A DANGEROUS GAME
A film review by Lons Ponschock
Copyright 1995 Lons Ponschock
Directed by Abel Ferrara Stars Harvey Kietel, Madonna, James Russo
I noticed something about this film in the first five minutes: It uses the 'c' word. I heard the 'c' word once before in CLEAN AND SOBER. Hearing the 'c' word is pretty rare these days, both in film and ... well in real life too.
Using the 'c' word is 'a dangerous game' all it's own.
Ask me. :-)
Another dangerous game is trying to do verite style film like John Cassavetes when you are not John Cassavetes. This is the game that Abel (BAD LIEUTENANT) Ferrara plays in his film.
The film within the film with stronger language than Cassavetes usually deals with is simply a meller. Madonna (DICK TRACY, BODY OF EVIDENCE) plays opposite James Russo: a Bruce Willis look and sound-alike in a a film directed by Harvey (THE PIANO) Kietel. Ever notice that in this format the film credits look like nicknames? There's probably an idea there too. :-)
The film within builds to something like fever pitch. But in doing this Mr. Bruce Willis-alike sounds more and more like a 90's version of Stanley Kowolski. It is a picture of the gone world, a style where the realities of performance and the pressures are handled in manner not unlike shooting an x-vid. The booze and the drugs are real. The emotional content of the scene is produced from it's chemical supports.
Kietel and Madonna took a plenty big chance, I think in playing this dangerous game. Do not be mistaken that the actual film content has real drugs in it though. This is one of the plot lines-- kind of like SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR (the play by Luigi Pirandello from which this play within style was taken) meets THE LOWER DEPTHS (by Gorki, another play in the classic literature.) But this is a facile analogy ... there are serious problems with A DANGEROUS GAME.
A DANGEROUS GAME may attain cult status some day for so- called "film buffs." Something the Slackers can talk about endlessly.
So, while trying to justify the time spent with this film, I have to say that it will have limited appeal. Those like myself who want to follow the work of Abel (BAD LIEUTENANT) Ferrara should get it when it turns into basic stock on the dollar rack ... which will likely be very soon.
-- lon
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