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June 04, 2002
L.I.E.
(out of four)
Before Anthony Hopkins, actor Brian Cox played the original Hannibal Lecter ("Lektor") in the nearly forgotten Manhunter. He's half psychopath and half grandpa -- there's something about Cox's steely eyes and bulldog jowls that could go either way -- and you never quite know whether to trust the characters he plays. In L.I.E., he's creepier than ever as a benevolent monster who goes by the nickname "Big John," a child molester who has learned to live with the fact that he destroys the young lives he touches. Cox tackles an extremely complex character, without question last year's most interesting villain (sorry Sir Tony, but Hannibal's a has-been). On the outside, Big John's a smooth-talking veteran respected by his community, while behind closed doors, he corrupts its youth.
Fifteen-year-old Howie Blitzer (Paul Franklin Dano) is mature beyond his years, and Big John senses it the instant he sets his hooks in the kid. Howie shows amazing potential for someone his age. He recites Whitman and aspires to be a great writer. The film itself emerges as the narrative of his own experiences, told with searing insight into the impossible contradictions of contemporary adolescence (a tribute to first-time filmmaker Michael Cuesta and co-writer Stephen M. Ryder).
In this world, the real world, Father no longer knows best. In fact, Father hardly knows anything at all. Distracted with work trouble and the feisty young lover he's taken since his wife's death, Howie's dad all but ignores his son. These days, Howie has learned to fend for himself. He relies on his friends, a rebel group of teens who brandish the phrase "bad influence" like some kind of badge. They're good kids with no role models and too much time on their hands, and it's no great mystery to anyone who survived adolescence that NC-17 problems should arise in a movie about 15-year-olds.
Howie has something of a crush on his friend Gary (Billy Kay, an up-and-comer whose on-screen magnetism suggests the star he's sure to become), whom he trusts against his better judgment. It's Gary who gets Howie mixed up with Big John in the first place, and it's Gary who abandons Howie when he most desperately needs someone close. In times like this, who can Howie trust? And what is the price of growing up too soon? L.I.E. reflects a disheartening world, where friends aren't what they seem and where truly threatening characters may prove to be the most dependable figures in a boy's life. It's tough going, but it's worth it.
[as featured on Moviefone.com]
Posted by Peter Debruge on