ASYLUM is a disappointingly low budget thriller set within the confines of a mental asylum, perhaps wanting to bask in some of the reflected former glory of the likes of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST. Unfortunately, many of the asylum films made in the last two decades - I'm thinking of the likes of GOTHIKA - have been disappointments and this one's no different. The murder mystery storyline is overly familiar and the direction insipid, leaving the viewers to check their watches on a regular basis.
Robert Patrick is the grizzled hero of the piece, revealing how far he had fallen since his breathtaking role in blockbuster TERMINATOR 2 just six years previously. He plays a cop who goes undercover as an asylum inmate to solve a murder. The script is pretty bad, it has to be said, and the stylistics have dated in that '90s way. It's only really worth watching for the various supporting roles for actors including Sarah Douglas (CONAN THE DESTROYER), the reliably intense Malcolm McDowell, and the great Henry Gibson.
Robert Patrick is the grizzled hero of the piece, revealing how far he had fallen since his breathtaking role in blockbuster TERMINATOR 2 just six years previously. He plays a cop who goes undercover as an asylum inmate to solve a murder. The script is pretty bad, it has to be said, and the stylistics have dated in that '90s way. It's only really worth watching for the various supporting roles for actors including Sarah Douglas (CONAN THE DESTROYER), the reliably intense Malcolm McDowell, and the great Henry Gibson.