The Jacket (2005)

Worth more than 5 Stars

If you are anyone capable of digging deep into emotion at all, having the intelligence to embrace the sorrow of loss, yet understand the beauty of gaining things beyond the wildest of imaginations? You'll love this movie. This movie tells the story of a soldier returned home, and through the most creative and interesting of experiences meets the love of his life... the irony of the bliss that ensues is extremely well portrayed by Adrian and Keira... amazing! March 16, 2008

A second chance to do the right thing

For me a good science fiction film deals more with human nature than it does with cool gadgetry and special effects. Take for instance 2001, Solaris (the original), La Jetee or 12 Monkeys, Gattaca, Children of Men and Blade Runner (yes, I know it has flying cars but that's besides the point), all these films were concerned with human nature either subjectively or objectively. Such is the case with The Jacket. Jack Starks, our protagonist, isn't concerned with the actual mechanics of how he was able to travel to the future, nor is he fascinated with the travel itself, instead he's concerned about the people who exist in that future.

In the hospital, where jack is imprisoned, we witness the horrible mistreatment he undergoes. He is constantly drugged up and contained within a drawer (the kind you see in the morgue) while strapped tightly in a straight jacket. The doctors have control of his physical self but it is Jack's will power, his being that they can't imprison. Physically he's trapped and abused but his true nature, his selflessness has found freedom through the time travel (a side effect of his experimental treatment).

In this sense the film becomes very clear to the viewer that it's introspective in nature and therefore less concerned in gimmicks (special effects, action scenes).

I very much enjoyed this film and I don't want to go into further details and I don't think it's possible to. That's what makes this such a great film is that its theme allows for multiple interpretations which will result in multiple viewings. If you are into the films that I mentioned earlier than give this one a shot and if you are not into those films or have not seen them then start with this one and go from there. January 30, 2008

Keira finally gets away from the period dramas

I did buy this for someone else, but because the story intrigued me, I wanted to watch it too! I'd never got around to seeing it when it was released, so I thought I'd give it a go, although I was ready to dig my claws into Keira's performance.

The story is about Adrien Brody, who plays a guy who gets shot in the head in Vietnam, and returns home. He then hitches a lift, but gets knocked out, and finds himself in court for killing a police officer. He then gets sent to a mental institution (which was actually Bangour Village Hospital in Scotland, not too far from where I live). There, he meets a sadistic doctor, who locks him in a morgue drawer on a regular basis.

From here, the film gets complicated (but not as much as I expected) as Adrien's character travels forward in time into the future, where he meets Keira Knightley's character, and knows her from somewhere.

I won't reveal too much more about the story, as you really have to watch it for yourself. But it's definitely an intriguing story, and very out there.

I thought Adrien did a brilliant job the way he portrayed his confused character. There's quite a few crying scenes, which made me nearly start crying myself! There's also loads of closeup shots of eyes and stuff, which makes the viewer notice emotions more.

I was surprised at Keira, she's mostly known for her period drama roles, and the press about her weight, nearly always overshadows what film role she's doing. The Jacket shows she can do something other than wear a corset, and play an interesting character at the same time. (Even if she does appear topless in the bath, a scene which is completely unnecessary to the film.) Plus, it's the best she's looked in a film yet. She looked stunning in most of the scenes, despite she was playing a reasonably awful looking character.

The supporting cast are also excellent. Jennifer Jason Leigh was good, although her role could have been extended and the glasses just didn't work. The late Brad Renfro also appears. And also, Daniel Craig appears, and I spent the entire film insisting that was NOT Daniel Craig. (How wrong I was.) The past couple of years, we've been used to seeing him as suave and sophisticated Mr Bond, who can make the women weak at the knees. But in this, his image is completely different, to the point where I actually didn't recognise him. Oh my god, I still can't actually believe it's him.

The Jacket is a film to be added to any film collection, it's really enjoyable, and will also get the brain working - I need it! Adrien Brody was absolutely brilliant, he made the film in my opinion. January 27, 2008

"I was 27 the first time I died."

I got this movie because the cover made it look like a horror film. It wasn't really very scary but it turned out to be an awesome movie anyways.
Jack Sparks was a soldier in Desert Storm where he dies for the first time. While hitch hiking back in the US, he bums a ride from a guy who kills a cop and frames him. In court, Jack was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to an insane asylum, where he is pumped full of drugs, put in a straight jacket, and stuffed in a drawer. And while in there he sees the future.
My favorite quotes from this movie:

"What are you in for?"
"I tried to kill my wife 30 times."

"The real events that have happened to me have been f***ed up, not my mind."

"Long live the organization for the organized!"

"Who wouldn't be nervous if they looked at their life? I mean, who's life is that good?"

"How much time do we have?" October 27, 2007

Which "reality" IS reality?: a mind-bending Jacket

What starts off as a shot to the head by an Iraqi boy for Jack Starks (Adrien Brody) continues on as one mind-bending experience for the viewer never knowing that what you see is what you are supposed to get! Did Starks die or didn't he? What year is it in truth? Do the supporting characters exist or not? Is this all a dream?......This is a very clever and skillful script that manipulates time and lives and keeps the viewer at all times piecing things together.This kind of film has been certainly done before, but in my opinion what carries this film to make it better than others of this genre is the presence of top actors Adrien Brody,Keira Knightly, Daniel Craig and Jennifer Jason Leigh.Sci-Fi flicks just simply do not attract this kind of A-List of actors unless the director has something serious to say!Scottish film director John Maybury does...and he does it well.Anyone who enjoys a movie that makes you think and solve puzzles will be delighted with this gem. July 27, 2007

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