JACKNIFE (1989)
A film review by Vince Deehan
Copyright 1996 Vince Deehan
Director: David Jones Screenplay: Stephen Metcalfe, based on his play "Strange Snow". Cast: Robert De Niro, Ed Harris, Kathy Baker.
I first saw this film about six years ago and it left such a deep impression on me that I was pleased to be able to see it again recently. JACKNIFE tells the story of two Vietnam veterans, David (Ed Harris) and Megs/Jacknife (Robert De Niro). David is living with his high school-teacher sister, Martha (Kathy Baker), and is drinking heavily, trying to blot out the pain of his traumatic war experiences. He works as a truck driver but has no life outside his job, other than his daily ritual of drinking himself into a drunken stupor each night in the local bar.
The film begins with the arrival of Megs, an old buddy who Dave served alongside in Vietnam, in the early hours of the morning at Martha and Dave's house to take Dave fishing on the first day of the season. Martha has never met Megs before, and although her first impressions of him are not favourable, she quickly gets caught up in his enthusiasm and decides to join the boys on their fishing trip.
It turns out that Megs is involved with a veterans support group and is trying to reach out to his old friend to help him get through his pain and torment. Whilst in Vietnam, Megs and David were close friends with another soldier called Bobby (Tom Isbell, who we see in flashbacks). They were a tightly knit trio of pals, but Bobby was killed trying to save Megs and this loss of his friend has caused David incredible guilt and pain ever since.
Alongside the story of Megs and David is the touching romance that blossoms between Megs and the shy Martha. This cause alot of problems for David who knows how violent and crazy Megs has been in the past, and fears still is. When David warns Martha away from Megs, David also admits that he is scared of losing his sister who has, effectively, looked after him and kept him company all these years.
The romance between Megs and Martha is very well written and played by De Niro and Baker. Megs is clearly a bit of a wild, untamed sort of bloke who appears to have as little experience of women, as Martha has of men. The scene where they go out for a meal together early in the film is a gem. Megs clumsily tries to compliment Martha but says it in a ham-fisted and foul-mouthed way and is genuinely shocked when Martha doesn't take it too kindly. Only when they both admit to being very nervous do they manage to clearly communicate with each other.
Stephen Metcalfe's wonderful script is brilliantly brought to life by the first-class acting of De Niro, Baker and Harris. Ed Harris as the traumatised David is simply perfect, and it is his deeply haunting performance that has been burned in my memory since I first saw the film six years ago. The pain is clear in his eyes throughout the film. The most powerful scene occurs when David goes to visit Bobby's parents and asks them to let him look after their lawn. From the minute he walks in their door, it is as if part of their own son Bobby has returned and although their son is not mentioned in the scene his presence in the room is powerfully felt. The acting here by Harris, and Walter Massey and Elizabeth Franz as Bobby's parents, is incredible. The power lies in what they don't say, and in the expressions on all of their faces.
The only disappointments in the film lie in the Vietnam flashbacks. They really are nowhere near as powerful and as effective as they should be. Since the whole film pivots around the death of their friend Bobby, it was a shame that I was left unmoved by these scenes.
As a film showing the way past traumas can affect peoples lives, the film is very successful. The suffering of war veterans should never be underestimated or forgotten and any film that brings this to our attention is to be commended.
Review written on Sat 9 March 1996 by Vince Deehan (vince@deehan.demon.co.uk)
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