R E V I E W S
Caveman's Valentine, The (2001)
Starring: Samuel
L. Jackson, Colm Feore, Ann Magnusen, Tamara Tunie Studio: Universal Focus Review Posted: 3.4.01 Rating: 8/10
By Stephen.
"Performances, directing, editing, story -- the goodies"
There's something unique about The Caveman's Valentine. There's also something exciting, mysterious, suspicious, refulgent, and illusory about it. Director Kasi Lemmons (Eve's Bayou) created an entirely new look of New York, kind of bestial. Something about this movie makes it feel inordinate. It's a strange mystery. Instead of a burned-out cop trying to solve a murder, we have Romulus Ledbetter investigating the death of a former male-model. This is what sparks Caveman's investigation of a famous artist. Although, Caveman's devotion to solving this mystery is kind of a picayune concern, if one really thinks about it.
Romulus is an esoteric person all around. In fact, he is delusional, which he denies. He possesses a very tenuous grasp on reality, lives in a cave at the edge of a Manhattan park, was once a talented, Julliard-trained musician and devoted family man. He stares at a television set that is not connected, mutters to himself in the cold, and most disturbingly, is haunted by visions and messages sent to him by an all-controlling, yet unseen, evil force, known as DeStuyvesant. This is a rather superficial account of the plot, but going any further would spoil too much of the prepossessing ideas that this movie presents.
I didn't know much about the story before seeing this movie. And since the trailer didn't give away anything substantial, I didn't really care for it much. Now that I've seen it, I really liked the story and was involved throughout. It's not the run-of-the-mill murder mystery. Some elements are standard fare, but the way WRITER chose to tell the story is different and unique. There are some minor concerns I have about Romulus's time management. Then again, who is perfect, right?
The most effective part of this movie is the stylish and slick editing by Terilyn A. Shropshire. It seriously adds to the weirdness (positive) of the story. Then there is the score. Terence Blanchard adds eerie voices and deep musical tones, all of which light up the scenes. It's a fresh movie. I liked it. I don't really know why I like it so much. This sort of makes me wonder. Was I just in the right mood? I think it actually was the atmosphere and feeling the movie threw back at me. Visually cool and entertaining plot wise backed by a very nice score, including the Caveman playing the piano.
The Caveman's Valentine re-teams Lemmons and Samuel L. Jackson. Lemmons's vision in this movie is both striking and inventive. Jackson's performance is excellent, at times overreaching, but without a doubt a great one. I think the two major factors that had me wanting to see this movie is Samuel L. Jackson and the trailer. More surprisingly, I went a considerably long way (an hour drive) to see it, when most times, I watch movies close to home (5-20 mins). The supporting actors created worthy supporting characters. The end (mystery-wise) sort of wrapped things up too quickly, which I thought didn't reflect the slower pacing before it. Nevertheless, I liked this movie. Maybe too much. Or maybe, because there is always that one movie that stands out and makes you feel good about it.
|
