Singing Detective

Year: 2003

Grade: C+

Country: USA

Director: Gordon

Review

starts off a bit mysteriously and with a somewhat pretentious tone, as if it’s trying to impress you with its style and off-kilter storytelling technique. but after a while it finds its feet and the (perceived?) pretentiousness is pretty much gone. i don’t know anything about the original tv series so i don’t know what was borrowed/changed. there is some good stuff in the film. like sirk’s “all that heaven allows,” this film uses reflections and frames within frames to convey the sense of isolation of the protagonist. there’s also a good use of color and lighting throughout the film to heighten a shift in tone or mark a the shifts between reality and dream. i thought the direction and idea of the film were good enough, but it just didn’t light anything within me, and it was trying to, so that ended up being its major downfall. it gets a little weepy and/or intense and if you’re not onboard then those scenes become tedious and/or boring. a fine film that just didn’t grab me.