Powerful

Highly Overrated But Still Good

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

I've read so many positive things about this flick and by running through my Fango's I came across this flick again, so time for hunting it down and watch it.It was written that it was extreme gory. Can't say I found it a gory flick. There are moments that are maybe a bit gory like removing a fingernail or cutting hair to closely to the skin but for me that was all. That it is disturbing, on that fact I can agree somehow. But overall it failed a bit, my expectations were too high. If you are into sick flicks about characterisation of a disturbed mind then this is probably your thing but to say it was a horror, not really. Not my cup of tea sadly even as I can dig real sickies.Gore 0,5/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 2,5./5 Comedy 0/5

Mental illness is a sensitive topic, no matter what the disorder. When a film is made that try to portray the sufferings of one of these poor people, it better be made right, and by that I mean, put us in the sufferer's shoes. This movie did that hauntingly well.Peter Winter is a deeply disturbed man, he has just been released from a institution of some sort and is on the immediate search for his young daughter. At the same time, a police detective is trying to find a child killer, which Peter has become a prime suspect, but lacks any real evidence. That's the plot of the film, however, the plot oddly takes a back seat compared to just how the film shows what Peter goes through with his schizophrenia.Peter Greene, blows me away in this movie, before he was "the bad guy in The Mask" or "the creepy cop who goes to town on Ving Rhames, in Pulp Fiction." The man can act, every scene with Peter feels genuine, from hearing rambunctious noises and voices from no where, to random macabre events he sees. The rest of the cast wasn't bad, however there wasn't much in the way of character development with anyone else other than the daughter. The character of the police detective didn't have much going for him either in my opinion. I'm not saying the actor who played him was bad, I just would've liked to see that character used in way that would've raised the crime side of the story a bit more. The drama in this movie is powerful, as twisted as the movie is and as stomach turning of a person Peter Greene comes off as, you can't help but root for the guy, and that makes the ending of the movie all the more tragic.Let's talk about the film's depiction of schizophrenia, which was what made the movie for me. The sound design in this movie and the cinematography helped the effectiveness and punch of Peter's troubling illness. The scene where he tries to remove the "transmitter" from his fingernail, the shaving scenes in the bathroom, pretty much every scene in this movie was done really well. The look of the movie has this dirty, believable feel that compliment the story perfectly. This was a disturbing but satisfactory viewing experience. I think Peter Greene did an Oscar worthy job with his performance, it's very easy to say someone wasn't believable in a role like this, but Mr. Greene will have you sold from the starting minute and on. The story may not be an all out spectacle and there were many characters that could have been utilized a bit better, but the journey you take with the character of Peter Winter is the real reason you watch this movie.

Representing schizophrenia on film is almost impossible. As is any mental illness. It's the job of the actors and directors to capture the essence of the disease. Kerrigan gives us one of the greatest studies in mental illness. He manages to dispel the myths of such diseases, by representing the protagonist as dangerous, but no more so than a "sane" person. Peter causes the most harm to himself, as his paranoia inspires acts of self- mutilation. Kerrigan takes a generic, cop looking for killer plot, but gradually subverts the genre. The sound design is also incredible, creating a confused and hectic mind, like a radio trying to tune in. It isn't your average film, and so requires patience and an open mind.

In my personal opinion (less than an hour after first watching it), I have determined that I have just finished another of many film tasks; to find something unique and striking, and discover a new perspective on a certain level. But this 'something' is also extremely well made, and deep; it's also incredibly sad, and visually grotesque (a few scenes made me recoil, a rare enough occurrence for a man who owns at least 300 DVDs, and has seen countless films with more gore, and even more gratuitous carnage). It is also one of the very best films I have ever seen.The film is about a man named Peter Winter (played by Peter Greene - if you don't know who he is, slap yourself), whom was recently released from a mental hospital for reasons unspecified. From then on he makes a journey of sorts to find his daughter, Nicole. Of course, if the film was merely about a sappy kind of father/child reunion, I would have stopped watching mid-way and called it a night, but there is a very huge problem with Peter. He is a schizophrenic, a man whose brain functions almost like a car radio, tuning in signals, noises, and bizarre voices, all displayed aurally in juxtaposition to the visuals (the effectiveness of this audio technique is so disturbing and enthralling that even David Lynch's personal sound man could not better it's precision). This not A Beautiful Mind. There is no easy way out, and there is no solution for his problem, and the film makes it a point to show you why he acts the way he does. After a while, the effect becomes so oddly familiar, that when, in one scene, Peter's actions are separated from this horrifying noise, we chillingly see the reality of his situation. The only way Peter can (temporarily) relieve himself of this horror is best left for you to find out. If you have a weak constitution, or stomach lining, then consider this a film to avoid, to dread. One scene is of such stunning depravity that it may very well make you leave the room in a state of utter shock.Seemingly, in a decade which was known for being upbeat (both to it's credit and sizable detriment), this little puppy dropped out of the sky in 1993 and stunned whatever few people were fortunate enough to hear it or watch it. I implore you, be one of those people.