In the Cut | Review

Campion unleashes the evil within and fails admirably.

One decade after collecting accolades for lavishly beautiful The Piano, Toronto film festival critics were giving this film an unfavorable reaction that was not a possible thought that came to mind when thinking of Australia’s brightest female film auteurs. Knowing that films sometimes get unmerited flack, I was totally prepared to give this film a clean slate from all the tainted unfair reviews–I mean how bad could it this really be?

For one, this is perhaps the closest film to mainstream cinema that Jane Campion will create, that said, it will be more than someone actress shedding her clothes that will throw audiences off, as this adaptation of Susanna Moore’s 1995 noir best seller evokes a strong sense of eroticism but also takes the biggest nose-dive of the season into mindless bliss.

Where does the film go wrong? Or rather where does it ever go right? Meg Ryan portrays the type of character which will make any major Sleepless in Seattle fan squeal in their seat. With a stripped bare very adult role and risky career move she bats out a character whose got this infectious disease type of look that is up their with Naomi Watts’ portrayal in (21 Grams). She’s a prof who takes detours into attics to entertain herself by watching acts of fellatio, eventually, she gets involved in this murder investigation which brings her in-close with a detective and some of the clues to the murder unravel along. Basically, the plot points the finger at many accusers, but it becomes way too obvious in how it plans to deal her hand in fate, which is probably not the same case for the cop played by indie film favorite Mark Ruffalo (My Life Without Me) whose character’s presence is justified by irrelevant actions and an attraction that is beyond comprehensible.

Underworld settings are not restricted to what would normally be kept to dark alleys and weary basement levels, as Campion makes every single place look like the creeps, thus making NYC into a hauntingly seedy kind of town. Matching the comatose frame of mind of the main character are Dion Beebe’s series of blurred in and out of focus shots with a hand-held camera which is perhaps a little overused to the point where it gives a nauseatingly bad spell to the film. Production designer David Brisbin gives the film a similar quality as in his last feature (City of Ghosts) but even this fails to light a match to the overall enjoyment of the film.

Besides a horrible dialogue and there are plenty of empty spaces in the character’s emotions available in a list of players which make very little sense to the narrative. At first we understand Jennifer Jason Leigh (Road to Perdition)as her lesbian lover, only to find out that the affection between the two was only sisterly love, but even worse, are the freak characters of this black man/part-time lover who is getting tutored by Ryan’s character and a former lover in Kevin Bacon (Mystic River) whose business in this film makes little sense as his character is way out there on planet Pluto.

Campion’s take on the cold, noir thriller lacks dearly in substance, turning to grotesque scenes and a guttered ending within an arty composition, something that puts the viewer in a mood to make a quick dash for the exit door. In the Cut is a disappointment showing that even the best directors can make a goof-up of a job.

Rating 1.5 stars