Working the night shift in a seedy police station, stumbling through life in an alcoholic haze, Detective Mickey Hayden can hardly be said to have a firm grasp on reality to begin with, but when a bump on the head unleashes terrifying psychic visions, things get truly weird. Soon he's on the trail of a serial killer and unraveling the mystery of his beautiful first victim, the elusive Alice.
The role of an embittered burn-out seems tailor-made for Keifer Sutherland and he makes the most of it. The plot's typical serial killer stuff, but it has enough quirks, twists, and genuine surprises to raise it above the usual genre fare and even make up for a painfully low budget. (One wonders what this film could have been if there'd been money for a few more rewrites and a few more takes.)
All in all, 'After Alice' is a pleasant diversion for anyone, but for fans of Lewis Carroll's 'Alice' books, it's a real treat. From the topsy-turvy reality in which things are rarely what they've seem, to more obvious references -- a killer called 'The Jabberwocky', who leaves playing cards on his victims' bodies -- there's an 'Alice' reference at every turn. Below is a list of the ones I uncovered. Since finding them yourself is half the fun, I've marked them as spoilers.
SPOILERS
Cast of Characters
Mickey - In a sense he's Alice himself wandering through strange landscapes, encountering odd characters, but Harvey, recognizing his true nature, identifies him as the hapless, bumbling White Knight.
John Hatter (Mickey's boss) - Is he really 'mad'? You be the judge
Claudette - An African-American transvestite. Obviously, the Black Queen
Margaret Ellison - Mickey calls her the Red Queen, but her brutal nature suggests, more specifically, the Queen of Hearts.
Gideon Wood - Suspected of being the Jabberwocky killer, his ambiguous role is more suggestive of a snark (or a boojum perhaps).
Harvey - His role as unofficial guide to 'wonderland' and his name, evocative of another famous cinematic rabbit, makes me think he must be the White Rabbit
Dr. Vera Swann - Her last name and relationship with Mickey suggest the White Queen.
Other Connections
Mickey's adventures begin when he chases a man in white and falls down a (rabbit) hole.
Mickey drunkenly tells his cat to stop grinning at him (Cheshire Cat)
The killer is revealed 'through the looking glass'.
The climatic showdown ends in a swirl of playing cards, just as Alice's adventure did in the book.
The statues in the garden look like giant chess pieces.
The role of an embittered burn-out seems tailor-made for Keifer Sutherland and he makes the most of it. The plot's typical serial killer stuff, but it has enough quirks, twists, and genuine surprises to raise it above the usual genre fare and even make up for a painfully low budget. (One wonders what this film could have been if there'd been money for a few more rewrites and a few more takes.)
All in all, 'After Alice' is a pleasant diversion for anyone, but for fans of Lewis Carroll's 'Alice' books, it's a real treat. From the topsy-turvy reality in which things are rarely what they've seem, to more obvious references -- a killer called 'The Jabberwocky', who leaves playing cards on his victims' bodies -- there's an 'Alice' reference at every turn. Below is a list of the ones I uncovered. Since finding them yourself is half the fun, I've marked them as spoilers.
SPOILERS
Cast of Characters
Mickey - In a sense he's Alice himself wandering through strange landscapes, encountering odd characters, but Harvey, recognizing his true nature, identifies him as the hapless, bumbling White Knight.
John Hatter (Mickey's boss) - Is he really 'mad'? You be the judge
Claudette - An African-American transvestite. Obviously, the Black Queen
Margaret Ellison - Mickey calls her the Red Queen, but her brutal nature suggests, more specifically, the Queen of Hearts.
Gideon Wood - Suspected of being the Jabberwocky killer, his ambiguous role is more suggestive of a snark (or a boojum perhaps).
Harvey - His role as unofficial guide to 'wonderland' and his name, evocative of another famous cinematic rabbit, makes me think he must be the White Rabbit
Dr. Vera Swann - Her last name and relationship with Mickey suggest the White Queen.
Other Connections
Mickey's adventures begin when he chases a man in white and falls down a (rabbit) hole.
Mickey drunkenly tells his cat to stop grinning at him (Cheshire Cat)
The killer is revealed 'through the looking glass'.
The climatic showdown ends in a swirl of playing cards, just as Alice's adventure did in the book.
The statues in the garden look like giant chess pieces.