Thursday, November 10, 2011

the singing detective (2003). directed by keith gordon.


i don't normally like musical. though this film isn't strictly one, it has singing, as the main protagonist liked to call it, warbling. this movie happens to be one of my many favourites too. warped inside the mind of dan dark, a small time detective novel writer imagines himself to be the detective of his written invention, investigating a noirish case of a strangled woman left in drain, himself chased after two dubious figures who has a thing for patti page's how much is that doggie in the window?. but then we are presented with the real dan dark, struggling with a bad case psoriasis, close to losing his mind, very much in physical pain, abusing everyone around him, his suspicion of others shoots up exponentially. he is in pain mentally, of past lives unresolved only for him to relieve it again now that he is bed ridden and has all the time in the world to remember every single detail. we don't know if he is at the edge of sanity because of his skin disease, or he is at the mercy of his disease to reflect the burden of (in)sanity that he's been carrying all this while. 

the film is supported by a great cast, i must mention the excellent robert downey jr (who at the time was struggling with addiction of some sort), mel gibson, robin wright penn and carla gugino - in the tradition of great film noir (though this is not strictly one...here we go again) nothing is what it seems to be. 

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