five minute static shot, the camera suddenly makes a rapid track in to an extreme close up of one man giving the other the kiss of death -- are electric. The film doesn't measure up to such moments often enough to make this a definitive adaptation, but it's definitely worth seeing of fans of true psychological drama (as opposed to the more usual "psycho-illogical" dramas).
4 Reviews
Just as creepy as the original novel
squidproquo11 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
The Dostoevsky story on which this is based is one of my favorites, and the filmmakers here do a pretty good job of bringing it to a contemporary context. Alex is visited by his old friend Peter after Peter's wife has died and slowly do we realize that Alex once had an affair with Peter's wife, but also that Peter may indeed know (and also Peter's daughter is really Alex's child).
What's really cool here is the balancing act -- Alex just wants Peter to go away, but, hell, his wife just died and he feels for him -- you get the sense they were once friends. But what is with this guy? He's just so damn creepy and it's never clear if he's motivated by remorse or revenge. The actor who plays Peter is good at this -- maybe a little wooden with the low-key scenes, but really kind of harrowing with the out-there stuff (there's a scene with a prostitute that just stays on his face as this gorgeous song plays and I was torn between utter revulsion and intense sympathy -- lovely).
It doesn't have Hollywood production values to be sure, but it's all about the characters, dude, and that it has.
What's really cool here is the balancing act -- Alex just wants Peter to go away, but, hell, his wife just died and he feels for him -- you get the sense they were once friends. But what is with this guy? He's just so damn creepy and it's never clear if he's motivated by remorse or revenge. The actor who plays Peter is good at this -- maybe a little wooden with the low-key scenes, but really kind of harrowing with the out-there stuff (there's a scene with a prostitute that just stays on his face as this gorgeous song plays and I was torn between utter revulsion and intense sympathy -- lovely).
It doesn't have Hollywood production values to be sure, but it's all about the characters, dude, and that it has.
Powerful, complex drama
bigjoebrown30 June 2003
Warning: Spoilers
I thought this was a really good adaptation of Dostoevsky--a very convincing transition to a contemporary western urban setting. It had a low-budget look and feel, but in spite of that, I thought the director really pulled it off nicely. It was, I thought, really well written--the emotional tug-of-war between the characters well done. Some beautiful, striking shots--unfortunately, my favorite one would give away some plot, and I don't want to be a spoiler, so I'll leave you to see it for yourself!
Absolutely awful.
jackfoley20 September 2002
Caught this on Movie Central. One of the worst films I have ever seen. Gives Canadian cinema a bad name. This Dostoyevsky novel is unread by me, and will likely remain that way, but I'm also going to assume that it will be offensively bad to anyone familiar with the source material. Shame on all involved. Also, I can't believe this film was made in 1999. Has the video quality of a 1970's porno. Awful.
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