David Duchovny’s first big move to film after his X-Files success, this is a somewhat tongue in cheek crime noir about Eugene Sands (Duchovny, Zoolander), an exiled Surgeon who was suspended for operating on and killing a patient while high. He has dropped off the face of the earth, and now ventures out of his run down apartment in search of further uppers and downers.
He
has the strange fortune of being at a night club getting dope one night when a
man is shot execution style in the chest. He snaps into doctor mode and saves
his life, in the process befriending the mysterious and alluring Claire
(Angelina Jolie, Tomb Raider).
The
next day he is summoned by thugs and taken to the beachfront estate of the
ominous Raymond Blossom, Claire’s boyfriend, and stolen goods merchant. He is
smitten with Eugene and makes him his house doctor, fixing all his injured
thugs, and taking him along on business, which weirds Eugene out.
Eventually
the FBI gets involved, and there’s a couple turns and twists that seem strange,
but overall, it’s pretty cool criminal fun. Also, this is the film that The
Italian Job got it’s ideas from, with the
whole “3 identical armored cars” plot. Duchovny is convincing at times, and
hilarious in one particular scene in an elevator, but overall, is still the
detached and listless Fox Mulder. Being cast as a junkie definitely takes
advantage of that concept, but still, there are times when I simply do not
believe a word Duchovny says. Blossom is similarly over the top as a laid back
West Coast villain, and Jolie is merely eye candy, before any of her big
breaks. It’s still pretty cool pulp, but don’t expect anything amazing. The
Redemption angle is loud and clear, and makes it highly worth watching once. 2.
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