18.3.06
The Jacket
The Jacket – 2005
I have noticed I am being very generous with my review ratings. I should be more harsh, but then I realised I have this amazing almost super-human ability to find the good films. I only ever buy great films, renting them first to check if they are worthy of my hard-earned green. In conclusion, I'm great.
This is a great film. It's about a Gulf War veteran who has returned to America with amnesia, after being shot in the head by a child. He ends up getting arrested for a murder he never carried out and placed in an asylum. He receives unusual experimental treatment that gives him lucid visions of the future, where he meets a pretty but run-down girl played by Keira Knightley (lovely small boobs which you get to see... whoooo yeah... one for the team!). It would seem these visions are really him transporting into the future in some way but don't let that bother you – just enjoy the God damn film, dammit. He also finds out from these visions that he is gonna die within a few days back in the asylum, and he must try to discover why. The plot is engrossing, constantly revealing more. I loved the atmosphere supported by good music and the use of colours. The directing is flawless.
The lead is played by Adrien Brody. I've seen him in The Pianist and The Village. I really warmed to him in the former, and this fine performance elevates him to the top of my list of fave actors. He really shows his character's struggle to keep a check on reality and the effects of amnesia and claustrophobia.
Keira did a fine job too with a completely convincing American accent and lovely boobs... sorry. Seriously, though, I do think she has a lot of potential. I hope she steers away from too much mainstream stuff where she will not be given the chance to show what she is capable of. Ya know, when she got naked in The Hole... she was just 16!
Look out for Daniel Craig who plays a crazy guy at the asylum. I did not recognise him at first. Kris Kristofferson (Dr Becker) and Jennifer Jason Leigh (Dr Lorenson) are notable too. 7/10 dammit.
