Spider

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The adult Dennis (Ralph Fiennes) emerges from a commuter train full of business professionals as he arrives in London. The tone of the film is immediately established when we see Dennis on the platform with clothing layered like a homeless person, a notebook he keeps in a sock, shoved in a pocket. His mannerisms and eyes clearly indicate he's something other than mentally stable.</div> <bR> <div> Dennis walks to a half way house for those, like him, who are recently released from a mental institution. Run by Mrs. Wilkinson (Lynn Redgrave), it is in the general neighborhood where he grew up.  Observing the other men in the house, any doubt that Dennis was a serious mental case is removed. He's the kind of guy who causes you to either cross the street or quicken your step to pass as fast as you can.</div> <bR> <div> Dennis walks to the pub, which is now boarded up, where his father used to hang out and Spider would be sent to fetch his dad when his mother (Miranda Richardson) had family dinner on the table. Thinking back to those days as a youngster, young Spider (Bradley Hall) was toyed with by Yvonne (unrecognizably played by Miranda Richardson) in the pub when she flashed her breast, accompanied by a big grin. </div> <bR> <div> In scenes reminiscent of Russell Crowe's character in <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2001/id1846.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2001/id18"><U><B>"A Beautiful Mind," </B></U></A>we are shown presumably the same events without knowing which is the reality and which inhabits the disheveled mind of Dennis. Did young Spider's mom follow her husband to a rendezvous with Yvonne, where he was caught playing "Mr. Banger" to the local slut?</div> <bR> <div> Spider sees and understands that his mother has disappeared and his father has taken up with Yvonne in their house. But what parts of the puzzle is he missing? Dennis visits old haunts of his childhood days and literally attempts to unearth the truth. His reasoning now is as frayed as his shirt cuffs, as he tries to piece it all together, constantly jotting notes in a worn tablet.     </div> <bR> <div> Ironically what appears to be the reason for Dennis's release to the half way house is his decision to return a piece of missing window- pane to the headmaster in the mental institution. In a place where people are prone to commit suicide, when glass is broken, the hospital staff finds all the pieces of the puzzle to make the broken object whole again. This too is like a spider of sorts, weaving a fine, fit web; taut and strong. Turning in the large piece of glass shows that Dennis has a measure of self-control and good judgment <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Symbol" >-</FONT> a sign of normalcy.</div> <bR> <div> Throughout the film, the pacing is measured and the dialogue is thoughtfully deliberate. It's not quite as entertaining as "A Beautiful Mind," but director David Cronenberg ("Scanners," "The Fly," "Crash") does not let exploring the dark recesses out weigh entertainment value. More intellectually stimulating and a better film than ABM, with regard to providing insight about the mentally ill and how they see the world from the inside out, "Spider" weaves a magical spell. </div> <bR> <div> This frenzied man was once a bright boy, with a personality quirk and a wild imagination. As he acts upon his thoughts, he transforms his life in permanent ways. The film unravels its story to a startling end. A crime was committed, a life taken <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Symbol" >-</FONT> but by who?   </div> <bR> <div> Ralph Fiennes was magnificent in <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2000/id272.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2000/id27"><U><B>"Sunshine,"</B></U></A> George's  # 1 film in 2000. In that film his scene in the Nazi internment camp was mesmerizing. His performance as Spider is even more convincing, as he allows us inside the mind of someone insane. Nuances of character are revealed as he takes us from what's perceived as clarity, to the judgement of insanity, release from an institution and ultimately the plunge back into the abyss. The drama is low key while emphatic.  </div> <bR> <div> Dennis is a "normal" person, who like most of us, in a given set of circumstances can go over the edge. Samuel L. Jackson took us there in <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2000/id966.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2000/id96"><U><B>"The Caveman's Valentine"</B></U></A><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2000/id966.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2000/id96"><U> </U></A>and Fiennes did just recently in <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/holiday2002/id1655.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/holiday20"><U><B>"Red Dragon."</B></U></A> Good mental health appears to be a very fragile condition.</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="621" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="617"><div> George O. Singleton  © 2002</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="617"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>Reelmoviec@aol.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>