Fast, Cheap & Out of Control (1997)
Director: Errol Morris Cast: Dave Hoover, George Mendonca, Ray Mendez, Rodney Brooks Rated PG: Minor thematic elements
by Nathaniel R. Atcheson (nate@pyramid.net)
I had no idea what to expect from Fast, Cheap & Out of Control. I saw it simply because it was there. I knew ahead of time that it is a documentary, and that it was directed by Errol Morris, but I couldn't have even guessed about its content. And how pleasantly surprised I am! Not only is the film fascinating and deeply informative (albeit centered primarily around less-than-conversational topics), but Morris probes seriously into some deep issues. The result is an enchanting, lively film that anyone can watch and enjoy, and still learn something in the process.
The film is about four individuals who initially seem to have nothing in common. Dave Hoover is a wild animal trainer for a circus. He speaks at great lengths about the perils and rewards involved in attempting to manipulate a lion. George Mendonca is a topiary gardener--he shapes plantlife to look like animals. Ray Mendez is an expert on the hideous mole-rat. And Rodney Brooks is a robot scientist concerned with re-creating the way certain animals and insects move about the earth.
Visually, the film is striking. The cinematography, by Robert Richardson (who commonly works on Oliver Stone films), is full of truly absorbing images. Often times, throughout the film's amazingly brief 80-minute running time, the audience is given an image that is almost shocking in nature--Mendonca standing on a ladder, for instance, trimming one of his animals in the darkened rain. What goes along perfectly with this is the music by Caleb Sampson. The soundtrack continually pulses throughout the film with a lively, energetic feeling that drives the film at a brisk pace. Even if you aren't interested in the subject material, the film would be a feast for the eyes.
Fortunately, Morris has gone to great lengths to make sure that there's no way you can't be interested in the subject matter. Not only are the four professions described in the film fascinating on their own, but their relation to each other is the central meaning that Morris manages to convey. He says something profound about life an existence here, and it doesn't feel overwrought and pretentious--it's a level-headed, public oriented message. In concept, it's almost so obvious that I was surprised I had never thought of it before.
Take Brooks, for example, whose comments on robots taking over human life in the future are truly alarming. Here is a guy making machines that imitate insect life almost perfectly. Before watching this film, I had no idea that robot technology was already so advanced. Mix this with the musings of Mendonca, who explains why the modern electric shears are totally useless for what he does--he requires detail, and so only old-fashioned hand shears can do the work appropriately. Meanwhile, Mendez is totally fascinated with the way his mole-rats roll in their feces to identify one another. And Hoover modestly explains that, if the lion were to understand its power, that the human taunting it would never stand a chance.
But what do these guys have to do with one another? Well, that's why you need to see the film. I think to truly understand and gather everything that Morris has packed into this movie, one needs to see it more than once. This is the way all documentaries should be--interesting and entertaining on the surface, but also containing underlying themes that aren't apparent just from idly watching. Fast, Cheap & Out of Control didn't change my life, but it did change the way that I look at this genre. It also gave me something to think about, and that alone is worth something these days.
>From 0-10: 8 Grade: B+
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Nathaniel R. Atcheson
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