THE CROSSING GUARD
A film review by Doug Thomas
Copyright 1995 Doug Thomas
Grade: C+ WAIT FOR VIDEO
D/W: Sean Penn.
DP: Vilmos Zsigmond.
Music by Jack Nitzsche with opening song by Bruce Springsteen.
With Jack Nicholson, Angelica Huston, David Morse, Robin Wright,
Piper Laurie & John Savage. "R"
Reviewed by Bob Cappel
Jack Nicholson gives a fantastic performance in an otherwise dull film. It's probably his best performance in 10 years, unfortunately, Sean Penn's second film as a director is just missing ... something. Have you ever watched a film and thought, "I can't put my finger on what's wrong with this movie?" That's exactly what will likely go through your mind. THE CROSSING GUARD is the story of Freddy Gale, a man torn apart by rage and guilt since the death of his daughter by a drunk driver several years previous. Anjelica Houston plays his ex-wife Mary, who fights with her former feelings of love for Freddy, while finding his current behavior of drinking and slumming in topless bars quite distasteful. The film unfolds as John Booth (David Morse), the man who killed Gale's daughter, is released from prison. Freddy vows that he will kill the man but when he is faced with the deed, Booth pleads for a few more days to grieve and cpome to terms with his crime. Booth is not a thoughtless felon--he has grieved over his prison time. What probably should have been a poignant film quickly turns routine as we follow Freddy on a series of drinking binges and feel-sorry-for-myself tantrums. Penn's skill as a director is uneven at best, with far too many slow motion "artsy" scenes, several unintentional funny moments and a completely un-realistic final. It's too bad that Penn didn't give the cast more to work with. One of my favorite actresses, Piper Laurie, is completely under-used, as Booth's mother. Also, MTV fans will find former "Remote Control" babe Kari Wuhrer in a hilarious scene where she serenades Nicholson.
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