Jon Lansdale is a comic book artist who loses his right hand in a car accident. The hand was not found at the scene of the accident, but it soon returns by itself to follow Jon around, and murder those who anger him.
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Reviews
A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
This is an exciting psychological thriller based on the novel by Mark Brandel "The tail of the lizard" , though was consistently underrated by most reviewers . It's a surprising flick and very intriguing whose value more remarkable is the ambiguity that its filmmaker Oliver Stone poses in this . A surreal psycho-horror pastiche in which a famous cartoonist of comics named "Jonathan Lansdale" (Michael Caine) who lives unhappily with his wife (Andrea Marcovicci) loses a hand , being severed in an unfortunate car accident that ends with his career and creates a strong tension in their marriage . Soon after , the hand is on the loose with a mind of its own . As a harrowing nightmare, the lost hand appears seeking out victims , committing atrocious murders with an obsessive revenge.This first important Oliver Stone film contains chills , thrills , suspenseful and is quite entertaining . It's the first commercial outing in medium budget from Oliver Stone, which was not well received by the criticism at the time. . Stone's sophomore directorial shows us a dense , unique , atmospheric and surreal ambient , where the subjectivity seizes the story . There are times when the film that we question whether what we recount and we see is really the case or any other remedy used to deceive and confuse the spectator . Through the film and gradual manner the story is complicating and becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish reality from fantasy . This theme about a hand on the loose with a a mind on its own is already been seen in former films such as The Hands of Orlac (1924 by Rober Wiene , Mad Love (1934) by Karl Freund with Peter Lorre and Hands of Orlac (1960) by Edmond T Greville with Christopher Lee and Mel Ferrer . First rate acting by Michael Caine as Jon Lansdale , a comic book artist who loses his right hand in a car accident , though Michael said in a TV interview that the only reason he did this film was to earn enough to put a down payment on a new garage he was having built .Oliver Stone initially wanted Jon Voight to play the lead role, but was turned down by him ; Christopher Walken and Dustin Hoffman also declined the role . Very good support cast formed by expert secondary actors such as Bruce McGill , Viveca Lindfords , Rosemary Murphy , among others . Furthermore , a cameo by Oliver Stone as Bum . Colorful cinematography with a right management of the camera by Baggot , as the picture packs a turbid, dark, surreal, disturbing atmosphere . Thrilling and tense musical score by the great James Horner .The motion picture was professionally directed by Oliver Stone , though usually panned by mostly critics , nowadays is best considered .Stone returning from the Vietnam war did his first film , it was a student film entitled Last Year in Viet Nam (1971), followed by the gritty horror film Seizure (1974) for which he also wrote the screenplay. The next seven years saw him direct two films: Mad Man of Martinique (1979) and this The Hand (1981) . He also wrote many screenplays for films such as Midnight express (1978), Conan (1982), and Scarface (1983). Stone won his first Oscar for Midnight express (1978), but his fame was just beginning to show.
So, you're a highly strung cartoonist (sort of Jack Nicholson's illustrator alter-ego of "The Shining") experiencing marital problems when you lose your drawing hand in a freak road accident. From there, your life spirals out of control, as your former appendage takes on an existence of its own, prowling the country-side, defacing your artwork and strangling your bedfellows. You'd go mad - who wouldn't? Michael Caine certainly did, but it's whether his altered state occurred before or after he agreed to make this picture, that is really in question. Sure, it's dark, haunting, there's a grim atmosphere and some gruesome violence, but it never manages to escape the absurd premise.Caine is at his unhinged best, while Marcovicci as his Shelley Duvall, takes flight into the arms of a co-worker, as his odd behaviour turns strangely obsessive. He seems to maintain a psycho-somatic link to his phantom grip, but is he really able to control its actions? That's the sixty-four dollar question that we never really learn, although there's more than a hundred minutes in which to watch it all unravel - the movie that is (it only takes Caine one scene to reach maximum lunacy).Capable supporting cast (McEnroe, McGill, Corley, Lindfors and Murphy) restore some mental equilibrium and the music and cinematography also help create a sense of psychological nightmare in spite of the credibility weaknesses. Had director Stone not been so explicit and only 'played his hand' (so to speak) by implication, this could almost have succeeded. But just when the cast and dialogue seem to have achieved maturity, out pops the crawling, decomposing throwback to the Addams family, with its vice-like mind grip on Caine's cognisance, and an equally taut clasp around a victim's throat. Sordid revision of "The Beast With Five Fingers" is testament only to the longevity of Caine's career, in spite of the plethora of abominable pictures he made in the eighties, of which "The Hand" is exhibit A.
Cartoonist Joe Landsdale (Michael Caine) is in a troubled marriage with Anne (Andrea Marcovicci). She wants to be on her own with their daughter Lizzie (Mara Hobel). In a freak accident Joe's right hand is severed--but the hand itself seems to disappear. He lives but can't draw anymore and his marriage completely falls apart. His disembodied hand also seems to come to life on its own and kills anyone who Joe gets mad at. But is it is hand...or is Joe going mad? The film has potential with a great cast and a VERY bloody scene at the beginning where Caine losses his hand. Then it just falls to pieces. The script becomes very disjointed and all the characters are extremely unlikable. Landsdale comes across as obnoxious and sarcastic and Anne just stands there and takes it. If you're expecting blood and gore from this, don't bother. Aside from that gory opening no one is killed until OVER an hour in! Also director/writer Oliver Stone's sexism comes roaring through--especially in the character of Stella (Annie McEnroe) who is treated horribly. Also bad dialogue doesn't help. Good performances by Caine, Marcovicci and Viveca Lindfors (briefly at the end) can't save this one. It's unpleasant, depressing and full of characters you couldn't care less about. The 6 is for the acting and gore scenes alone. Also Caine mentioned in his autobiography he hated this film. That should tell you all you need to know. Oliver Stone appears as a bum that the hand kills. Too bad it didn't get him before he made this movie!
this movie kinda reminded me of the classic short story The Monkey's Paw,only it isn't as good.it's too long for one thing,and too slow.the concept is interesting,but to me the execution of it goes wrong somewhere.i did find it interesting that Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay and directed the movie.there is nothing political about the movie.this doesn't mean the movie is good of course,but it is an interesting aside,nonetheless.Michael Caine is the lead,and and does an OK job,but the material is not really compelling or even mildly interesting.i watched it for awhile and got bored,so i started talking on the phone with a friend while i continued watching halfheartedly.having said all that,i don't think it is an awful movie,it's just not very interesting.by the way,this movie is part of the Twisted terror Collection,and is also contained in the box set(along with five other titles)of the same name.anyway,my vote for the hand is a 4/10