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Strange Days (1995)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
8/04, 4/24
8/04:
Armed with a long running length, Strange Days is an insanely bad film.
The story is too confusing to make heads or tails of. If Los Angeles has become so terrible by the turn of the century,
why do the characters bother staying there? My expectations were high due to the somewhat star-studded cast. Oh, well.
It's a low point for Ralph Fiennes who did more respectable work in
Schindler's List and Quiz Show.
All in all, Strange Days is a big letdown given that Kathryn Bigelow directed
Point Break.
4/24:
Brainstorm kept coming to my mind while watching Strange Days; at least this
time, it goes in a different direction.
In my review of the former, I said, "Brainstorm is a high-concept sci-fi picture
that's about ethical issues of emotional manipulation through virtual reality. Of course, the military has to get
involved. It's all about the brainwashing. So does the porn industry but for a different reason: big bucks. In fact,
porn has been the leading leader in cutting-edge video and internet technology. If not for it, there'll be no Super
8 projector, Polaroid camera, VHS, Betamax, DVD, Blu-Ray, or quick transmission of information over the internet through
high bandwidth. By the end of the 70's, porn accounted for over 50% of videotape sales. If they're the first to come up
with whatever, the rest of the entertainment industry follows."
While Strange Days makes a big part out of porn, it also explores rape and snuff. The concepts are interesting,
but it's a long movie in spite of strong performances except for Angela Bassett. She ruins the show by playing an
aggressive manly one-dimensional character. Plus, her chemistry with Ralph Fiennes is virtually zero. Regardless, the
editing helps a great deal.
If Tom Sizemore's wig looks off the whole time, there's a reason for it which will be explained at the end. Ralph Fiennes
was actually delivering an Oscar-worthy performance by playing a seedy character to give the film a neo-noir slant,
but director Kathryn Bigelow bungled it during the second half by giving too much attention to Angela Bassett.
The overall message is also marred by making it all about blacks à la Rodney King. Then, there's the ridiculous
subplot involving two LAPD patrolmen, sinking the film even further.
All in all, the involvement of Angela Bassett is the biggest mistake of Strange Days.