HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER
A Review in the Public Domain
by The Phantom
(baumgart@esquire.dpw.com)
The Phantom can't remember the last time he was forced to suffer so much for his chosen profession. Not that HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER was bad; on the contrary, it was one of the best horror films -- or films of any kind -- he's seen in a while.
But HENRY's not your average horror film. No, HENRY wasn't made for the misfits and members of the raincoat set who share the Times Square auditoriums that the Phantom frequents. It actually has artistic pretensions (so much so that the Village Voice, in a review typical of its contemplative, restrained style, called it "the best movie of the year"). So instead of opening next to NINJA DOMINATRIX and a revival of MAKE THEM DIE SLOWLY, HENRY opened in New York at an art house in Soho.
To be perfectly frank, the Phantom much prefers the company of the kindred spirits who flock to each of Michael, Jason, and Freddy's features. At least then he isn't the only person in the auditorium who isn't dressed in black. At least then he isn't surrounded by hoards of pretentious, espresso-sipping, Canby-wannabees. And at least then he isn't forced to associate with people who ask "Is that real butter?" and then decide not to get the popcorn when they find out it isn't.
But here the Phantom is getting caught up in his own private hell, something with which his faithful phans should not concern themselves (though supportive email and expressions of sympathy are always welcome).
Let us instead get to the point: HENRY is a great film. For a film that was supposed to be nothing more than a run-of-the-mill slash and trash flick, HENRY is surprisingly good. The director, John McNaughton, had in mind more than just Blockbuster fodder, and with HENRY he succeeds in presenting a complete artistic vision -- a view from inside of a sociopathic killer.
Ironically enough, we have our own very much under-appreciated board of censors, the MPAA, to thank in part for HENRY's artistic success. For had they not deemed HENRY unviewable by the nation's teenagers (it was originally given an X rating), it might well have been released and promoted as nothing more than another in a long line of slice-and-dice epics. And had that happened, a lot of people would have missed out on a stunningly good film, since most mainstream film-goers studiously avoid the genre.
The plot is quite simple: HENRY was "inspired" by the story of Henry Lee Lucas, a mass murderer now on Death Row in Texas. Henry confessed to murdering hundreds of people, including his mother, but later retracted his confession and claimed that he murdered his mother only. The real-life Henry also had a friend named Otis, who he accused of participating in his crimes, and Otis had a niece named Becky who the police believe was among Henry's victims.
McNaughton uses this story as a starting point for HENRY, and though the title might lead one to believe that HENRY is another THIN BLUE LINE, a message at the beginning of the film states that the story portrayed is purely fictional. It could only be this way, of course, for otherwise McNaughton would have had to rely on the very unreliable testimony of a sociopath awaiting execution.
The film itself looks and feels as empty as Henry's soul, and there is very little dialogue. As a film, HENRY exists as a tribute to cinematic technique, and the film works only because McNaughton does not judge nor even pretend to understand Henry. Phans should not go expecting pat answers, armchair psychology, or movie-of-the-week morals. Even the scene in which Henry relates the circumstances surrounding the murder of his mother does nothing to illuminate Henry's motives; worse, its outcome completely confounds our expectations. To McNaughton's credit, that one quiet scene visibly unsettled the audience more than did all of the film's graphic violence.
In many ways HENRY reminded the Phantom of BLOOD SIMPLE, but it seemed closer still to STRANGER THAN PARADISE in that the film had a disjointed, empty feeling that nonetheless was exactly right in tone. HENRY is also reminiscent of SEX LIES AND VIDEOTAPE; McNaughton uses many of the same techniques as did Steven Soderbergh, though while Soderbergh wanted us to feel somewhat ambiguous about sex, McNaughton wants us to feel somewhat ambiguous about mass murder. Shockingly enough, he succeeds.
Michael Rooker (who has previously acted in EIGHT MEN OUT and SEA OF LOVE) turns in a stellar performance as Henry. If you catch yourself empathizing with HENRY, or if you find yourself understanding and agreeing with some of the things he says, Rooker's performance is the reason why. The Phantom cannot think of a less sympathetic character; by comparison, it was easy to empathize with DeNiro in TAXI DRIVER. Even Michael and Jason, cartoon characters that they are, are more human than Henry, for at least they have, in their many sequels, expressed some human emotion. But Henry is a true sociopath and so exists in a realm of existence beyond our comprehension. Rooker turns in a performance that in a just world should win him an Oscar; it's a shame that he won't even be nominated.
What more can the Phantom say? In its review, The Voice was not too far off. Though the Phantom would hesitate to call HENRY the best film of the year, it will almost certainly rank in his top 10 by December.
Unfortunately for his phans, though, HENRY is currently only in very limited release. Worse, the film is unrated (better that than accept our national censor's stamp of disapproval), and so it will never be shown in a good number of movie theaters across this great, enlightened land of ours.
So, phans, will you ever be able to see it? The Phantom's guess is that most of his phans will have to wait and see if it hits Blockbuster's catalog in the coming months -- truly a shame, in the Phantom's opinion, since he knows how much of a film's impact is lost on a small screen. But even if you have to wait for its videotape debut, make a special note to see HENRY, a film as disturbing as it is excellent and as thought-provoking as it is stylish. In short, HENRY is a film that no horror phan -- or serious phan of the cinema -- will want to miss.
: The Phantom
: baumgart@esquire.dpw.com
: {cmcl2,uunet}!esquire!baumgart
.
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