Pubdate: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 Source: FFWD (CN AB) Copyright: 2003 FFWD Contact: http://www.greatwest.ca/ffwd/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1194 Author: David King Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/traffic.htm (Traffic) SPEED FREAKS Tweaker Flick The Latest Spin On A Spun-out Genre Review - "Spun" Film By David King Starring Jason Schwartzman, John Leguizamo and Mickey Rourke; Directed by Jonas Akerlund Opens Friday, June 27 Uptown Screen - - No matter how savvy the marketing or how stellar the cast, it is becoming tough to get revved up for a dope flick. After Trainspotting, Requiem For a Dream and Traffic, it's as if we've already been rehabilitated, with little room left for catharsis. There was a golden day when we all happily shuffled into our seats to watch our favourite actors descend into a parallel universe of drug addiction. Since playing an addict can be an actor's most difficult challenge, we honoured those performances with sober gratitude. One such performance was Mickey Rourke's portrayal of an alcoholic in the 1987 film Barfly. Alongside Faye Dunaway, Rourke trashed his glamorous image to drag the audience into an abyss of dipsomania. And in Barfly, we cared. Dunaway moved on but, like a bad trip, Mickey Rourke has continued his descent over the years. Now the personification of every sleazy Californian he's ever played, it appears he's swallowed his old self and surrendered to being typecast as Hollywood's A-list junkie-thug. In Spun, the debut feature of MTV maverick Jonas Akerlund, we hope Rourke will somehow turn things around as The Cook, who concocts an endless supply of dope in a makeshift motel room lab. We also hope we'll see some fine casting play itself out, with actors like Brittany Murphy, Mena Suvari, John Leguizamo and Jason Schwartzman along for the ride. Backed by the producers of Buffalo 66 and American Psycho, scored by Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan and featuring a cameo by Deborah Harry, there's more than enough supply here to get you your fix. Akerlund, best known for directing the video for Madonna's "Ray of Light," agreed to make the film as long as he got full control of the editing, which has unfortunately turned out to be the film's most dynamic attribute. Like Trainspotting, the whole success of Spun relies heavily on characterization and the absurd, comic places drugs that can take us. Unlike Trainspotting, however, this film's characters don't develop and, in a crystal meth haze, they never quite come down from their high. Spun does have its good moments. In between the sound effects and continual nervous twitches of each character inhaling dust, there's a refreshing frenzy that has been spliced to perfection in editing. The film often leans towards cartoon-ish absurdity, and its animation and situations are sometimes creative, humorous distractions from the whole. But we keep waiting for something bigger to happen, a force to unravel everything into one much more sobering picture. When things finally do unravel, we've waited too long to care. One might call Spun substance abuse without much substance. Given that it's his feature film debut as a director, Akerlund may deserve more forgiveness than Rourke does - will the real Mickey Rourke please stand up? - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl