The Singing Detective
by Keith Gordon
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Carla Gugino, Jeremy Northam, Katie Holmes, Robert Downey Jr., Robin Wright PennDirector: Keith Gordon
Brand: LEGEND FILMS
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.77:1
Running Time: 108 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-09-23
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Legend Films
Product features:
- When it comes to murder, seduction and betrayal, pulp-fiction author Dan Dark (Downey) wrote the book. But now, he s living it. Languishing in a hospital room with an immobilizing condition, Dark has lost himself in the fictional world of his alter ego, a hardboiled detective and dance-band singer living in the 1950s Los Angeles. As Dark s grasp on reality continues to slip, he s placed under the
Movie Reviews of The Singing Detective
Movie Review: Sexist, predictable, profane, boring - I could not watch it.
Summary: 1 Stars
I thought this might be a fun movie - a cross between the detective genre & a musical, Robert Downey - but was very soon offended by the portrayals of women (all 1-dimensional sex objects stripping in cabarets, boring...), the egregious constant sexual references - for God's sake, don't watch this with children! - and the predictability of the characters. Some boring old-fashioned sexist male idiot's fantasies, I could not watch more than 10 minutes. Too bad Robert Downey allowed himself to be talked into this one. The Singing Detective
Summary of The Singing Detective
Oscar? nominee Robert Downey Jr. gives the performance of his career in this acclaimed, all-star movie that weaves sly comedy, suspenseful film noir and spirited musical numbers into one of the most original productions in years. When it comes to murder, seduction and betrayal, pulp-fiction author Dan Dark (Downey) wrote the book. But now, he s living it. Languishing in a hospital room with an immobilizing condition, Dark has lost himself in the fictional world of his alter ego, a hardboiled detective and dance-band singer living in the 1950s Los Angeles. As Dark s grasp on reality continues to slip, he s placed under the care of an enigmatic psychiatrist (Oscar? winner Mel Gibson). Together, they plunge into the mystery of Dark s psyche, where everyone is suspect and danger waits at every turn. Co-starring Robin Wright Penn, Jeremy Northam, Katie Holmes, Carla Gugino and Oscar? winner Adrien Brody, The Singing Detective hits all the right notes.If you can pull The Singing Detective out from under the long shadow cast by the acclaimed 1986 British miniseries, Keith Gordon's 109-minute film version achieves its own distinction. It was a daring (and some might say foolhardy) assignment to film Dennis Potter's screenplay, written out of Potter's desire to see his semi-autobiographical drama in feature-length form, but Gordon rose to the occasion with a superlative cast led by Robert Downey, intense as ever as Potter's on-screen alter ego. Bedridden with an excruciating case of skin-rotting psoriasis, pulp novelist Dan Dark (Downey) escapes into his vivid imagination, where gunmen and gumshoes pursue their pulpy agenda, casting himself as the titular "warbler" whose pain and anger is focused like a laser on his cheating wife (Robin Wright Penn) and anyone else who's made his real and imaginary worlds unbearable. Coproducer Mel Gibson appears under heavy makeup as Dark's condescending psychiatrist, and supporting roles are played with stylish flair by Adrien Brody, Katie Holmes, Jeremy Northam, Carla Gugino, and others. While many critics called this a noble failure, The Singing Detective captures the essence of Potter's story, offering a welcome alternative to the acknowledged superiority of the miniseries. --Jeff Shannon
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