STRANGE DAYS
A film review by Soh Kam Hung
Copyright 1996 Soh Kam Hung
`Strange Days' chronicles the last two days of 1999 in Los Angeles. As the locals gear up for the new millenium, Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) goes about his business of peddling erotic memory clips. He pines for his ex-girlfriend, Faith (Juliette Lewis), not noticing that another friend, Mace (Angela Bassett) really cares for him.
This film features good performances, impressive film-making technique and breath-taking crowd scenes. Director Kathryn Bigelow knows her stuff and does not hesitate to use it.
But as a whole, this is an unsatisfying movie. The problem is that the writers, James Cameron and Jay Cocks, were too ambitious, aiming for a film with social relevance, thrills, and drama. Not that ambitious film-making should be discouraged; just that when it fails to achieve its goals, it fails badly and obviously. The film just ends up preachy, unexciting and uninvolving.
Expectation: 4 out of 5. Enjoyment : 2 out of 5.
-- Soh Kam Hung +61 3 9253-6467 h.soh@trl.telstra.com.au Network Analysis Section, Telstra Research Laboratories Box 249 Rosebank MDC, Clayton, Victoria 3169, Australia
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