DVD Review

Cast

Synopsis

A psychotherapist journeys inside the mind of a comatosed serial killer in the hope of locating his latest victim before it is too late.

Film

Carl Stargher is a loner and a bit of a fruit cake, with extra raisins, who has definitely had problems as a child. He gets his kicks by kidnapping women and then video taping them drowning in a specially constructed glass cell. Once the victim has drowned he then proceeds to disfigure the body in order to make them look like dolls before suspending himself above the victim on chains attached to hooks in his back. 

With the kidnappings becoming more frequent, FBI agent Peter Novak is soon on his trail as the pieces of the jigsaw start to fall into place. The FBI manage to ID Carl and swoop on his house finding him collapsed on the kitchen floor. After running some tests the doctors decide that he has had a seizure which has left him in a coma with no hope of ever recovering.

However, Carl had already kidnapped another woman and the FBI were hoping to find her at his house. As the FBI searches the house they discover a gruesome lab where he carries out the disfigurements, along with a video tape of his last victim in the cell. From studying the video the FBI discover that they only have 40 hours to find the woman before the cell fills with water. Trouble is, there is no way of asking Carl about her whereabouts.

The FBI soon learn of an experimental project which allows a psychologist to travel into the minds of coma victims in the hope of helping them recover. They decide it is worth a shot and get the experienced child psychologist Catherine Deane to venture into Carl's twisted mind before it is too late.

The picture is a truly stunning, with a bright and beautifully colourful picture. It has a high bit-rate throughout the film and with no signs of artifacting. However, there were times during some of the indoor scenes where some outlining around the characters was evident. That criticism aside, this film is a visual masterpiece with some gorgeous costumes and excellent special effects. 

The sound is equally as impressive. Not only is the animated menu scored in 5.1, but even the surround channels are used during the menus selections. But it is the sound in the film which truly excels. The surround channels are hardly ever idle with some fantastic ambient effects during the voyage into and through Carl's mind. The dialogue in the centre channel is crystal clear and along with some fantastic sound steerage makes this one of the best sounding films of the year.

As is the case with the "New Line Platinum Series", there are extras galore. There are a host of commentaries and the usual set of trailers and filmographies. There is also an interesting empathy test where it asks you a number of questions to see if you are compassionate or complete psycho. There's is also an interesting interactive map of the human brain which explains what each part does.

Although it can get a bit warped and gruesome, and without much of a plot, the clever camerawork and the striking beautiful Jennifer Lopez really keeps you totally engrossed in the film. I felt this film was a cross between 'Seven' and 'Silence of the Lambs', so if you like a warped murder mystery without having to reach for a sick bowl, this one might just be for you.

Extras

Reviewed by: Simon

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