LEVITY (2003)
A Film Review
Copyright Dragan Antulov 2005
There are some films that, for some almost unfathomable
reason, seem to justify their existence despite lacking any sort of
originality or special quality. LEVITY, 2003 drama written and
directed by Ed Solomon, is one of those films.
Protagonist of the film is Manuel Jordan (played by Billy Bob
Thornton), man who was imprisoned for life after killing 17-
year old convenience store clerk during robbery. Two decades
later and against his expectations, he receives parole. During all
those years Manuel has thought hard about his crime and once
he gets out he is determined to redeem himself. He returns to
his home town and finds temporary job as a caretaker in inner
city youth centre, run by colourful street preacher Miles Evans
(played by Morgan Freeman). He also befriends the sister of his
victim and notices that her young son, who hangs out with the
wrong crowd, might very well make the same mistakes Manuel
had once made.
According to Ed Solomon, the script for LEVITY was in
development for almost two decades, but it is hard to see that
in the film. The story is simplistic, the plot and its resolution are
predictable while characters are one-dimensional. Solomon
adds to it with heavy-handed symbolism and scenes during
which protagonist is accompanied with the ghost of murdered
youth. Thankfully, the acting in the film is very good. Billy Bob
Thornton's minimalistic approach might not be the most
spectacular moment of his career, but it is quite suitable for the
role of Manuel. Other notable names also contribute to film's
watchability, regardless whether their characters are one-
dimensional (like the one played by Holly Hunter) or
completely unnecessary to the plot (like the troubled girl
played by always dependable Kirsten Dunst). Another of film's
assets is Roger Deakins' cinematography which captures cold
and bleak atmosphere of city during winter. This little touch of
style is enough to compensate for the lack of substance in
LEVITY. This film might not be the most profound or
memorable viewing experience, but it is far from being a waste
of time either.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
Review written on March 17th 2005
Dragan Antulov a.k.a. Drax
http://film.purger.com
Film Reviews in Croatian/Filmske recenzije na hrvatskom
http://draxreview.blogspot.com
Draxblog Movie Reviews
http://www.ofcs.org
Online Film Critics Society
========== X-RAMR-ID: 39571 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 1370729 X-RT-TitleID: 1121481 X-RT-SourceID: 1650 X-RT-AuthorID: 1307 X-RT-RatingText: 5/10
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