| THE INDIAN RUNNER |
 1991 - USADirector: Sean Penn - Reviewed by Jennifer
Watching a two hour and seven minute Sean Penn film was pretty much like I though it would be: long and slow and dark. It's actually stunning that someone with a brain akin to a coal mine was able to give us reasonably amusing performances in movies like Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Shanghai Surprise, and We're No Angels. The Indian Runner would indicate that Mr. Penn has no sense of humor, but perhaps simply demonstrates that the man is an enigma. The story takes place in the years immediately following the Vietnam War, and deals with a police officer (David Morse) and his struggle to let go of his disturbed brother (Viggo Mortensen). David Morse is so much the antithesis of compelling that the other characters might as well be talking to empty space. That said, it's really hard to care about a protagonist so dull you keep forgetting about him. Luckily there's a decent supporting cast, including Charles Bronson, Sandy Dennis, Valeria Golino, Patricia Arquette, and Dennis Hopper. But they can't make up for a story that kind of sucks and just goes on and on. I mean, how long does it take to point out that some people are crazy, but life isn't so bad if you're not actually one of them? Sean, why didn't you just make an After School Special? As for Viggo, I will first say that he does an excellent job playing a despicable character. Gone are any traces of the soft spoken, poetry writing, doting dad we see in interviews: this man can act. Does he look great in this movie? Yes, but to delight in seeing this character naked is just kind of sick. There is a sexy shirtless wedding ceremony that includes random swimming, but it's counteracted later by the pea blowing scene. Yeah, you heard me, pea blowing. A few months into his marriage to Patricia Arquette, (sorry, I really don't have the patience to call them by their characters' names) she cooks him a quaint all-American meal. He gets angry in the middle of dinner, and proceeds to scoop all the peas off his plate and pelt his pregnant wife with them one by one, yelling at her as she cries. This unnerving display culminates in him shoving the remaining peas into his mouth, chewing them up, and yes, BLOWING them onto her face in not one but THREE bursts, interrupted only by his green-toothed shouting. Good grief! I don't think that scenario is even in the domestic abuse handbook. The bit where he randomly kills Dennis Hopper with a barstool pales in comparison. You try to get it out of your head, but alas, there is no antidote for the pea-blowing scene. It will be emblazoned upon your brain forever. Rest assured, The Indian Runner leaves nothing to fantasize about. It's almost like a punishment for trying to see Viggo nude. Watching it is more akin to doing homework than a guilty pleasure, so if you're jonesing for more Viggo after renting Hidalgo and Return of the King, don't succumb to its allure. There's plenty of naked in A Walk On The Moon and A Perfect Murder, and no one blows chunks. |
| Home | Currently Playing | For Rent | Video Obsession
©2004 Moviepie e-mail us |
If you've been following Viggo Mortensen's big year like I have, you
probably read the April 2004 GQ article that so helpfully explained
that you
could see ALL of Viggo in The Indian Runner, and then implied that you
were
shallow if that happened to pique your interest. Well then! I'll have
you
know that I happily finished the article and its delightful details
about
Viggo's rock collecting and disinterest in television, and waited a
full
four months before checking out The Indian Runner and its full frontal
nudity. Besides, Viggo's performance in The Indian Runner has been
quite
acclaimed. The film was written and directed by Sean Penn, who also
had a
big year with Mystic River. There are plenty of wholesome reasons to
watch.... It's just that none of them are any good.
