Sean Penn's debut as director/writer is a rather uneven affair that in the end does seem to have more good points than bad. It's the tale of two brothers--or rather of one brother and his family trying to deal with the other's antics. The plot is fairly simple, though rather obvious, and surprisingly accurate to the reality of antisocial personality disorder, whether that was consciously Penn's intention or not.
The direction itself doesn't jump out to me as particularly good or bad, sitting somewhere in the mainstream middle, though at times it seemed that Penn was either confused or trying to do too much. The film opens with a hauntingly interesting visual car chase scene, but while it draws the viewer in very well, it seems so much like a thriller that when the character drama that follows ensues, that scene seems somehow out of place. There are a few other moments where Penn seems to create an ominous mood that seems not to fit with the film overall and the reason is never really explained. It is perhaps apt to compare this problem to Peter Weir's "The Last Wave," except that the ominous mood is so often there that it fits--even though the film isn't quite the thriller it wants to be.
The script, meanwhile, is similarly slightly unfocused. Penn can't seem to decide whether Joe is going to be the audience's stand-in as we watch Frank or Joe is going to be a deeper character. When he and Frank discuss "burning" and Joe says, "I want to burn again" in his voice-over, we get the sense of there being more to him; but it never really comes through. Frank, meanwhile, is an obvious case of antisocial personality disorder. He's a wonderfully charismatic and likable guy but he also has major authority issues and insists on doing things that seem inexplicable to the average person. The story that follows is very obvious and easy to see coming every step of the way until the last second and there is a little more repetition of emotions and ideas than necessary, but it's still interesting. However, the opening never really gets explained. While we do get it mentioned a few times in the film, its importance is never really adequately explained and when it seems it will at the end, Penn doesn't explain it but rather pulls the rug out from under it. I also found it difficult to follow the brothers' conversations at times, as they seemed to be sharing inside jokes without letting us know what they are. While they do heighten the film's reality, these moments are certainly not enjoyable.
What really saves this film from mediocrity is the acting. Viggo Mortensen stands out in a wonderful performance that is really a stretch for the slimy boyfriend of the horrible "Psycho" remake and "A Perfect Murder" who has made a name for himself as Aragorn in "The Lord of the Rings" films now. Mortensen has had a varied career, alternating from the aforementioned slimy roles to the aforementioned hero role to Satan in "The Prophecy" and even a dull, businessman-like deputy in "Young Guns II," and "The Indian Runner" is certainly part of that, as he gives a charismatic and interesting performance of a man who wants to be good and we can see it, but he just can't do it. Mortensen makes us identify with a character who is really difficult for most of us to identify with and brings him to life so that we can understand why those around him put up with him. The only other actor whose performance needs special mention is Charles Bronson, as the one-time tough guy uses very little screen time to create a perfect sad, lonely old man who feels like he has no purpose on earth--he was surprisingly excellent. David Morse meanwhile does what he can with a generally dull role that is never allowed to develop the complexities that seem possible, Patricia Arquette manages to be as child-like and annoying as possible, Dennis Hopper stands out as a somewhat bizarre presence but doesn't steal too much attention, and Valeria Golino is cute in a role that requires nothing else.
One other point that I have to make is that much of the music in the film was terribly distracting. Like a few moments in David Lynch's "Lost Highway" and most of Cameron Crowe's "Vanilla Sky," some bad music and out of place music really reduced the enjoyment of the film as a whole.
All told, "The Indian Runner" is a character drama, so don't look for excitement, but a very well-acted one. While at times Penn doesn't seem to know where he wants to focus, he doesn't completely lose the film and Viggo Mortensen's fantastic performance keeps us interested and entertained despite the repetitious and formulaic storyline. Don't watch it if you're tired, but if you want to see antisocial personality disorder in action or fine acting from Charles Bronson and Viggo Mortensen--two men now better known for their heroic, rather unemotional work--this film won't disappoint.
The direction itself doesn't jump out to me as particularly good or bad, sitting somewhere in the mainstream middle, though at times it seemed that Penn was either confused or trying to do too much. The film opens with a hauntingly interesting visual car chase scene, but while it draws the viewer in very well, it seems so much like a thriller that when the character drama that follows ensues, that scene seems somehow out of place. There are a few other moments where Penn seems to create an ominous mood that seems not to fit with the film overall and the reason is never really explained. It is perhaps apt to compare this problem to Peter Weir's "The Last Wave," except that the ominous mood is so often there that it fits--even though the film isn't quite the thriller it wants to be.
The script, meanwhile, is similarly slightly unfocused. Penn can't seem to decide whether Joe is going to be the audience's stand-in as we watch Frank or Joe is going to be a deeper character. When he and Frank discuss "burning" and Joe says, "I want to burn again" in his voice-over, we get the sense of there being more to him; but it never really comes through. Frank, meanwhile, is an obvious case of antisocial personality disorder. He's a wonderfully charismatic and likable guy but he also has major authority issues and insists on doing things that seem inexplicable to the average person. The story that follows is very obvious and easy to see coming every step of the way until the last second and there is a little more repetition of emotions and ideas than necessary, but it's still interesting. However, the opening never really gets explained. While we do get it mentioned a few times in the film, its importance is never really adequately explained and when it seems it will at the end, Penn doesn't explain it but rather pulls the rug out from under it. I also found it difficult to follow the brothers' conversations at times, as they seemed to be sharing inside jokes without letting us know what they are. While they do heighten the film's reality, these moments are certainly not enjoyable.
What really saves this film from mediocrity is the acting. Viggo Mortensen stands out in a wonderful performance that is really a stretch for the slimy boyfriend of the horrible "Psycho" remake and "A Perfect Murder" who has made a name for himself as Aragorn in "The Lord of the Rings" films now. Mortensen has had a varied career, alternating from the aforementioned slimy roles to the aforementioned hero role to Satan in "The Prophecy" and even a dull, businessman-like deputy in "Young Guns II," and "The Indian Runner" is certainly part of that, as he gives a charismatic and interesting performance of a man who wants to be good and we can see it, but he just can't do it. Mortensen makes us identify with a character who is really difficult for most of us to identify with and brings him to life so that we can understand why those around him put up with him. The only other actor whose performance needs special mention is Charles Bronson, as the one-time tough guy uses very little screen time to create a perfect sad, lonely old man who feels like he has no purpose on earth--he was surprisingly excellent. David Morse meanwhile does what he can with a generally dull role that is never allowed to develop the complexities that seem possible, Patricia Arquette manages to be as child-like and annoying as possible, Dennis Hopper stands out as a somewhat bizarre presence but doesn't steal too much attention, and Valeria Golino is cute in a role that requires nothing else.
One other point that I have to make is that much of the music in the film was terribly distracting. Like a few moments in David Lynch's "Lost Highway" and most of Cameron Crowe's "Vanilla Sky," some bad music and out of place music really reduced the enjoyment of the film as a whole.
All told, "The Indian Runner" is a character drama, so don't look for excitement, but a very well-acted one. While at times Penn doesn't seem to know where he wants to focus, he doesn't completely lose the film and Viggo Mortensen's fantastic performance keeps us interested and entertained despite the repetitious and formulaic storyline. Don't watch it if you're tired, but if you want to see antisocial personality disorder in action or fine acting from Charles Bronson and Viggo Mortensen--two men now better known for their heroic, rather unemotional work--this film won't disappoint.