The Jacket

Starring: Adrien Brody, Kiera Knightley, Kris Kristofferson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brad Renfro
Directed by: John Maybury
Rating: R
Science Fiction
2005

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A Gulf War veteran (Adrien Brody) is in a mental hospital (for killing a policeman, even though he may be innocent). Part of the treatment involves injecting him with drugs, placing him in a straight-jacket, and putting him in a small, confined space. Once in there, he realizes he can travel into the future where he meets a beautiful woman (Keira Knightley) who helps him try to figure out exactly what is happening to him.

Review:

Tim: This is a low budget but semi-interesting time travel tale. The film throws some far fetched ideas at the audience, but the story is told in such a wa that everything makes sense and you won't be too confused as long as you pay attention. While the concepts are somewhat original, the storyline is not. It is too similar to other time travel movies, like The Butterfly Effect.

The cast is not very strong. Adrien Brody is average, but I don't feel like he is leading man material (The Pianist aside). He doesn't strengthen his case here. Usually reliable Keira Knightley is not enjoyable in the least. She's not miscast per say, but she never really gets to do anything. She was quite boring. Surprisingly, the film's best performances come from the supporting players- Kris Kristofferson and Jennifer Jason Leigh are both decently enjoyable. However, the cast as a while is fairly weak.

This movie has a cult-status feel to it, like 12 Monkeys or Donnie Darko, although I prefer either of those films over this one.

The Jacket is an interesting little movie, but it is sadly uninspiring and underwhelming. There just isn't enough to get excited about and you feel blase about the whole thing. Time travel fans should enjoy it, but mainstream fans will simply feel like The Jacket doesn't fit. (come on, laugh).

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Pianist, Donnie Darko, The Butterfly Effect, 12 Monkeys, The Hole