Rating: R
Genre:
Thriller
Release Date: 04/23/2002
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English/Espanol
Sound: DS
Run Time: 90 min
Distributor/Studio: Lions Gate
Smalltime racketeer
Mark Driscoll (
Tim Dutton) returns to his Isle of Man home on the eve of an important bit of economic thievery -- and if he fails by morning to make a substantial deposit into the account of a ruthless gangster, he's going to be English history. But when he gets home to his palatial estate he finds his beautiful wife,
Sally (
Sherilyn Fenn), in the company of an agitated neighbor,
John (
Ray Winstone), who has been secretly locking doors and disabling alarms when
Sally wasn't looking. Once
Mark enters,
John makes his intentions ever so gradually clear as he begins a circuitous line of questioning regarding his comatose wife's recent car accident. Before they know it,
Mark and
Sally are bound, gagged, and forced to listen to a version of the accident that will forever change their lives.
~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
This snarky
mystery-thriller is basically a three-person play -- indeed, it's based on one -- so those looking for wide-ranging action should look elsewhere. But those who enjoy challenging logical puzzles, this conversation is for you.
Ray Winstone, who finally gained international notice in his star turn as
Gal in
Sexy Beast (2000), works wonders as the otherwise boring accountant who is driven to dementia (or is he delusional at all?) by a tragedy he suspects is something other than the official version. This is one of those small films that delight art house fans who enjoy a cunning performance by an actor thoroughly in command of his craft; you get a thrill out of watching his eyes shift as he mind races to its next bizarre leap of logic.
Sherilyn Fenn, never one to need a new gown on Oscar night, brings a frantic, if out of place, energy to her role as a displaced American living in remote England, but she doesn't ruin the mood (well, not of
every scene) or embarrass herself against better actors (well, not
too much).
~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
