Final (2001)

Director:

Campbell Scott

Writer:

Bruce McIntosh (writer)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Bill (Leary) wakes up from a coma in a hospital ward, raving about tissue regeneration experiments, final injections...

Plot Keywords:

Cryogenics | Flashback Sequence | Plague | Tequila | One Word Title

Cast

Denis Leary	...	Bill
Hope Davis	...	Ann
J.C. MacKenzie	...	Todd
Jim Gaffigan	...	Dayton
Jim Hornyak	...	Orderly
Maureen Anderman	...	Supervisor
Marin Hinkle	...	Sherry
Madison Arnold	...	Bill's Father
Caroline Kava	...	Bill's Mother
Mary Diveny	...	Nurse
Janet Hovious	...	Doctor
Nadine Delallo	...	Ward Nurse
Bruce McIntosh	...	Edward
Stephen P. Dunn	...	Larry (as Steve Dunn)
Anthony Pettine	...	Coloring Patient

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Connecticut, USA

Company:

InDigEnt (Independent Digital Entertainment)

Trivia:

Blues guitarist Guy Davis, the singer at the bar, also provides most of the soundtrack.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): There is a typo on the consent form: "physical harm" reads "physical farm".

Movie Connections:

References The Misfits (1961)

Soundtrack:

If I Could Fly Like An Eagle

Good character driven movie

Many people would not like this movie because so much of what is going on is never revealed. In a way the situation even seems a trifle contrived. Had the same story been done in standard big Hollywood fashion, there would have been special effects of the freezing and other SGI's galore. More attention would have been paid to the background situation and not just the main two characters.

I am very glad that this movie was not done that way. Hope Davis and Denis Leary do an amazing job in this film. Usually known for his caustic small screen/comedy special personality, Leary plays a man who lost everything in his life, and his sense of reality. He does an excellent job, particularly early in the movie, establishing a man on the verge of breakdown. Hope Davis plays his therapist. She portrays a soulful character who is stuck in an incredibly difficult position.

Together they have great chemistry that isn't forced. The love that blossoms between them is the obviously dictated by the story, but in seems to unfold naturally. Early on they spar verbally, but eventually start to trust each other. When the finale rolls around, the scene doesn't seem forced but rather is poignant. And although Davis really sells the finale, Leary also does a fine job.

Again, this movie is not for everyone, but many will appreciate it.