Monday, December 7, 1998
Fractured performances in ‘Shattered Image’ distort plot
FILM: Hitchcock-ish story, dull ending can’t hold interest of
movie-goers
By Lonnie Harris
Daily Bruin Staff
"Shattered Image," the new film from visionary director Raul
Ruiz, starts off with a concept that could have been scripted for
the great Alfred Hitchcock.
This tale, of a woman unable to discern whether or not her
dreams are realities, incorporates all the elements of Hitchcock’s
classic films, from an average person faced with incredibly complex
and sinister circumstances to the inherent paranoia found in films
like "Rear Window" and "North by Northwest."
Unfortunately, Ruiz makes no use of the concept other than to
set up predictable plot twists and silly action crescendos, making
the film incredibly slow and listless.
The film opens on a young woman in a bar, who proceeds to the
bathroom where she mercilessly kills someone in the stalls. We soon
find out that this woman (Anne Parillaud) is actually just a normal
citizen, and she dreams every night about being a hit woman.
However, once the seemingly normal girl goes on her honeymoon
with her new husband (William Baldwin), she begins to doubt that
the life she is currently living is real, or perhaps merely the
dream of her alter-ego, the hit woman.
Of course, things get more and more convoluted at this point.
Though the ending gives some satisfaction for anyone who remains
interested in the silly little tale, it doesn’t provide nearly the
excitement that the previous 90 minutes would require.
Ruiz and his cast, in fact, do very little right in the making
of "Shattered Image." Some films remain extremely complicated and
mysterious during their running time, but in order to keep the
audiences interest, a film must at least provide some interesting
dialogue or a sympathetic character.
"Shattered Image" has neither of these things, as the actors
speak their dialogue as slowly and lifelessly as possible. The
screenplay allows for little during the films opening hour but
confused dialogue, obvious hints as to the direction the film will
take, and three poorly filmed sex scenes that could have been taken
out from any movie playing at around 3 a.m.
If Ruiz had taken a direction more like director Brian Singer in
"The Usual Suspects," he could have used his actors to maintain
audience curiosity, despite leaving audiences in the dark about
most of the twists and turns of the plot.
Instead, Ruiz apparently counts on our innate interest in
finding out the future of his story rather than providing us with
any reason to care. Because of this, "Shattered Image" becomes
utterly boring and a wasted movie experience.
FILM: "Shattered Image" opened Dec. 4 at select theaters.Photos
courtesy of Lion Gate Film
(Above) Anne Parillaud plays a would-be hit woman. (Left)
William Baldwin plays her husband.
Lions Gate Films
Anne Parillaud and William Baldwin
Lion Gate Films
Lisanne Falk (left) and Anne Parillaud star in "Shattered
Image."
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