As with "The Talented Mr. Ripley", Marion Hansel's slow-paced thriller depicts murder as the most expedient way to provide oneself with a personal makeover. Winner of the Grand Prize of the Americas at last year's Montreal World Film Festival, "The Quarry" stars Irish actor John Lynch as a mysterious drifter who murders a Baptist minister and assumes his identity and position in a rural town.
A reasonably intriguing situation for a thriller, to be sure, but director-screenwriter Hansel downplays the noirish elements in favor of ambiguity and a languorous depiction of the often-silent protagonist's spiritual malaise. When we first see the Man (Lynch), he is wandering through the desert in a state of desperation, though we're not given a clue as to how he arrived there. He is given a lift and a free meal by the Reverend (Serge-Henri Valcke), but when it turns out that the man of the cloth has a distinctly earthly side -- revealed in a clumsy sexual proposition -- the Man reacts violently, and the minister winds up dead.
Seizing the opportunity, the Man steals his van and assumes his position as town pastor, where his decidedly uncommunicative preaching style puzzles his new landlord (Sylvia Esau) and congregation. Only when the body is found and the town's white police captain arrests two local thieves for the crime does the Man's plan begin to fall apart. He's forced to decide whether to confess or let them take the blame and face the death penalty.
Although "Quarry", filmed in South Africa, displays a real sense of atmosphere and has been photographed elegantly by Bernard Lutic, Hansel's assiduously arty approach robs the material of its suspense and resonance. Not helping matters is Lynch's repressed performance, which leaves us totally in the dark as to his character's motivations. The only figure who displays any sign of life is Capt. Mong, the racist cop; as played by the charismatic Jonny Phillips, his every appearance becomes riveting.
THE QUARRY
First Run Features
Director-screenwriter-producer: Marion Hansel
Director of photography: Bernard Lutic
Editor: Michele Hubinon
Music: Takashi Kako
Color/stereo
Cast:
The Man: John Lynch
Capt. Mong: Jonny Phillips
The Reverend: Serge-Henri Valcke
Valentine: Oscar Petersen
Small: Jody Abrahams
The Woman: Sylvia Esau
Running time -- 112 minutes
No MPAA rating...
A reasonably intriguing situation for a thriller, to be sure, but director-screenwriter Hansel downplays the noirish elements in favor of ambiguity and a languorous depiction of the often-silent protagonist's spiritual malaise. When we first see the Man (Lynch), he is wandering through the desert in a state of desperation, though we're not given a clue as to how he arrived there. He is given a lift and a free meal by the Reverend (Serge-Henri Valcke), but when it turns out that the man of the cloth has a distinctly earthly side -- revealed in a clumsy sexual proposition -- the Man reacts violently, and the minister winds up dead.
Seizing the opportunity, the Man steals his van and assumes his position as town pastor, where his decidedly uncommunicative preaching style puzzles his new landlord (Sylvia Esau) and congregation. Only when the body is found and the town's white police captain arrests two local thieves for the crime does the Man's plan begin to fall apart. He's forced to decide whether to confess or let them take the blame and face the death penalty.
Although "Quarry", filmed in South Africa, displays a real sense of atmosphere and has been photographed elegantly by Bernard Lutic, Hansel's assiduously arty approach robs the material of its suspense and resonance. Not helping matters is Lynch's repressed performance, which leaves us totally in the dark as to his character's motivations. The only figure who displays any sign of life is Capt. Mong, the racist cop; as played by the charismatic Jonny Phillips, his every appearance becomes riveting.
THE QUARRY
First Run Features
Director-screenwriter-producer: Marion Hansel
Director of photography: Bernard Lutic
Editor: Michele Hubinon
Music: Takashi Kako
Color/stereo
Cast:
The Man: John Lynch
Capt. Mong: Jonny Phillips
The Reverend: Serge-Henri Valcke
Valentine: Oscar Petersen
Small: Jody Abrahams
The Woman: Sylvia Esau
Running time -- 112 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 1/20/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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