Poe-17 Sam J. (jees! what an actor), one more time simply becomes the character the tale requires. Where the "bleep" are all his awards? Nevermind ...It's a murder mystery. No not that kind. The sleuth here is mental case who lives in a dome of rocks in a park. Except he's a musical genius who is in constant battle with some kind of mind controlling rays from a Capitalist Wizard named Inversol (or something like that) abiding in an ivory tower over looking the city. Wait, wait ... it's about his impossible relationship with his daughter. No, wait ... it's about this mental being the one to figure out the "who dunnit". Except he isn't mental, is he? Society is mental or is it what passes for society? Or not.And it's about art using the human psyche as its canvas and when art wanders over a cliff.Can you imagine an actor the caliber of Samuel Jackson reading this script and nodding? It's as wacky as its title. But watch him do it, watch him bring Romulus Ledbetter to life.The movie would have been decent with another talented actor in the lead but SJ set the character on fire and set it in concrete.The film's problem? Samuel Jackson's performance elevated the bar to a level the rest of the movie didn't see coming. So while the movie is better than it should have been, it seems to miss its bullseye at the same time.With just a bit of tweaking, anticipating the Romulus Ledbetter SJ would create, "The Caveman's Valentine" would have found itself sharing shelf space with genuine classics.Absolutely ... WOW!

Paladin Steelbreaker This is one seriously strange movie. I guess it had to be, since the main character are a paranoid schizophrenic. The movie runs like a weird old fashioned murder mystery. And of cause there is an investigator, our schizophrenic caveman.Thankfully the director doesn't go over board in his attempt at taking us into the messed up head of the main character. this and the fact that Samuel knows not to overplay, makes Ledbetter's mental illness believable, yet lets us see the brilliant mind he still possesses.I give the movie an 8, but still I am a little disappointed. I feel the plot lacks a few twist and turns. If it had that, then this would maybe rate as high as a 10. I also would have liked to see a little more interaction, and cooperation between Ledbetter and his daughter.Anyway, this is a well worth watching movie. I feel it takes the old murder mysteries into the modern movie world and does a decent job in revitalizing the old genre.I think you should watch this movie. Well that's all for this time.

gridoon "The Caveman's Valentine" is a fascinating, uncondescending exploration of schizophrenia AND a workable mystery with a surprise at the end. Before viewing it, I expected more of the latter, but the movie keeps its ingredients on a uniquely suspenseful balance. Samuel Jackson is impressive, both for accepting such an "unglamorous" role and for the way he actually pulls it off. Movies that have something different to show you are so rare these days that when you get the chance to watch one, you shouldn't miss it. (***)

Andrew Manning Samuel L Jackson is the finest actor of his generation, so what he's doing in this load of rubbish I don't know. Sam portrays Romulous Ledbetter, a gifted pianist whose mental illness destroys his career and leads to live in a cave. How he managed to overcome these demons and become successful only to sucumb to them again we never find out. The catalyst for his descent into civilisation is the discovery of a body in a tree near his cave. After this, the film turns into a second rate episode of Columbo with Sam uncovering clues left, right and centre only to be thrawted by masked men trying to keep the deadly secret. The general problem with this film is the story. It attempts to be a murder mystery which is trying to make a point about mental illness but instead becomes lost in itself amid a clutch of over the top performances and outlandish ideas (we are expected to believe a white banker would offer a suit and a place to stay to a delirious black man). This film sat on the shelf in Britain for three years and it only came out here last week. Sam (who also co-exec produces) is a far better actor than this material deserves and the only reasonable explanation as to why he took this was as a favour to his Eve's Bayou director Kasi Lemmons. Avoid at all costs and if you want a good Sam movie, go get Amos and Andrew.