Review by James

Hi,

I like this review because it begins to address the issue of the BBC Mini- Series vs this film and how they differ - although I would imagine there is much more to be discussed on this subject. Anyway, looks like Mr. Berardinelli thinks the film "accomplishes its goals without forcing things" and likes they wasy transitions take place from the real to the imagined.

Peace Cassie

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2003 TIFF Update #6: "Hard Boiled"
Commentary by James Berardinelli; Tuesday, September 9, 2003

(Excerpt from full article which included other films

These days, it seems that nearly every television series ever devised for the small screen is getting a motion picture treatment. The trend arguably started with Star Trek, but gained steam in the late '90s as Hollywood recognized how little creative effort was required to recycle old, familiar material. The Singing Detective, however, is a little different. In the first place, the original six-part BBC mini-series was not watched by tens of millions of people; it showed on PBS in the mid-1980s and garnered a small-but-passionate audience. It was an important TV event, but only for those with an artistic bent. Most mainstream viewers either never heard of it or tuned in then quickly changed the channel when they discovered that it was "weird." In the second place, the movie adapatation is not intended to please mindless audiences. Despite the presence of Mel Gibson (who is almost unrecognizable) in the cast, this film will not be a box-office blockbuster, primarily because teenagers won't be interested. The film's screenplay was written by the late Dennis Potter, who created the mini-series, so there's no question of someone other than the original author taking over the property and ruining it. The Singing Detective (the movie) is as much Potter's vision as The Singing Detective (the TV series).

Potter wrote the screenplay for The Singing Detective in 1992, two years before his death. It kicked around in Hollywood for nearly a decade before director Keith Gordon, star Robert Downey Jr., and producer Mel Gibson became attached. From there, it ended up on the fast track. [i]The result is a fine example of entertainment - an eclectic mix of drama, film noir, and comedy, with plenty of fantasy musical numbers thrown in for good measure. The style isn't nearly as offbeat as that of the television show, but that's in large part due to time constraints.[i] At 109 minutes, the motion picture is less than one-third as long as its inspiration.

Downey Jr. plays Dan Dark, a pulp fiction author who is flat on his back in a hospital, suffering from a debilitating skin condition. If anything, his mind is in worse shape than his body. As he slowly recovers, he imagines scenes from his first novel, The Singing Detective, with himself as the lead character, a gumshoe who croons on the side. His ex-wife, Nicola (Robin Wright Penn), visits him at the hospital and plays a key part in his imaginings. He also has dreams and visions of his childhood, where he saw his mother (Carla Gugino) have an affair with his father's partner, Mark Binney (Jeremy Northam). His psychotherapist, Dr. Gibbon (Mel Gibson), believes that things he experienced as a child have led to his bleak view of life and sudden outbursts of violent temper. It is Gibbon's job to heal Dan's mind in tandem with his recovering body. Other characters who float through Dan's real world and imaginary one are pretty Nurse Mills (Katie Holmes)and a Laurel-and-Hardy-like pair of hoods (Adrian Brody, Jon Polito).

There are three major differences between the TV series and the movie. The setting has been changed from post-WWII London to 1950s Los Angeles, resulting in a shift in the musical numbers. Instead of '40s British pop songs, they have become early rock 'n roll tunes. Most of The Singing Detective storyline has been jettisoned. The film dramatizes some scenes from Dan's books, but, unlike in the mini-series, it is not developed as a parallel storyline. Finally, the ending is more optimistic. When Potter wrote the TV program, he was going through a bleak period in his life. By the early '90s, he had mellowed considerably, and that change in persepective is reflected in the movie's conclusion.

In order to present the story without alienating or confusing the viewer, director Gordon has employed a different style for each aspect of the movie. The real-life hospital scenes are presented with a bright, antiseptic look. The Singing Detective scenes are very stylized, with lots of shadow and darkness. The dream/memories also have a somewhat "unreal" feel to them, but it's not as strong as the book sequences. Then there are the song-and-dance numbers, which aren't depicted as big production numbers, but employ stages and colored lights. Two of the most memorable are "At the Hop," where doctors bicker over how to treat Dan, and "Mr. Sandman," in which he imagines a sweet romance with Nurse Miles.

Personal problems notwithstanding, Robert Downey Jr. is one of the best under-40 actors working today, as his multi-faceted performance here illustrates. The Singing Detective displays his range. He goes from scenes in which he shows explosive rage to fantasy sequences where he lip sychs to '50s standards and sends up film noir conventions. This is very much Downey Jr.'s movie, much as the TV series belonged to Michael Gambon. Mel Gibson, wearing a skullcap and coke-bottle glasses (and recognizable only because of his voice), Katie Holmes, and Robin Wright Penn, are effective in understated supporting performances. And Adrian Brody and Jon Polito are hilarious as the two hapless thugs who come after their creator in a quest to discover their identities.

[i]The Singing Detective works not primarily because it's a strange and original brew, but because it accomplishes its goals without seeming to force things. The blending of reality with dreams, memories, and imagination is done flawlessly, aided by the occasional appearance of a fictional character in the hospital, the way in which some individuals suddenly and unexpectedly break into song, or the use of actors to play multiple roles.[i] Many of the real people in Dan's life have alter-egos in his book. Ultimately, the film is about one man coming to grips with his demons and finding the path to redemption, but the process by which this is accomplished is much different from what one normally encounters in movies

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