Hollow Man (2000)

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers (WGA):

Gary Scott Thompson (story) and
Andrew W. Marlowe (story) ...

Release Date:

4 August 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

What would you do if you were invisible? How far would you go?

Plot:

Scientists discover how to make people invisible, but their test subject becomes an insane killer who stalks them.

Plot Keywords:

Invisibility | Experiment | Fire Extinguisher | Insanity | Loss Of Control

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Elisabeth Shue	...	Linda McKay
Kevin Bacon	...	Sebastian Caine
Josh Brolin	...	Matthew Kensington
Kim Dickens	...	Sarah Kennedy
Greg Grunberg	...	Carter Abbey
Joey Slotnick	...	Frank Chase
Mary Randle	...	Janice Walton
William Devane	...	Dr. Howard Kramer
Rhona Mitra	...	Sebastian's Neighbor
Pablo Espinosa	...	Ed, Warehouse Guard
Margot Rose	...	Mrs. Martha Kramer
Jimmie F. Skaggs	...	Wino
Jeffrey Scaperrotta	...	Boy in Car (as Jeffrey George Scaperotta)
Sarah Bowles	...	Girl in Car
Kelli Scott	...	Mom

Also Known As:

Hollow Man - Unsichtbare Gefahr (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language and some sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

112 min | USA:119 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Australia:M (TV rating) | USA:R (certificate #36734) | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Brazil:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | Ireland:18 | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

For the climatic final scene between Linda and Sebastian, four elevator shafts were constructed with the following purposes: - 1. One of the shafts is a small scale shaft with an inoperable elevator used for dramatic part of the scene with floor and ceiling covered with green screen. This shaft was used where Sebastian got up from the lift, Linda was kissing Sebastian before saying "Go to hell" - 2. The second shaft was a ceiling shot of the elevator going up to the top and coming down again. It was composited to the ceiling of the small scale shaft for a height illusion effect. - 3. The third shaft was used for the floor shot a elevator going up and the flames erupting and spreading from below the lab. It was composited with the floor section of the small scale shaft. - 4. The last shaft was used in a shot where the elevator was moving and passes by Linda. Also this shaft was also used when Sebastian plummets down into the flames. The floor section was covered with green screen and has the flame effects composited into the floor.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The wire to a de-fib paddle is used as a constant power source for a powerful electromagnet. This isn't possible as the power source for a de-fib paddle is a capacitor which would only be able to emit a brief burst of charge.

Quotes:

Linda: What bothers you most? That you don't have a life... or that I do?

Movie Connections:

Edited into Saw II (2005)

Soundtrack:

Charlie Big Potato

Hollow flick

One could wish that an idea as good as the "invisible man" would work better and be more carefully handled in the age of fantastic special effects, but this is not the case. The story, the characters and, finally the entire last 20 minutes of the film are about as fresh as a mad-scientist flick from the early 50's. There are some great moments, mostly due to the amazing special effects and to the very idea of an invisible man stalking the streets. But alas, soon we're back in the cramped confinement of the underground lab, which means that the rest of the film is not only predictable, but schematic.

There has been a great many remakes of old films or TV shows over the past 10 years, and some of them have their charms. But it's becoming clearer and clearer for each film that the idea of putting ol' classics under the noses of eager madmen like Verhoeven (who does have his moments) is a very bad one. It is obvious that the money is the key issue here: the time and energy put into the script is nowhere near enough, and as a result, "Hollow Man" is seriously undermined with clichés, sappy characters, predictability and lack of any depth whatsoever.

However, the one thing that actually impressed me, beside the special effects, was the swearing. When making this kind of film, modern producers are very keen on allowing kids to see them. Therefore, the language (and, sometimes, the violence and sex) is very toned down. When the whole world blows up, the good guys go "Oh darn!" and "Oh my God". "Hollow Man" gratefully discards that kind of hypocrisy and the characters are at liberty to say what comes most natural to them. I'm not saying that the most natural response to something gone wrong is to swear - but it makes it more believable if SOMEONE actually swears. I think we can thank Verhoeven for that.