FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Director Jason Freeland had the prescience to secure movie rights to a James Ellroy novel before the release of "L.A. Confidential", and the pedigree should ensure some commercial attention for this feature should it be released.
Uncommonly polished and well-made for a debut, the film is a stylish private eye caper that benefits from astute casting choices and an appropriately moody musical score. It recently had its world premiere at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.
"Brown's Requiem", harking back to the days of film noir, is a typically convoluted private eye drama featuring a world-weary protagonist coping none too successfully with personal and professional demons. Fritz Brown, well-played by Michael Rooker, fits the classic mold: A former drunk and a retired member of the LAPD, he works out of a dingy office scratching out a living working as a repo man and on low-level divorce cases.
This all changes with the arrival of aptly named Fat Dog (William Sasso), an obese golf-obsessed caddie who lives outdoors on the various golf courses of L.A. Fat Dog, whipping out an alarmingly fat wad of cash, hires Brown to look after his sexy teenage sister Jane (Selma Blair), who is shacked up with an elderly businessman with Mafia ties (Harold Gould). Naturally, Brown soon finds himself the recipient of numerous beatings by various thugs and becomes embroiled in a complicated conspiracy involving, among other things, crooked cops, incest (shades of "Chinatown") and loads of illicit money.
The plot, as with most noir thrillers, is well nigh unintelligible, but the fun lies in watching director-screenwriter Jason Freeland indulge in all the classic conventions of the genre, such as the mournful trumpet solo that plays over the opening credits and the first-person narration with which the hero details his pragmatic philosophies of survival.
The film uses a wide variety of L.A. and Mexican locations to good visual effect and, more importantly, the filmmaker, in the great tradition of "The Maltese Falcon", cannily uses a large number of terrific character actors in minor roles, from indie stalwart Kevin Corrigan, as Brown's doomed friend Wally, to Brad Dourif, Brion James and Barry Newman as an assortment of low-lifes -- not to mention a cameo by Valerie Perrine.
Michael Rooker is terrific as the eternally put-upon Brown, his beat-up features and gravelly voice perfectly suited to the role. The film lags somewhat in terms of pacing, with few of the scenes playing as crisply or economically as they should. Overall "Brown's Requiem" is an auspicious debut for a filmmaker who has obviously done his cinematic homework.
BROWN'S REQUIEM
J&T Prods.
Director, screenplay: Jason Freeland
Producers: Tim Youd, David Scott Rubin
Executive producers: John McDonnell III, Marc Ezralow, Theodore : Farnsworth III
Director of photography: Seo Mutarevic
Film editor: Toby Yates
Music: Cytnia Millar
Color/stereo
Cast:
Fritz Brown: Michael Rooker
Jane: Selma Blair
Marguerita Hansen: Valerie Perrine
Solly K: Harold Gould
Stan the Man: Tobin Bell
Edwards: Brad Dourif
Cathcart: Brion James
Fat Dog: William Sasso
Walter: Kevin Corrigan
Running time -- 105 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Uncommonly polished and well-made for a debut, the film is a stylish private eye caper that benefits from astute casting choices and an appropriately moody musical score. It recently had its world premiere at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.
"Brown's Requiem", harking back to the days of film noir, is a typically convoluted private eye drama featuring a world-weary protagonist coping none too successfully with personal and professional demons. Fritz Brown, well-played by Michael Rooker, fits the classic mold: A former drunk and a retired member of the LAPD, he works out of a dingy office scratching out a living working as a repo man and on low-level divorce cases.
This all changes with the arrival of aptly named Fat Dog (William Sasso), an obese golf-obsessed caddie who lives outdoors on the various golf courses of L.A. Fat Dog, whipping out an alarmingly fat wad of cash, hires Brown to look after his sexy teenage sister Jane (Selma Blair), who is shacked up with an elderly businessman with Mafia ties (Harold Gould). Naturally, Brown soon finds himself the recipient of numerous beatings by various thugs and becomes embroiled in a complicated conspiracy involving, among other things, crooked cops, incest (shades of "Chinatown") and loads of illicit money.
The plot, as with most noir thrillers, is well nigh unintelligible, but the fun lies in watching director-screenwriter Jason Freeland indulge in all the classic conventions of the genre, such as the mournful trumpet solo that plays over the opening credits and the first-person narration with which the hero details his pragmatic philosophies of survival.
The film uses a wide variety of L.A. and Mexican locations to good visual effect and, more importantly, the filmmaker, in the great tradition of "The Maltese Falcon", cannily uses a large number of terrific character actors in minor roles, from indie stalwart Kevin Corrigan, as Brown's doomed friend Wally, to Brad Dourif, Brion James and Barry Newman as an assortment of low-lifes -- not to mention a cameo by Valerie Perrine.
Michael Rooker is terrific as the eternally put-upon Brown, his beat-up features and gravelly voice perfectly suited to the role. The film lags somewhat in terms of pacing, with few of the scenes playing as crisply or economically as they should. Overall "Brown's Requiem" is an auspicious debut for a filmmaker who has obviously done his cinematic homework.
BROWN'S REQUIEM
J&T Prods.
Director, screenplay: Jason Freeland
Producers: Tim Youd, David Scott Rubin
Executive producers: John McDonnell III, Marc Ezralow, Theodore : Farnsworth III
Director of photography: Seo Mutarevic
Film editor: Toby Yates
Music: Cytnia Millar
Color/stereo
Cast:
Fritz Brown: Michael Rooker
Jane: Selma Blair
Marguerita Hansen: Valerie Perrine
Solly K: Harold Gould
Stan the Man: Tobin Bell
Edwards: Brad Dourif
Cathcart: Brion James
Fat Dog: William Sasso
Walter: Kevin Corrigan
Running time -- 105 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 11/20/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.