breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com
In the life of big name Hollywood actors, it's understandable that not every celebrity is going to be performing in a spectacular film every time a movie comes out with them in it. It's very rare that this does happen, but almost every well-acclaimed thespian has one or two labeled ugly ducklings in their filmography. Surprisingly for this movie, this has been tagged as one of them for almost every popular actor cast in this production. According to what was reported, Universal Studios has disowned this movie for a series of bad test screenings, re-shoots and various producers backing out for unexplained reasons. Starting in 1999, the final product would be shelved for three years before seeing the light of day. Critics were none to pleased in result of it and it continues to be overlooked by many just because of the reputation that it gained. In all sincerity, this is not the worst film any of the crew to this assembly have been in. There are noticeable issues but it doesn't entirely destroy the viewing experience.Viewers are introduced to F.B.I. agent Jake Malloy (Sylvester Stallone) hunting a slippery serial cop killer. Breaking down after witnessing a brutal crime scene, his Captain (Charles S. Dutton) sends him to a solitary location specializing in detoxing cops. There, Malloy meets his fellow patients, but among them is Malloy's deadly suspect of which he's not aware. As death begins to rear its ugly head around the facility, it's up to Malloy and company to figure out who it is and stop them. Based on Jitter Joint, a book written by Howard Swindle, the premise is somewhat close but after that it heads down familiar territory. This is in part based on the adaptation by Ron L. Brinkerhoff (in his first writing credit) and director Jim Gillespie who is best known for making I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). For direction, much of the execution does feel very standard and the writing is weak in a number of areas. Brinkerhoff would later go on to write for The Guardian (2006), which did get more audience approval than critics.Aside from Gillespie's rather cut and dry directing, Brinkerhoff's script has errors that pertain to continuity, unresolved subplots and missing motivations for various characters. For one thing, the killer acts very much like all the other horror icons. How does one have the ability to be in more than one place at once? Yeah, it is supposed to be psychological but once the hand has been revealed, the facts should add up - but they don't. Also there's a lack of reasoning for certain actions various individuals make. Only sometimes is any actual justification given. Lastly when things get resolved, not all threads are tied up. This is probably due to all the reshoots and such the production ended up doing. This isn't so much all Brinkerhoff's fault but he did write it. However even with these problems, not everything is that dreadful. For one thing, Brinkerhoff does manage to keep a few horror cliché's off the list and that is blissfully enjoyable. It's one thing to ask for perfection and it's another to be grateful for the small things.Another plus is the acting, of which all are acceptable. Malloy's (Stallone) fellow patients are Slater (Christopher Fulford), Conner (Sean Patrick Flanery), Rev. Jones (Courtney B. Vance), Noah (Robert Patrick), McKenzie (Robert Prosky), Lopez (Angela Alvarado), Jaworski (Jeffrey Wright) and Brandon (Mif). Overseeing them is Doc (Kris Kristofferson), Jenny (Polly Walker), Hank (Tom Berenger) and Jack (Stephen Lang). For the people mentioned, this is actually a large and well-rounded cast of very well-known actors. Some of which, these actors haven't been in a horror genre film. Seriously, this is the only film in which Stallone is a victim and not the other way around. It's rare to see him act in such a different setting and that deserves credit. Now although the horror element to this movie isn't truly clever, there are some pretty gruesome deaths put on screen. Not all of the kills are on screen but even the aftermaths are a bit unsettling. There are stabs, cuts, strangling and other sorts of acts when the killer is around.The setting to most of the story takes place in an old asylum in the middle of winter. Being that everyone is stuck in the same building and the situation they're in, the story has a mix of the usual horror slasher tropes and John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). For cinematography, Dean Semler worked as the director of photography. Semler has also worked on the Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), We Were Soldiers (2002), xXx (2002), Bruce Almighty (2003) and Maleficent (2014). For the scenes shown no matter if re-shoots or not, all scenes are clear and well-lit where required. Only once was it shaky and that was for a chase scene. The musical score composed originally by John Powell was also well done. Sadly, Powell's score has never been fully released due to the production delays and rejections. Only a couple tracks seem to have surfaced. The music contains beautiful piano themes for Malloy and deep drawn out strings in a minor key with ominous knocking noises to signal the tension.The writing isn't specifically unique in exposition and the execution is your run of the mill. Clarity is also a difficult thing to come by among character decision making. Even with this, the actors perform decently, the violence is fairly brutal, the cinematography is adequate and the music is recognizable. Plus, this is the only horror type film Sylvester Stallone has ever been in.
michaelasiclari
I caught this film late last night on Encore cable channel. The title escaped me, but it sounded like an interesting premise. Well not only was I surprised how entertaining this movie was, but I was even more surprised how impressive Stallone's performance was, considering most of his roles for the last decade or so were the usual dumb action hero types whose conversational skills consisted of grunts and groans mostly.In the film "Eye See You " (2002) STALLONE GIVES HIS ALL ! AN unusually vulnerable as well as poignant portrayal of a grieving FBI agent who turns to the bottle. I won't give the storyline away, but it also has outstanding performances by Robert Patrick, Sean Patrick Flannery and Charles S. Dutton. Most of the film takes place in a snowbound Detox center in Wyoming run by ex cop Kris Kristopherson. More of a murder mystery than action flick which is refreshing for a Stallone movie, and a fair amount of gruesome murders to boot! I recommend it, not only for Sly fans, but for horror fans as well.
Paul Andrews
D-Tox starts as FBI agent Jake Malloy (Sylvester Stallone) is on the hunt for a serial killer who has killed nine cops in six months, while at the scene of the latest victim the kill calls Malloy to taunt him & say that he is at Malloy's house. The police arrive too late & the killer has murdered Malloy's wife Mary (Dinah Meyer), the killer escapes & over the next six months Malloy slips into alcoholism & depression. His friend Hendricks (Charles S. Dutton) suggests that Malloy should check into a detox clinic in remote Wyoming that specialises in alcoholic cops, Malloy agrees in an attempt to get his life back on track. Once there Malloy settles in but a huge snowstorm cuts the remote ex military bunker off & the various patients start to turn up dead, at first suicide is considered but it quickly becomes apparent that a killer from Malloy's past has followed him there & intends to kill everyone...Briefly retitled Eye See You for home video release in the US this American & German co-production was directed by Jim Gillespie & the script was based on the book 'Jitter Joint' by Howard Swindle although I have not read it so I cannot compare the final film with the book, generally speaking D-Tox wasn't that well received when it was originally released but I have to say that I thought it was quite good actually & I have certainly seen worse Hollywood productions than this. D-Tox starts out as a promising psycho thriller with a decent set-up where Stallone's wife is murdered as he has to stand by helpless, it's quite nice to see a script where a central character doesn't get over the death of someone close in five minutes or swear blind vengeance & starts killing everyone in sight. Once we get to the detox clinic there's a decent array of character's on show, most with some sort of history & just enough about them to make you care. So the set-up, the story & the character's are all solid but once the snowstorm kicks in & the place is cut-off D-Tox turns into a fairly stand slasher film as these character's are just wasted & end up being nothing more than victims. Even Stallone's character seems to forget about his loss & problems & becomes an action hero, the intriguing set-up is just wasted & while it moves along at a decent pace & there are a couple of reasonable twists & turns the script never had me on the edge of my seat or particularly surprised me for that matter & the revelation of the killer is rather half hearted & lacks impact. However, as I said I think D-Tox does have some good things going for it, a solid story, solid character's & some decent suspense as well but it could have been so much more. If the final half an hour hadn't descended into various people walking around dark corridors & the early promise the film had shown had been carried on then this might have been a bit of a gem, as it is it's good but not great.To it's credit D-Tox looks great, the harsh cold outdoor terrain & the cold grey interior of the clinic give the film a really isolated & dark feel. There's a bit of gore as someone gets a drill in the eye, someone is impaled & a bit of blood is seen. Surprisingly light on action that is maybe one reason Universal didn't know quite what to do with it, D-Tox was originally filmed in 1999 but sat on the shelf for a few years before Universal sold the theatrical rights off & it flopped in the US.With a supposed budget of about $55,000,000 this looks very good with sleek, cold & stylish production design. Filmed in Los Angeles & in Canada. The acting is pretty good by a decent cast, Stallone is alright while Tom Berenger, Robert Patrick & Kris Kristofferson add able support.D-Tox is a decent horror thriller murder mystery with a little more depth than usual, it's not the best film out there but the story should keep you guessing & the atmospheric looks & feel of the film help t create a fairly engaging & watchable whodunit. I have seen a lot worse then this anyway.
