So...This Is Gothic, huh???
A Review of Gothika
Gothika. Dir. Mathieu Kassovitz. 2003.
The only thing that I found GOTHIC (in the 80's sense of the word) in Gothika, which stars the Oscar-winning Halle Berry and our forever drug-addicted bad boy Robert Downey, Jr., was that everything seemed to occur at night, or in the rain, or in the presence of a tattooed, insane, pain loving sadist. In fact, it wasn't until the end of this film that the sun started shining. Then, of course it was too late, at least for the characters: almost everyone was dead anyway.
This is not to say that the movie, which I have to state was disappointing in general, did not have redeeming qualities. Halle looked great, of course--even when director Mathieu Kassovitz tried to make her look disshelved. She is one of those women who is beautiful, even when running for her life, or when heavily medicated (I personally wish I were one of that ilk, but alas...I would look scared, doped-up, and disheveled). Another great looking actress in this dark chiller is Penelope Cruz, who plays the mental patient who opens the movie by describing how she slit her step-father's throat. Like any good mental patient, she will appeal to the curious sicko in all of us; she details the incident like it was cutting a piece of fruit (yum, can't wait to find THAT mango!).
Still, Gothika is more than about looking good. Another positive side to this flick is that it contains several plot twists, and I mean the kind that viewers never suspect. Better yet, these twists occur when they should, so close to the end of the film that viewers' suspicions don't ruin the movie for them. And there is some top-notch acting in Gothika.
John Carroll Lynch, who some may remember from Fargo (Norm, the supportive husband) and the Drew Carey Show (the cross-dressing brother who marries Mimi and becomes a supportive husband), gives a great performance, once he is allowed to display his deeply buried psychosis. In addition, there are some catchy lines, such as when the asylum's director offers Downey a cigar. When he trims it, he tells Downey that his cigar "has just been circumcised."
Hmmmm....think that would work on ex-husbands too?
Another great scene (and we're back to looks again) was one which showed Halle in near nakedness (this is a plus for any pre-pubescent boy who delights in seeing this gorgeous actress curled up in the fetal position and lying naked on the shower room floor), attempting to "to wash her sins away," as the nurse had instructed her to do. Yet in this frustrating scene which will resonate with viewers who have been under a doctor's care, the only washing was of several medications. They were washed down the character's throat. This led to another wonderful line, "you can't trust someone when they think you're crazy."
Hmmmm....perhaps that is why this reviewer is never quite trusted.
More importantly, as any gothic film worth its price of admission, Gothika does offer viewers some cool music. Limp Bizkit's version of "Behind Blue Eyes" was almost worth the ticket price alone (had I paid to see the movie).1 However, the rest of the soundtrack leaves something to be desired.
Speaking of leaving something to be desired, I have to say that, for the most part, this film slogs through the rain and muck in a East Coast insane asylum where the electricity is continuously going out. It is a routine thriller/horror movie, kept from being a B flick because of the saving grace at the end. For some, Gothika may merit the now exorbitant ticket price of seeing a movie, and possibly the extra $20 for popcorn and a beverage. But I suggest that fans of slightly repetitive, rainy horror thrillers wait for the DVD/VHS edition and invest in that, as well as in the inevitable Part 2.
All in all, Gothika was not a total washout for this reviewer. I didn't have to pay for the ticket, and the movie was preceded by an excellent meal (that also did not come out of my wallet). Maybe one doesn't have to look like Halle or Penelope to reap some benefits....
1If you can catch the Limp Bizkit video for this old "Who" song, it is most definitely worth watching (several times, at least). Fred Durst pulls off an angst-ridden and slightly angry millennium version of Roger Daltrey like no one else could.