The Jacket (2005)

Director:

John Maybury

Writers (WGA):

Tom Bleecker (story) and
Marc Rocco (story) ...

Release Date:

4 March 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Terror has a new name.

Plot:

A military veteran goes on a journey into the future, where he can foresee his death and is left with questions that could save his life and those he loves.

Plot Keywords:

Doctor Patient Relationship | Alternate History | Mental Illness | Enigmatic | Psychological Experiment

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Adrien Brody	...	Jack Starks
Keira Knightley	...	Jackie Price
Kris Kristofferson	...	Dr. Thomas Becker
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Dr. Beth Lorenson
Kelly Lynch	...	Jean Price
Brad Renfro	...	The Stranger
Daniel Craig	...	Rudy Mackenzie
Steven Mackintosh	...	Dr. Hopkins
Brendan Coyle	...	Damon
Mackenzie Phillips	...	Nurse Harding
Laura Marano	...	Young Jackie
Jason Lewis	...	Officer Harrison
Richard Dillane	...	Captain Medley
Jonah Lotan	...	Intern #1
Angel Coulby	...	Intern #2

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and brief sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:12 | Taiwan:R-12 | Malaysia:18PL (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (edited version) | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Indonesia:Dewasa | Iceland:16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-15 | Ireland:15A | Netherlands:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:NC-16 (cut) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Australia:MA | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva)

Filming Locations:

Bangour Village Hospital, Dechmont, West Lothian, Scotland, UK

Company:

Mandalay Pictures

Trivia:

Keira Knightley credits the food poisoning she had during her audition for landing her the part of a sickly alcoholic.

Goofs:

When Jack and Jackie are at the diner, Jack grabs a cigarette and is holding it in one hand and the next shot from a different angle he has a lighter in the same hand. Then next shot from another angle he has the cigarette again and it is lit. However, in the next shot he lights the cigarette.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Jack Starks: [Walking over to Iraqi child who's breathing hard] How's it going little man? You all right?
[Babak pulls out gun. Jack puts his hand up in a stop gesture but Babak shoots Jack in the head. Jack falls to the ground]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Look of 'The Jacket': Influences from the Avant-Garde (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Fleeting Smile

Disappointingly Average

Adrien Brody (The Pianist) plays a Gulf War veteran, placed in an asylum on his return home after being accused of murder. His doctor uses unconventional means to cure his madness, injecting him with experimental drugs and placing him in the morgue's body drawer, which causes him to have visions of his own death, giving him four days to find out what is real if he wants to save his own life.

The plot sounds intriguing but the execution wasn't very good. The film felt very much like Jacob's Ladder and between the two films, Jacob's Ladder is a lot better. That doesn't mean that The Jacket is a bad film, it's just an average one and its also a missed opportunity.

Adrien Brody, unsurprisingly, gives a pretty good performance. He keeps the film moving along nicely and he gives us a reason to watch the film. I usually like Keira Knightley except here she doesn't seem to be trying. Her performance is wooden and she can't keep up with Brody. They should have hired someone else who would equal Brody's strength. Jennifer Jason Leigh had a small role but her performance is pretty good and it's nice to see her in another movie.

John Maybury directs and he doesn't do a very good job. He makes the film look creepy and feel creepy but the twists are easy to figure out and he didn't do a good job editing the film. The movie becomes messy to watch during the second half and the ending is handled poorly. It started off nicely but then the film took a familiar road and did nothing exciting or interesting with the story. In the end, The Jacket may add up to a rental but it wasn't a particularly good movie nor a bad one just an average one. Rating 5/10